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Assistant Private Secretary Vacancy Pack Ministerial Private Office Assistant Private Secretary Vacancy Pack APS B1 Role for MfC, MfI, & MWP Welcome - About Private Office - The Role - Our People - Benefits Foreword from Steffan Jones, “Thank you for your interest in Private Office and looking Principal Private Secretary & into this role today. Head of Ministerial Private Office Here at the Ministerial Private Office we are dedicated to supporting the Cabinet Office Ministers in driving forward the most important parts of Government policy and delivery. Comprised of several offices, each working for a Cabinet Office Minister and based in the heart of Whitehall, we all work to advise the most senior decision-makers in Government and steer hundreds of civil servants in Departments across the Union. There is no better place to get involved, learn, and contribute to the bleeding edge of current affairs in Government. I hope you will consider joining us and I wish you every success with your application.” Welcome - About Private Office - The Role - Our People - Benefits A key APS responsibility About Ministerial Private Office The Ministerial Private Office sits right at the heart of the Civil Service. Our Key Objective sounds simple: To support the Cabinet Office Ministers to deliver on their policy objectives and manifesto commitments. We do this in a variety of ways by: ● supporting the provision of timely and high quality policy advice, ● conveying ministerial decisions and steers, ● organising ministerial diaries, Chancellor of the Duchy of ● and handling ministerial correspondence, PQs, and other parliamentary business. Lancaster (CDL) CDL has a different role to that This range of support means that we have to make sure that we as an office, and as a government department, of a usual MCO, he is the second ensure that we make efficient use of this time and provide him with a level of service that allows our Ministers most senior Cabinet Minister to carry out their own roles. (after the PM), and acts as the PM’s deputy in driving forward While our key minister is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL), acting as Minister for Cabinet Office, the most important parts of there are three other ministers within Cabinet Office that support CDL and the Prime Minister, and hold their Government policy and delivery. own ministerial portfolios - supported by their own dedicated team which, together with CDL’s supporting The nature of CDL’s role means team, makes up the Ministerial Private Office. that most (if not all) of Government’s business will Continued on the next page... come through him and this office. In Support of the Minister for Cabinet Office All three Ministers support the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office in delivering Cabinet Office policy. Minister for Implementation: He is responsible for cross-government implementation, which involves supporting other departments, and driving forward the Government's priorities on behalf of the Prime Minister, including through attendance at Implementation Taskforces, Cabinet Sub-Committees and Inter-Ministerial Groups. The Minister for Implementation is also responsible for driving the transformation of the delivery of government services through the functions, such as digital, commercial and HR. Minister for the Constitution: She is responsible for constitutional policy and democracy, including electoral reform, as well as propriety, ethics and transparency more generally. In particular, she plays a key role in supporting the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Cabinet Office’s engagement with the devolved administrations and the UK Government’s policy on devolution and constitutional affairs. Minister without Portfolio: Is a full member of Cabinet and attends a number of sub-committees, including EU Exit Preparedness, Social Reform and Home Affairs. In his Cabinet Office role his portfolio centres around EU Exit, with a particular focus on border preparation implementation. Welcome - About Private Office - The Role - Our People - Benefits The Role First and foremost, this is an exciting opportunity for you to work in the heart of Whitehall and obtain unrivalled insight into the collective work of thousands of Civil Servants and Central Government. If successful, you will be advising and supporting our Ministers to deliver a vital and wide-ranging agenda at a pivotal time; and be responsible for leading on a range of policy issues for either the Minister for Implementation, the Minister for the Constitution, or the Minister without Portfolio*. Specific portfolios to be agreed with the Heads of Office. Selection Process It is really important for us to Key Responsibilities get the right people to provide the right service to our Ministers. Please look to There are Several Key Responsibilities that will be pivotal to the Role. We will be looking for evidence Page 11 for a better idea of during the Selection Process that applicants will be able to effectively carry these out effectively, our Selection Process. professionally, and with a short-adjustment period. ● Leading on aspects