Personal Assistant and Diary Manager to the Home Secretary
| Posting date: | 10 June 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £38,350 to £41,035 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Private Secretary Allowance of £4,236 (per annum) is granted while in post. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 26 June 2024 |
| Location: | London |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 357226/1 |
Summary
This is a fantastic opportunity to work at the heart of the Department. You will play a leading role in supporting the Home Secretary in delivering their responsibilities by ensuring the best possible use of their time. You will be part of a small and friendly team in the Home Secretary’s private office. You will have the opportunity to experience work at the highest level and to interact on a daily basis with the most senior Ministers and officials within and outside the Home Office. You’ll need to be a flexible and enthusiastic individual who is detail-oriented and able to take a problem-solving and proactive approach to your work.
The role requires a high degree of flexibility, discretion and self-sufficiency. The diary and travel arrangements may be changed at very short notice, often late in the evening or early in the morning, and it is the post holder’s role to manage these changes. Being well-informed about the Home Secretary’s work is essential as it will help with the prioritisation of meetings. Often meetings will be with high profile individuals outside of government and the post holder will need to liaise with their office to find suitable dates.
The post holder will also be required to work closely with the Private Secretaries to maintain a long term strategic forward look of upcoming Home Office business requiring the attention (and time) of the Home Secretary.
The post holder’s responsibilities are challenging as the Home Secretary has three roles: in the Department, in Parliament and in their constituency. Ministers have complex diaries which require the post holder to know the Home Secretary’s priorities and how they like to work. No two days are the same and you will have exposure to all levels and people in the Department.
The post holder needs to apply rigorous control to the diary and ensure that it works for the Home Secretary, taking account of individual preferences. Managing the diary is a balancing act and you will need to be able to spot risks and identify common patterns, such as Parliament’s voting times.
Due to business need, this role is not suitable for part-time or flexible working.
The post involves long and unpredictable hours. This post is office based (London 2MS) and you will need to be in the London office at least 4 days a week, and at times 5 days.
This role attracts a Private Secretary Allowance of £4,236 per annum. This allowance is paid to compensate what can be long working hours at times.
You will be required to have SC security clearance and willing to possibly go through DV security clearance once in post.