Executive Assistant / Diary manager

Job summary

Do you excel at staying organised and focused, even when priorities shift, proactively planning your work while confidently managing competing demands?
Are you a great communicator? Are you able to build strong relationships that will enable you to influence and challenge at all levels?If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our team at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and we'd love to hear from you!
The New Towns, Infrastructure and Housing Delivery Directorate is part of the Regeneration, Housing and Planning Group and leads on the delivery of large new communities, such as New Towns and place interventions in Oxford, Cambridge and London. This is an exciting time for the Directorate, as it moves into delivery across a number of areas.

The Executive Assistant is a fast-paced and visible role based within the Directors’ office, supporting Deputy Directors and Directors with diary management and other activities across the team. The role requires excellent communication, attention to detail and a proactive approach.

You will provide support to DDs, Directors and the wider team as required. You will lead on diary management for two DDs, potentially supporting other DDs and Directors when other EAs are unavailable. You will liaise with a variety of stakeholders to arrange meetings, ranging from Ministerial offices to developers.

There is an expectation that, where potential is shown, the successful individual would be supported to progress to the next level.

Job description

• Diary management - The successful candidate will be responsible for managing diaries so as to make the most of the available time. This will include booking meetings with internal and external stakeholders, seeking steers on prioritisation, and regularly reviewing the diary with the Head of Office, Deputy Directors and Directors.
• Event and visit preparation - Ensuring seniors are sufficiently prepared for upcoming events and visits including completing all logistical arrangements (such as accommodation and travel bookings), and liaising with event organisers.
• Supporting Directors, Deputy Directors and the Head of Office - You will provide ad hoc support to the Directors, Deputy Directors and Head of Office including on desk and room bookings, completing regular departmental transparency returns, routine HR and Finance processes. You will act as a point of contact for the wider team, supporting them to effectively coordinate meetings where SCS are present. You will seek to respond to these by prioritising effectively and raising with the team is needed.

Person specification

To be successful at this role you should have the following experience:

• Experience of managing a busy diary with regular conflicts for an SCS-level colleague (or equivalent), within a large team.
• Proven ability to work at pace and under pressure, including attention to detail and managing last minute changes.
• Ability to think creatively, understand the wider context and come up with solutions to tricky diary conflicts.
• Experience in communicating positively with a diverse range of stakeholders, with the confidence to ask questions and challenge upwards.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,112, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £9,302 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher 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 , Experience , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Experience: (Lead) - Please tell us about your previous experience of managing a senior diary, including details of the context and interactions with the wider team and stakeholders.
• Behaviour: Delivering at pace

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.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing.

• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to do a Task exercise, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 23/02.

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 09/03 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

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

• Artificial Intelligence

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Fixed Term Contracts

• Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register

• Appeals and Complaints

• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

London 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 : Sarah Wright
• Email : sarah.wright@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

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