of the Minister’s portfolio – ensuring that they receive quality advice in a timely fashion ● Building relationships with officials and special advisers across the Cabinet Office and other government departments - especially other Private Offices ● Briefing the Minister for meetings, visits and other engagements - including parliamentary activity ● Accurately documenting and following up on actions from Ministerial meetings ● Reviewing submissions and briefings for the Minister ● Supporting the wider Private Office team and group to improve ways of working - ensuring that the role of private office is understood across the Cabinet Office ● Handling sensitive information in accordance with official guidance Skills/ Experience Here is what we will be looking out for during the Selection Process. Please ensure that you’re able to provide evidence (whether written, verbally, or otherwise) if needed. ● Experience of working in a fast-paced environment - the ability to multi-task multiple priorities and activities at once is key ● Comfortable working with, and around, Senior Civil Servants and Ministers ● Outstanding written and oral communication skills ● Strong attention to detail and critical thinking ability ● Experience of working on policy issues - Ideally those that fit within, at least one of, the Ministers’ portfolios mentioned on Pg. 6 (e.g. public appointments, commercial, constitution issues) [desirable] ● Experience of covering or working in a Private Office [desirable] Your Behaviours Our Selection Process & Your Application We will be looking for evidence that demonstrates the following behaviours: We have recently updated our recruitment policies and processes within Cabinet Office to a ● Seeing the Big Picture framework called Success Profiles. What this means for you is that we endeavour to: be clear & ● Making effective Decisions ● Communicating & Influencing consistent throughout the process, flexible with our approach for applicants where possible, better ● Delivering at Pace assess applicants as individuals, and promote diversity & inclusion in our recruitment. Your Experience Please be aware we will be looking at the following areas over the course of the Selection Process: When looking at your experience, we are looking for example of things you ● Start of Application Online - Looking at Your Behaviours, Your Experience, & Your Ability have previously achieved or your knowledge in a particular field which is through written communication and example. relevant to the job role ● First Selection - Successful candidates at this stage will be invited to Interview. Your Ability ● Interview - Looking at Your Behaviours, Your Experience, & Your Ability through formal When assessing ability we will be consultation & a short exercise. looking to understand your aptitude for the particular type of work you’ll be carrying out (mentioned on pg. 9) and ● Second Selection your the suitability of your skills for the Role. ● Successful Candidate(s) Contacted - Typically 2 - 3 weeks after Application Date Closure. As you can see we will be consistently assessing the same elements albeit in different settings. Welcome - About Private Office - The Role - Our People - Benefits I joined Cabinet Office on loan from the FCO at the beginning of December. I had been working on EU Exit in King Charles Street and have come across to cover that set of issues for CDL here in 70 Whitehall. The breadth of work with which Cabinet Office and its Ministers deal are huge. For someone who has A word from always worked on quite specific areas of the world (Afghanistan/Pakistan, China/Taiwan, EU/Europe) in a Department focussed solely on foreign policy, suddenly being exposed to the full range of domestic policy areas from rough sleeping to airport anti-drone measures to cattle feed is really eye-opening. I David Snower, think it would be eye-opening for anyone. Working in an office at the centre of the department at the Senior Private Secretary for EU EXIT centre of government really provides a unique overview of everything that government does. I have found that in an environment of diverse competing demands, I have had to really hone my powers of concentration. CDL’s outer office is a happening place; the television is always on, the telephones are always ringing, Ministers and officials are constantly going, the Private Secretaries are being pulled into and out of meetings and any window of calm needs to be snatched to read, digest and process the steady stream of material flowing through them to the Minister and back again. For someone who likes to work on one thing at once from beginning to end without distractions (preferably in silence), it is an important (if brutal) adjustment to the demands of multitasking! Our Ministers are really impressive. Anyone able to get on top of such diverse issues would have my admiration. Mr Lidington always had a reputation for being all over his brief while he was Minister for Europe in the FCO. It is great to see him applying his attention to detail, encyclopedic memory and tireless diligence to the full range of government priorities in the Cabinet Office.
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