Diary Manager

Posting date:	11 December 2025
Salary:	£29,715 to £34,435 per year
Additional salary information:	York: £29,715 - £30,705 London: £33,350 - £34,435 For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	05 January 2026
Location:	York
Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	440962/2

Summary

The principal responsibility of this role is to manage a minister’s diary. This involves close working with the Minister and their private secretaries to ensure that the minister fulfils their parliamentary and policy portfolio obligations. You will provide support on a full range of activities: from understanding and balancing competing ministerial priorities, to negotiating compromises with a diverse range of stakeholders. Your ministerial contact time will give you a unique working relationship with a person whose decisions affect a large proportion of departmental business.

You will be working in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life from the food we eat, to the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

You will form part of the Ministerial, Growth and Resilience Directorate, providing support on the government’s Growth Mission, as well as working on regulation and regulatory reform. It also includes Defra’s briefing, parliamentary, and ministerial support functions, including Defra’s ministerial and permanent secretary private offices.

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups.

Location

These roles are Full-Time Only, Ministerial private office roles will be based in London only, and Permanent Secretary private office roles will be based in London or York.

The role of diary manager is critical to organise and support ministers, working across the department and private office to ensure the smooth running of ministerial offices. Diary managers schedule meetings, events, visits, and parliamentary obligations, while ensuring that the minister’s diary aligns with political, departmental, and parliamentary priorities.

Working in private office is a highly rewarding experience, but it requires resilience to the inevitable challenges. You must be prepared for difficult conversations, making tough decisions, and adapting quickly to changing situations. Excellent prioritisation and efficient working are essential, not only for the job but also to maintain a healthy balance between your life and work.

You will need to build a strong working relationship with the rest of the team. You must be ready to support colleagues during high-pressure moments, and they will support you in return. Those working in private office are expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy and a level of leadership normally expected of more senior grades. Combined with the overview these positions provide of departmental business, this role is an excellent opportunity for anyone wishing to progress quickly within the department.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.