JOB SUMMARY

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is recruiting for an Assistant Private Secretary.
The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for social security, labour market, pensions, and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, we administer the State Pension and a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. What we do matters to millions of people every day.
Private Office is crucial to providing effective support and advice to Ministers and Special Advisers across all aspects of Departmental business, acting as the key interface between the Department and Ministers to deliver DWP’s critical agenda.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Private Office is a high-performing, dynamic, supportive and inclusive team. This is a demanding but rewarding role for someone interested in working closely with the Ministerial Head of Office, Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials.
We have several exciting opportunities coming up, offering the chance to work with Ministers daily, helping to address challenges that affect the lives of people across the country. These roles provide an opportunity to see how Ministers, Special Advisers and the Civil Service operate in a way that is rarely matched in other roles of the same grade. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring high quality and timely advice across the portfolio is provided and will be the interface between the Department and Ministerial Team.
These are fast paced, stretching and a great platform for your future career in the Civil Service. We are looking for candidates who will enjoy and thrive in this unique and interesting environment at the heart of Government.
This post will either report to the Deputy Private Secretary or Head of Office.

In this role you will:

• Advise and work directly with the Deputy Private Secretary, Head of Office, Minister and wider Ministerial Team to support them in delivering their priorities
• Work with senior stakeholders across the Department, including policy and operations, as well as across Whitehall, to provide the Ministerial Team with high quality and timely advice
• Support the Minister in a wide range of internal and Cross-Government meetings and engagements
• Support the Minister or Special Adviser during meetings, responsible for providing an accurate readout, capturing actions and ensuring progress
• Accompany and support the Minister on relevant events and visits, working with the visits team to ensure logistics are properly arranged and acting as an ambassador for your Minister and DWP when meeting high profile

• Play a proactive role in the wider corporate effort within the Private Office

  We offer successful candidates:

• The opportunity to work closely with Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials

• An exciting, fast-paced and challenging work environment that involves dealing with complex policy and operational issues
• The chance to be part of a supportive team with plenty of opportunities to learn and develop new skills
• The opportunity to broaden understanding of DWP policy, parliamentary business and cross-government functions

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• We are looking for someone with excellent organisational skills and the ability to communicate effectively with Ministers, Special Advisers, and senior officials.
• You will need to manage a heavy workload, be able to prioritise effectively and enjoy working in a fastmoving environment.
• You will also need excellent judgement and political awareness and an interest in parliamentary business.
• Experience of working with ministers and an understanding of DWP policy and operational matters is desirable but not essential.

SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing:
Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP’s terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If the evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

In this role you will:

• Advise and work directly with the Deputy Private Secretary, Head of Office, Minister and wider Ministerial Team to support them in delivering their priorities
• Work with senior stakeholders across the Department, including policy and operations, as well as across Whitehall, to provide the Ministerial Team with high quality and timely advice
• Support the Minister in a wide range of internal and Cross-Government meetings and engagements
• Support the Minister or Special Adviser during meetings, responsible for providing an accurate readout, capturing actions and ensuring progress
• Accompany and support the Minister on relevant events and visits, working with the visits team to ensure logistics are properly arranged and acting as an ambassador for your Minister and DWP when meeting high profile
• Play a proactive role in the wider corporate effort within the Private Offic