Menu
Warning This job advert has expired and applications have closed.

Priority Projects Unit - Policy Advisor

Job details
Posting date: 15 October 2024
Salary: £42,382 to £50,062 per year
Additional salary information: National: £42,382 - £45,920. London: £46,169 - £50,062.
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 27 October 2024
Location: Glasgow
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 373471/1

Summary

At the Cabinet Office we support the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office Ministers in delivering their key objectives and ensuring the smooth running of government - from developing policy, to modernising public services. The Cabinet Office is both a “corporate centre” for government and a policy department in its own right that challenges, supports, leads and provides services to other Ministerial Departments. We welcome talented people from all backgrounds with the skills and the commitment to build a career in the Civil Service.

The Cabinet Office Purpose is:

  • to maintain the integrity of the Union, coordinate the security of the realm and sustain a flourishing democracy;
  • to support the design and implementation of HM Government’s policies and the Prime Minister’s priorities; and
  • to ensure the delivery of the finest public services by attracting and developing the best public servants and improving the efficiency of government.

The work Cabinet Office delivers is vast and therefore presents opportunities to develop your skills and experience in a variety of critical government agendas.

An organisation of approximately 7,000 employees, the Cabinet Office is a vibrant, modern and exciting place to work, attracting a diverse workforce which represents the people we serve. Our main offices are in London, but we have staff based around the UK, including at our second headquarters in Glasgow. The Department ultimately aims to have 50% of its staff based outside London by 2025.

The Cabinet Office values sit at the heart of what we do. To deliver our Purpose and help make Cabinet Office a great place to work, we all commit to:

  • treating everyone with Respect
  • actively Collaborate, and
  • build Trust

We have an aspiration to become the most inclusive employer across the Civil Service. We have a number of staff benefits, including flexible working, and access to a number of staff support networks to ensure we meet this. The Cabinet Office has achieved a Bronze award in the Inclusive Employers Standard and a Gold Talent Inclusion & Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) award from the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI).

The Priority Projects Unit (PPU) provides support for high-priority, complex projects across Cabinet Office and, occasionally, other departments. As ministers’ priorities change, so do we, meaning that we’re always at the leading edge of what the Cabinet Office and Government is delivering.

PPU members are typically placed on three-month projects. These placements can be either individual or alongside other PPU members at different grades. Recently this has meant team members supporting the creation of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority; leading work on critical national infrastructure within the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat; delivering bespoke projects as part of the Government’s Cyber Skills Strategy; supporting ministerial private offices; and working with FCDO to deliver the European Political Community Summit.

Like the Cabinet Office, the PPU runs a multi-location model. We have a strong presence in London and a growing team in Glasgow.

What are my responsibilities?

Each project and its demands are unique but PPU team members are often requested to provide support for complex, cross-cutting policy or strategy development; significant policy, delivery and analysis reviews; short term problem solving with policy teams on urgent issues; standing up new teams at pace; project or programme management; and ministerial or wider stakeholder engagement. This may be within the Cabinet Office or across departments.

Although the work you will be involved in at PPU will vary, to be successful in this role, you will:

  • Have the drive and organisational skills to deliver projects over a short time-frame, with recent experience doing so;
  • Be confident meeting tight deadlines and managing competing priorities;
  • Be comfortable with frequent change - both moving between projects and as priorities change during projects;
  • Have the ability to embed yourself in a range of established teams quickly, including by building effective relationships;
  • Be able to analyse evidence and make informed decisions;
  • Have strong report writing skills and the ability to communicate key messages clearly and succinctly to senior leaders and ministers;
  • Be able to lead by example, often under demanding circumstances;
  • Handle ambiguity with confidence; and
  • Have a good set of essential skills to operate across a range of projects and teams - including: effective planning; the ability to build consensus with stakeholders to achieve objectives; and the ability to think through difficult policy problems.

If you can do these things outside Government, we can support you in learning how to do that in a central Government context.