Senior Private Secretary

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

- 355692**Salary**:

- £53,560 - £63,481- London Salary: £57,026 - £63,481 National Salary: £53,560 - £60,118- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Grade 7**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DBT - BG - Business Group Private Office**Type of role**:

- Administration / Corporate Support
- Environment and Sustainability
- Governance
- Industrial
- International Trade**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
- Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London or SalfordAbout the job

**Job summary**:
This role sits at the heart of the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) Construction, Infrastructure and Energy Directorate (CIE), which is responsible for delivering economic growth across four areas: Energy, Infrastructure Partnerships, Infrastructure sectors & Construction, and Ukraine Reconstruction.

The Directorate was recently involved in the UK’s largest trade mission to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched guidance on the National Digital Twin Programme and delivered a trade showcase at COP28.

The Senior Private Secretary to the Director is a pivotal, high-profile role at the centre of the CIE Directorate. The role holder will provide resilience and support to the Director and actively contribute to the leadership within the directorate. As head of the central office, you will line manage the private secretary and the directorate business manager to undertake their duties and support their career ambitions and development.

**Job description**:
You will play a pivotal role in the running of the Directorate and in ensuring the Director for Construction, Infrastructure and Energy makes effective decisions by:
Act as a strategic advisor to the SCS team. Understand, articulate, and drive forward the Director’s priorities and provide high quality advice backed up by accurate and perceptive insights.

Develop and lead on a vision for bringing together the newly restructured directorate and implementing a change programme, identifying opportunities for collaboration and promoting a shared narrative underpinned by the Departmental objectives.

Oversight of the Director’s calendar, inbox and team mailbox, utilising excellent prioritisation skills and exercising sound judgement to manage demands on the Director’s time. Escalating and commissioning briefing on key issues and provide early warning of issues requiring extra time or effort.

Oversight of directorate compliance with corporate processes, including transparency reporting, governance, finance, HR and Information Management and active participation in the Resource Hub Business Change Forum.

Providing strategic finance advice to the Director and management of the central office budget.

Efficient operation of the Directorate Senior Leadership Team, actively contributing to meetings, including direction setting and acting as the secretariat.

Inclusive line management and personal development of two Central Office team members.

Proactive contribution to the leadership of private offices across Business Group and seek opportunities to improve systems.

**Person specification**:
**Essential Criteria**
- Self-motivated, highly organised and able to prioritise activity across the Director’s portfolio.
- Ability to show sound judgement and make effective decisions whilst working at pace.
- A problem solver, with an ability to think on their feet and respond effectively to unexpected events
- Excellent communication, numerical and briefing skills.
- Effective engagement skills with a proven ability to manage upwards and confidently work with staff of all grades.

**Desirable Criteria**
- Private office experience
- Knowledge or experience working with corporate services
- Knowledge or experience working within the Construction, Infrastructure or Energy sectors

**Personal Attributes & Skills**

We are looking for a self-motivated person, with a “can-do” attitude who has enthusiasm and appetite for gaining exposure to senior relationships and governance across a busy and exciting directorate.

The role holder will:

- Have strong organisational and effective decision-making skills, be able to manage upwards.
- Be able to be able to work with people of all grades, delegating work, and commissioning briefings, be prepared to challenge the status quo and push through new ideas and thinking, have strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Take a strategic approach, understand the big picture and how to shape this, display high levels of judgement on a broad range of issues, often dealing with varied and sensitive matters.
- Be able to work equally effectively as part of a team and on their own initiative, be able to work flexibly at pace, managing several compet