Summary

Are you an effective and organised individual who is experienced in diary management?

Do you have excellent communication skills, and a confidence to engage with stakeholders at all grades?

If so, this exciting opportunity as our Personal Assistant to two Deputy Directors and Team Administrator is for you, and we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

This role sits within the Energy, Technology and Innovation (ETI) Directorate, which plays a central role in shaping the future of transport in the UK, leading agendas at the heart of the Government’s objectives of reducing emissions, improving safety and boosting the international standing and competitiveness of UK plc.

This is a fantastic time to join our team, where you’ll not only be given exposure to senior officials, meetings and decision-making processes, but you’ll also be given opportunities to develop yourself by undertaking formal training and stretching projects. You will join a fast-paced environment and gain invaluable insight into how a large government department operates, where you’ll have the opportunity to build effective relationships with a wide range of senior internal and external stakeholders.
 

Responsibilities

Within your role you will:

• provide diary support, manage and prioritise multiple demands for the Deputy Director
• co-ordinate and set up meetings, events, visits, and provide logistical support including planning and booking travel
• manage the flow of correspondence, making sure that briefings and papers are provided for upcoming meetings
• contribute to the effective running of the division and the wider team
• manage the Deputy Directors inbox, answer emails and cascade requests on their behalf
• draft letters, communications and responses for the Deputy Director to agree, comment and release
• commission briefing and meetings to make sure colleagues are aware of potential items to discuss
• provide support across corporate activities, covering tasks related to HR, IT, on-boarding, business and workforce planning, and corporate workstreams
• manage the DDs’ schedule and arrange meetings to ensure sufficient time for priorities, travel, desk-time and breaks and arranging travel and accommodation when necessary. Suggest delegation of meetings where necessary
• support Senior Management (SMT) meetings by drawing up agendas, circulating papers, minuting/recording and tracking actions and leading on admin issues
• support the DDs to meet their obligations on performance management by arranging weekly and quarterly meetings as required

If you would like to read more about the role, please refer to the attached role profile document.

About you

You have excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit a wide variety of audiences, maximising both impact and understanding. You have strong stakeholder management skills, where you can gain rapport quickly as you look to build effective working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

You are someone who thrives in a fast paced environment, where you can use your organisational skills to manage multiple, and often conflicting tasks on time and to a high standard.

About us

We are part of the Department for Transport (DfT). DfT is a great place to work, and our ‘one team’ approach really makes a difference. We value our staff and that’s why we’re committed to nurturing an inclusive environment across the Department.

You’ll be part of an innovative organisation that invests in all our people, ensuring we have the diverse skills to deliver transport that moves Britain ahead now and into the future.

DfT has been recognised for its leadership on workplace gender equality by being included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2017.

DfT’s inclusion is recognition of our commitment to make the Department a great place to work through our culture of equality and inclusivity and the great strides we’ve made to raise the number of women in senior positions.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits.

This includes:

- a generous annual leave entitlement,
- attractive pension options,
- flexible working,
- good career development opportunities,
- a variety of career paths,
- inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply:

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

When considering your experience, please tailor your CV/Personal Statement to provide evidence of:

• building good working relationships across teams including with senior managers
• effective time management, forward planning and meeting deadlines
• organising work both methodically and at pace, tracking ongoing tasks and timelines
• working flexibly and adapting to often rapidly changing priorities
• proactively and resourcefully dealing with, anticipating and managing competing priorities
• using Microsoft Office suite software confidently and effectively

The sift is due to take place 13.11.2019.

Interview/assessment will be held between 02.12.2019 and 17.12.2019.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment could include:

• an interview
• an interview with one or more exercises
• a full day of activities including interactive, written and timed exercises

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. For further information on Success Profiles please click here

Your interview may consist of a range of question types. These may include questions about:

• what energises and motivates you
• how you would manage situations relevant to the role
• your previous experience
• your professional skills and knowledge

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.