5512 - Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
| Posting date: | 29 April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,463 to £52,040 per year |
| Additional salary information: | The national salary range is £41,463 - £45,276, London salary range is £47,657 - £52,040. Your salary will be dependent on your base location |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 14 May 2025 |
| Location: | SW1A 2HQ |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Ministry of Justice |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 5512 |
Summary
Business Area Private Office
Role Title Two Roles: Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Terms of Appointment Permanent
Band Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Location Northern Ireland or London
Erskine House, 20-32 Chichester St, Belfast BT1 4GF or
1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ
Occasional travel between Belfast and London will be required.
Vacancy Manager Harry Welch
Applications Invited From External Candidates and Existing Civil Servants on level transfer and promotion
New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
The national starting salary is £41,463. The London starting salary is £47,657. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
A Private Office allowance applies for this role
BACKGROUND
The Northern Ireland Office supports the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in promoting the best interests of Northern Ireland. We make sure that Northern Ireland interests are represented within the UK Government and that UK government
responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Northern Ireland. We are the centre of expertise on Northern Ireland issues across Government.
The Northern Ireland Office employs around 170 staff, with offices in Belfast and London. As a small Department, we adopt a flexible project-based approach to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place to support the delivery of our key objectives.
Due to our structure and size, we are able to offer extensive exposure to Ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of policy and responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting and stimulating work environment.
Our key priorities are set out in our Operational Delivery plan and include:
• Supporting greater inclusion, tolerance and openness in Northern Ireland
• Contributing to a safer Northern Ireland, where terrorist and paramilitary groups are less able to cause harm to communities
• Ensuring that governance in Northern Ireland is responsive, transparent and able to deliver effective public service.
• Addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland
For more information about what we do:
Visit:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/northern-ireland-office https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
We are recruiting for two Ministerial Private Secretaries, one to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and one to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
These are exciting and varied roles at the very heart of the Northern Ireland Office. You will join a friendly, high achieving private office team, where no two days are the
same. We are looking for candidates with a positive, can-do attitude who are ready to get stuck in to support the ministerial team.
The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the ministerial work of the Northern Ireland Office. The Secretary of State leads on engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive; political stability; implementation of the Windsor Framework; legacy; economic growth; national security; and work to ensure that NI is fully engaged in the development and delivery of new government policy, especially the Missions-led approach.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State supports the Secretary of State in engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive, represents the Department in public affairs and leads specifically on public service transformation (including support for the growth and impact of integrated education) and community engagement.
These Private Secretary positions are stretching roles in the ministerial office, covering the entire breadth of the department’s policy focuses. You will also lead on a key Private Office function, such as writerounds. As part of the Private Office Group, which includes the Permanent Secretary’s office, the correspondence manager and the Parliamentary team, you will work closely with colleagues across the group to ensure effective join up and delivery of Ministers’ priorities.
These roles will be suited to someone organised, communicative, and attentive to detail. Things can change at the last minute so you should be adaptable and patient. The team can be very busy so you will also need to be able to make informed decisions independently and with confidence. That said, you will be supported by a team of other private secretaries, all of whom are working together to deliver the best possible service to ministers and the political team.
Role Title Two Roles: Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Private Secretary to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Terms of Appointment Permanent
Band Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Location Northern Ireland or London
Erskine House, 20-32 Chichester St, Belfast BT1 4GF or
1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ
Occasional travel between Belfast and London will be required.
Vacancy Manager Harry Welch
Applications Invited From External Candidates and Existing Civil Servants on level transfer and promotion
New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.
Existing Civil Servants will have their salary calculated in accordance with the Department’s pay on transfer / pay on promotion rules.
The national starting salary is £41,463. The London starting salary is £47,657. Your salary will be dependent on your base location
A Private Office allowance applies for this role
BACKGROUND
The Northern Ireland Office supports the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in promoting the best interests of Northern Ireland. We make sure that Northern Ireland interests are represented within the UK Government and that UK government
responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Northern Ireland. We are the centre of expertise on Northern Ireland issues across Government.
The Northern Ireland Office employs around 170 staff, with offices in Belfast and London. As a small Department, we adopt a flexible project-based approach to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place to support the delivery of our key objectives.
Due to our structure and size, we are able to offer extensive exposure to Ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of policy and responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting and stimulating work environment.
Our key priorities are set out in our Operational Delivery plan and include:
• Supporting greater inclusion, tolerance and openness in Northern Ireland
• Contributing to a safer Northern Ireland, where terrorist and paramilitary groups are less able to cause harm to communities
• Ensuring that governance in Northern Ireland is responsive, transparent and able to deliver effective public service.
• Addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland
For more information about what we do:
Visit:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/northern-ireland-office https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
We are recruiting for two Ministerial Private Secretaries, one to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and one to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
These are exciting and varied roles at the very heart of the Northern Ireland Office. You will join a friendly, high achieving private office team, where no two days are the
same. We are looking for candidates with a positive, can-do attitude who are ready to get stuck in to support the ministerial team.
The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the ministerial work of the Northern Ireland Office. The Secretary of State leads on engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive; political stability; implementation of the Windsor Framework; legacy; economic growth; national security; and work to ensure that NI is fully engaged in the development and delivery of new government policy, especially the Missions-led approach.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State supports the Secretary of State in engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive, represents the Department in public affairs and leads specifically on public service transformation (including support for the growth and impact of integrated education) and community engagement.
These Private Secretary positions are stretching roles in the ministerial office, covering the entire breadth of the department’s policy focuses. You will also lead on a key Private Office function, such as writerounds. As part of the Private Office Group, which includes the Permanent Secretary’s office, the correspondence manager and the Parliamentary team, you will work closely with colleagues across the group to ensure effective join up and delivery of Ministers’ priorities.
These roles will be suited to someone organised, communicative, and attentive to detail. Things can change at the last minute so you should be adaptable and patient. The team can be very busy so you will also need to be able to make informed decisions independently and with confidence. That said, you will be supported by a team of other private secretaries, all of whom are working together to deliver the best possible service to ministers and the political team.