Private Secretary

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 328970**Salary**:

- £42,716 - £48,068**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Type of role**:

- Administration / Corporate Support**Working pattern**:

- Full-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 3Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf with hybrid workingAbout the job

**Job summary**:
**Please note this is a full-time position**

This is an exciting opportunity to join the UK Health Security Agency’s Private Office Group as a Private Secretary

Private Office Group consists of the offices supporting the Chief Executive, Directors General and Directors who comprise UKHSA’s Executive Committee. Each Private Office forms its own team and functions mostly autonomously in supporting their principal. All come together as a group to support one another, join-up the different areas of the organisation, and share problems, solutions and know-how.

We are currently recruiting for multiple roles, including Private Secretary to the Chief Executive, Professor Dame Jenny Harries, Science and Data, Analytics and Surveillance Private Offices

**About Us**

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

**Your key responsibilities will include**:

- support the principal through delivery of an effective and efficient Private Office service, including support for meetings, drafting briefings, high quality correspondence responses, communications, and ensuring principal’s priorities are taken forward;
- providing a high-quality service for your portfolio area, taking a key role in driving delivery and ensuring coherence across the senior leadership team, business areas, wider agency and across Whitehall;
- building and maintaining strong relationships with the executive leadership of UKHSA and their Private Offices to collectively drive forward work, understand risks and help deliver operationally;
- developing a team culture and environment of continuous improvement that supports the wider organisation to deliver; and offering ad hoc support to the wider Private Office team, including deputising for the Senior Private Secretary.

**Location**

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) offers hybrid working - this means that whilst the role will be based in London - Canary Wharf, there will be opportunities to work from home.
- Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available_

**Job description**:
The Private Secretary is a pivotal and demanding role within the organisation, helping to advise the principal and deliver the Agency’s priorities. They will lead on a portfolio of areas within the Private Office to support the principal, the senior UKHSA team, and colleagues across the organisation and government. This will involve commissioning and reviewing advice and briefing, ensuring that the principal’s priorities are being taken forward, and that these are aligned to the Agency’s and Ministers’ priorities.

There may also be an opportunity to take on line management responsibility depending on the role, as well as supporting the effective running of the office and the leadership of the business area.

**Person specification**:
**Essential criteria**
- The ability to work at pace on a range of competing priorities, whilst remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating resilience.
- The ability to work flexibly and quickly develop expertise on new policy areas and exercise judgement often working with incomplete or inconclusive information and data.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate people at all levels, building trust with stakeholders to achieve goals.
- A proven track record of making a strong personal impact, demonstrating effectiveness and credibility to operate at a senior level.
- Ability to grasp new challenges and concepts at pace.

**Desirable criteria**
- Previous experience of working in Private Office.
- Previous experience of working in public health or another healthcare-related area.

**Benefits**:

- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determin