Diary Manager to Job-share Directors General for Buildings, Fire and Resilience

Job summary

Do you excel at staying organised in a fast paced environment, confidently prioritising competing demands as priorities shift?

Are you able to build strong working relationships and exercise sound judgement when operating at senior levels?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Diary Manager to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

We are looking for an outstanding candidate to provide vital, direct support to the Jobshare Directors General for Buildings, Fire and Resilience in the Executive Team & Corporate Office (ETCO). The two Directors General jointly cover a large and complex portfolio through a week on, week off Jobshare arrangement. The Diary Manager plays a central role in sequencing activity effectively, ensuring the DGs’ time is used strategically and efficiently, and working closely with other Executive Team Private Offices, Ministers’ offices, Senior Civil Servants (SCS) and external stakeholders.

The role requires excellent organisation, sound judgement, attention to detail and the confidence to challenge where needed. The role requires at least 3 days a week in our Leeds office, as one of the Jobshare Directors General is Leeds based. The role will involve close day to day working across the Private Office and with your principals.

Job description

As the Diary Manager your responsibilities will include:

• Managing and coordinating the diaries of the Jobshare Directors General, organising their time in line with priorities across a shared portfolio and their Jobshare arrangement.

• Managing and communicating steers from the Directors General, particularly as you will be the only team member co-located with the Leeds DG, and will act as an important conduit for the team.

• Working closely with the Head of Office and Private Secretary to support the smooth running of the Directors General’s Private Office, including ensuring the DG’s have all the information they need.

• Managing and prioritising competing requests for meetings, using sound judgement to assess what is realistic and strategically important.

• Organise any domestic and international travel arrangements, including flights, accommodation, transportation and itinerary planning.

• Coordinating meetings, including booking rooms, managing logistics and liaising with Ministers’ offices, senior officials and external stakeholders.

• Commissioning and coordinating briefing for key meetings as required, ensuring material is received in good time and is proportionate and fit for purpose.

• Supporting the Directors General by adapting quickly to changes, handling pressures calmly and influencing or challenging where appropriate.

• Building strong working relationships with other Private Offices and relevant teams across the department.

• Supporting some corporate and administrative activity, i.e. recruitment logistics and aspects of SCS sponsorship work, or discrete pieces of office business as required.

Person specification

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands effectively in a fast paced and changing environment.

• Confidence to work with and influence senior stakeholders, using strong interpersonal skills to build trusted working relationships.

• Ability to remain calm under pressure, adapting quickly to changes and handling ambiguity with resilience and professionalism.

• Works autonomously and thrives on solving problems; communicating with team members to make sure that effective solutions are found.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly and concisely.

• High levels of discretion, integrity and professionalism when handling sensitive information.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,150, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £8,734 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

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

Application and Selection
The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours, Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Lead behaviour - Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially

• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers

• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Delivering at pace, Managing a quality service, Making effective decisions, Communicating and influencing
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 20/07/26

Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

• Fixed Term Appointments for:

• External Candidates

• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)

• Secondments

• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: + CTC

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 counter-terrorist 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

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 : Marina Mahmood
• Email : Marina.Mahmood@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk