Personal Assistant
Department of Health and Social Care
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 6th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.
We are looking for a Personal Assistant within our Women's Health, Maternity & Neonatal Policy Directorate. This is a unique role, which requires excellent communication and organisational skills, with the ability to stay on top of a busy inbox and diary. It is a fantastic opportunity to support work on policy detail which influences the way we work across government in a challenging, fast-paced and interesting world.
Job description
The postholder will play a critical and indispensable role in helping the team leader of maternity and neonatal policy, who is visually impaired, to maximise their efficiency and effectiveness by managing their day-to-day support needs and occasionally acting on their behalf. No two days are the same, and in a busy inbox, you will be able to quickly develop and grasp a clear understanding of Ministers’ priorities and delivery requirements.
Beyond that, you will be given an excellent insight into key work across Government through your contact with other teams and professionals, as well as external partners in a friendly and supportive environment.
There is a strong focus on development and we will support the successful candidate to develop excellent relationship and engagement skills. We will support the individual to develop the skills they need to further their career.
Another crucial element to this role is the provision of sighted guide assistance to the team leader, including to internal/external meetings, conferences, and site visits. This will occasionally require overnight travel. The team leader is likely to have a guide dog in the near future, so you should be comfortable being around the dog and ideally be able to understand the handling, when the time comes.
Online training will be made available to the successful candidate in both the sighted guide and guide dog handling.
Person specification
Inbox and diary management
- Daily engagement with the team leader to discuss emerging and existing priorities for the day and week ahead.
- Inbox monitoring and management - including proactively identifying emails for urgent action and delegating emails to team members where appropriate.
- Diary management; specifically arranging meetings, requiring engagement with senior internal and external stakeholders, resolving clashes and rescheduling where necessary.
- Keep days manageable and protect time for emails and administration work.
- Arranging visits, and booking attendance at events, including required travel and accommodation bookings.
- Drafting emails and documents on behalf of the team leader.
Meeting coordination and corporate activities
- Collating meeting papers and providing secretariat support for meetings that the team leader is chairing.
- Taking meeting notes and following up and monitoring progress on some action points.
- Transferring documents into accessible formats or working with others to ensure documents are created in an accessible way. Liaising with IT and other corporate colleagues to ensure that accessibility needs are being met.
Key skills and experience required for the role
- Previous experience of a personal assistant role with effective inbox monitoring and prioritising mail, creating and managing an effective filing system.
- Confident in the use of the Microsoft package (including but not limited to Outlook, MS Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and other packages to create and convert documents for accessibility requirements.
- Excellent written English and the ability to draft commissioning emails, and summarise discussions and turn into notes, at pace.
- Strong organiser with the ability to prioritise and adapt quickly to changing priorities throughout the day.
- Ability to building strong relationships at all levels of seniority and to keep on top of corporate activities.
- Confidence to represent the team leader and liaise with IT and other colleagues to ensure that accessibility needs are being clearly communicated and met.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
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
Sift date: expected W/C 13/05/2024
Interview date: expected W/C 03/06/2024
Interview location: The interview will take place at 39 Victoria Street, London. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.
The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores.
Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability and Behaviours.
Please complete statements on the specified Behaviours (250 word max per statement).
Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.
Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.
Candidates will be required to complete a verbal reasoning Test as part of the online application, this will follow immediately after the initial short application form is submitted. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the full application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application. The closing date for the tests and for submitting your full application is 6 May 2024. If you fail to complete the online test and submit your full application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
An initial sift based on your Statement of Suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.
To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here.
Further Information
Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.
Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.
Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.
Please make any written request to the vacancy holder in Arial point 14 text with no graphics.
This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Terms and Conditions
Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.
New Entrants to the Civil Service
New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:
- Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
- Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
- Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
- Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
- Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
- Probation: 6 month probation period
Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion
All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion
If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via DHSCRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Deborah Persaud
- Email : Deborah.persaud@dhsc.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
