**Assistant Private Secretary for Director General

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. We also aim to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on our careers pages.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of the Immigration Enforcement directly working with the Director General of Immigration Enforcement and holding a key role in his Private Office. You will be responsible for supporting the Director General on a daily basis to deliver their key priorities.

You should have strong relationship building skills, the ability to prioritise and organise, adaptability and excellent written and verbal communication skills and you should be able to engage with colleagues at all levels.

You can expect an exciting, fast-paced and varied job, as you provide support to the Director General.

You will need to be comfortable working reactively and proactively across a number of varied issues.

Job description

You will be responsible for the provision of high-quality support to the Director General of Immigration Enforcement alongside the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff and Private Secretary. You will report directly into the Director General’s Deputy Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Working closely with the Immigration Enforcement DG’s Chief of Staff, Private Secretary, and other Private offices/Business Support teams to ensure a seamless and efficient team approach to the DG group’s business.

• Providing strategic diary management for the Director General, anticipating pressures, prioritising time effectively, coordinating a complex schedule, preparing daily meeting packs, commissioning and collating briefings and papers and ensuring representation at Boards and key meetings.

• Leading and overseeing the coordination of a broad and complex operational portfolio, including Criminal and Financial Investigations, Interventions, Sanctions and Compliance, and the Operational Capabilities Command. Assuring work that others have provided – proof reading and challenging the quality and content, adding value to work that comes to the Private Office.

• Proactively managing, prioritising, and monitoring the DG’s inbox. Using own judgement and initiative to proactively progress and take forward a variety of issues and tasks arising from the inbox or as tasked by the Chief of Staff. This includes directing and assigning work appropriately, including commissioning actions such as updates and briefings.

• Providing high quality executive support to the DG including travel bookings, processing expenses and compiling finance reports.

Working pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis and requires up to 100% office attendance.

Person specification

Essential criteria

You must be able to demonstrate:

• The ability to work collaboratively and flexibly within a team dynamic, often to short deadlines to achieve common goals, maintaining a high level of service whilst continuing to deliver efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills (both verbal and written).

• The confidence to engage personally on a daily basis with the department’s most senior leaders, including Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, Director General.

• Having excellent organisational and time management skills and the ability to work proactively at pace, whilst remaining professional in a pressurised environment.

• Excellent judgement and approach to situations, tasks and problems, and a self-starter who can work independently.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in a Private Office environment such as working with Ministers and/or Senior Officials.

• Understanding of Immigration Enforcement and the Migration and Borders System.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application – by 24th July 2026.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• a CV.
• Personal Statement (maximum 750 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Communicating and Influencing (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history, and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – 28th July 2026.

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement, CV, and the Behaviour Communicating and Influencing.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (CV and Lead Behaviour). Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview – 18th August 2026.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) and Strength based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interviews will take place in person at either 2 Marsham Street, Westminster (2MS), or The Capital Building, Liverpool.

Please note travel expenses incurred in attending an interview will not be reimbursed.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Further information

Location preference

You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours and strengths have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Integrity Check

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, you will also be subject to an additional Integrity Check, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine your suitability to work for Immigration Enforcement. For further information on what this involves, please visit our website.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.

If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)Candidate_Information_v17_April_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 207kB)