Deputy Head of the Prime Ministers Appointments Unit
| Posting date: | 09 June 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £71,370 to £77,813 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 June 2025 |
| Location: | SW1A 2AA |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 409959/1 |
Summary
You will be part of a close-knit and fast paced team working on appointments and honours and will be the lead for driving forward the PM’s priorities for the honours system and public appointments across Whitehall. It requires close working with Special Advisors and the No.10 political team as well as every department across Whitehall. The job offers the chance for extensive personal development, including in leadership within the team as you deputise regularly for the Head of the Appointments Unit, and across Whitehall. Leadership, strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills and the ability to influence, convey an argument persuasively and reach pragmatic solutions are all essential.
The job role focuses on two broad areas:
Honours: The King’s Honours System celebrates the people, and organisations, from across the United Kingdom who go above and beyond to change the world around them for the better. As part of this, every year around 2000 recipients receive honours from His Majesty on the Prime Minister’s Honours List, and this post holder will be responsible for ensuring these lists represent the Prime Minister’s vision and priorities, as set out in the Plan for Change.
Appointments: There are over 400 public bodies across government, who are responsible for overseeing the spending of £350 billion of public funding. Public appointees, who are office holders and non-executives, play a critical in ensuring value for the taxpayer and delivery on the Plan for Change. In this role, you will ensure that the public appointments strategy for this Government is delivered by Cabinet Office, and departments across Whitehall and ensure the system is giving exceptional people from across the United Kingdom the opportunity to serve the public and contribute to the Plan for Change.
Responsibilities of the role
Deputy Head of the Appointments Unit
1.Deputising for the Head of Appointments Unit including attending senior meetings such as Honours Committees, liaising with senior stakeholders and oversight of sensitive advice to the Prime Minister.
2.Ensuring the successful delivery of the Public Appointments Strategy across government. You will do this by working closely with Cabinet Office Ministers and officials to ensure the system is reformed to enable it to deliver the Prime Minister’s priorities, and performance is tracked regularly across key metrics.
Honours and Peerages
Ensuring the delivery of the Prime Minister’s Priorities for the Honours System by maintaining collaborative relationships across the Cabinet Office, Whitehall and ensuring the Prime Minister can deliver his constitutional role in the Honours System.Providing high quality and complex advice on all honours, awards, privy council and peerages matters to the Prime Minister.Providing support and briefing for the honours’ committees attended by senior leaders in No10.Overseeing political peerage processes and working closely with senior political team to manage all stakeholders to the process, and ensure any list is delivered at pace in line with political ambition.Maintaining close working relationships with departments across Whitehall, and an overview of the wider honours and awards landscapes, to ensure focus on the Prime Ministers priorities and that these are being met.Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme