Diary Manager to Cabinet Office Ministers

Job summary

The Private Office of the Cabinet Office Ministers is an exciting and fast-paced team that works to support the delivery of significant portfolio responsibilities. The diary and office manager will help to manage the busy day-to-day activities of the Minister to ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of the office. This role represents a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure to the heart of Government, the role of the Cabinet Office and its strategic priorities.

The role in a Ministerial office is varied, challenging and enjoyable. You will work in a fast-paced, high-profile environment and provide vital support both to the team and the Minister, acting as the interface between them, the Department, and the rest of government.

You will be the main contact point for all the Minister’s stakeholders on all aspects of the Minister’s diary. You will use your unique position to support your Minister in attending a wide range of engagements, ensuring their priorities are maintained and that the Department’s priorities are also considered.

This role necessitates working additional hours (including some weekends) and working from the London office (70 Whitehall). The nature of the role means it is not suitable for home working or flexible working patterns.

Job description

Diary Management - Planning, managing and coordinating the diary of your Minister. Preparing daily diary schedules, resolving any scheduling clashes, negotiating and allocating time to their short term and long term priorities.

Inbox Management - Responsible for managing the inbox of your Minister. Actively monitoring and managing inboxes to ensure any urgent and important emails are identified and flagged to the Minister, and these emails are resolved.

Preparing documentation - Coordinating and collating briefings, meeting papers and to prepare a daily meeting pack in advance of all meetings.

Building relationships - Building, developing and maintaining relationships with Private Offices within the Cabinet Office, No.10 and across the Civil Service. This may include Colleagues in your immediate team and Directorate, other Ministerial Private Offices, Officials’ Private Offices, key internal and external stakeholders, and other stakeholders as needed.

Meeting and travel preparations - As necessary, coordinating and managing the logistics, travel, accommodation and hospitality arrangements for any trips or travel, including internationally. Furthermore, making sure practical arrangements are in place for meetings, including booking rooms, booking visitors in, and providing technical support in managing dial-in on communication platforms etc.

Management and coordination of key Parliamentary processes, including: Parliamentary Correspondence, Write Rounds, Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and Freedom of Information Requests (FOIs).

Person specification

• Excellent multi-tasking ability, organisation and coordination skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management skills – an ability to engage with a wide range of individuals from across the organisation.
• Competent working knowledge of Excel, Word, Gmail, Teams.
• Proactive approach to work responsibilities
• Protective of sensitive personal information.
• A team player, who is adaptable and willing to work in a dynamic environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with an ability to build good working relationships with the Minister, Special Advisors and Cabinet Office colleagues.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,279, Cabinet Office contributes £9,930 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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.

Application process

Candidates are required to submit a Personal Statement, a CV, and 250 words for each of the following behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Delivering at Pace. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

At interview stage, candidates will be asked questions based on the behaviours listed above, as well as strength-based questions.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 16 February
Expected interview date/s – w/c 23 February
Interview location - 70 Whitehall, Westminster

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put 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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

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.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Emma Corden
• Email : Emma.Corden@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 94kB)