Private Secretary and Head of Business Support

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

- 242436**Salary**:

- £50,155 - £65,950- National £50,155 to £60,781 Inner London £55,149 - £65,950**Job grade**:

- Grade 7**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DWP - Finance - DWP Finance Group - Financial Management and Partnering Directorate**Type of role**:

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

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- London (Caxton House), Blackpool (Peel Park), Sheffield (Hartshead Square), Leeds (Quarry House), Newcastle (Benton-Park-View), or Manchester (St Peter’s Square), Birmingham (3 Arena Central)About the job

**Job summary**:
This is a challenging and high-profile post at the centre of the department’s Finance Group.

The Directorate is at the forefront of supporting the department in delivering its priories and objective. The Financial Management and Partnering Directorate are responsible for the in-year management of the department’s finances, as well as future strategic decisions. It leads on the analysis supporting resourcing, financial and service improvement decisions, and has responsibility of the Finance Business Partner offer to the entire department.

The Director’s Private Office is an established private office and business support team. The Private Secretary and Head of Business Support will play a key role setting the environment to enable the Director to focus on their top priorities and discharge their responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

The post holder will be responsible for the leading the Private Office and ownership of a broad portfolio across the directorate’s remit.

It is imperative the post holder is an independent and proactive individual, who is adept at acting on their own initiative whilst making a meaningful contribution to the work of the wider team.

**Job description**:
You will lead across a diverse set of activities, ensuring the success of the Directorate’s delivery and enabling the Director and SLT to focus on areas that are central on successful achievement of priorities.

You will lead the smooth running of the Private Office, line-managing a small team (including Assistant Private Secretary and Diary Manager, and wider Business Support Team), ensuring effective administration across the directorate and support for the Director.

You will build and maintain strong and effective relationships across the complex stakeholder environment that makes up DWP (Executive Team and Director offices, Finance Group colleagues including Finance Executive Team, Permanent Secretary’s, and Ministers’ Private Offices) to identify issues early.

You will review, filter and challenge strategic and technical advice to the Director, to enable them take timely and well-informed decisions on key issues in the directorate, group, and department.

You will use discretion, tact, and diplomacy to advise the director and drive forward issues on their behalf.

You will lead on strategic workforce planning for the directorate, working with colleagues across the three finance directorates, and those in the group’s planning and performance team to ensure a joined-up approach.

There may be requirement for occasional travel with overnight stays.

Other task befitting of this role as and when required.

**Person specification**:
Essential:

- Excellent ability to work proactively, flexibly and manage you and your team's time efficiently.
- Strong ability to upwardly manage to ensure the Director and Deputy Directors can effectively execute their roles - including by seeking support on a timely and appropriate basis, and keeping Directors informed.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to manage and effectively engage stakeholders and senior officials from across DWP including Ministers, Permanent Secretary, and Director Generals.
- Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, being able to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure.

Desirable:

- Understanding/interest in DWP, its strategy and priorities.
- Previous private office experience

**Behaviours**:
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace

**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%

Things you need to know

**Selection process details**:

- This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.**Sift stage**:
A sift will be conducted only using the Personal Statement of 750 words. Your Personal Statement should showcase your skills and should demonstrate how you meet the key criteria, and yo