Executive Assistant, ISAC Secretariat

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. We supportbusinesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. We operate in an increasingly dynamic international environment, with a range of forces rapidly reshaping the global economy. For the UK to navigate this environment successfully, we need to understand how the world is changing.

To meet this challenge, the Government launched a new Modern Industrial Strategy on 23 June 2025. This 10-year plan is central to the Government’s Growth Mission and aims to make the UK one of the best places in the world to do business. It focuses on unlocking investment, boosting productivity, and creating 1.1 million high-quality, well-paid jobs across thriving sectors.

To underline the government’s commitment to certainty, stability and long-termism, the Government has established the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (ISAC). This independent, evidence-led body has advised on the development of the Strategy but will now be moving into an exciting new phase monitoring the Strategy’s implementation, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and conducting its own analysis to build a strong evidence base that will underpin its recommendations. The Council will be placed on a statutory footing in due course, reinforcing its long-term role in ensuring the Industrial Strategy delivers sustained, inclusive economic growth.

This is a fantastic opportunity to support the work of the ISAC Secretariat by working closely with the Senior Leadership Team as their executive assistant. You'll play a vital role in ensuring the smooth running of the Director's office and enabling effective decision-making across the leadership team.

Being task managed by and reporting into the G6 Head of London Policy Team, you'll help manage the Director and Deputies day-to-day requirements while building a broad understanding of how the Secretariat supports the ISAC to deliver on its mandate.

You'll work across a wide range of issues – from diary and inbox management to briefing preparation and stakeholder coordination – gaining exceptional exposure to senior leadership and ISAC members directly.

Job description

This role requires someone who can work proactively and professionally across both the Secretariat and the Council, join the dots, anticipate what's needed before being asked, and navigate long-term and reactive time-management to ensure we as a Secretariat maximise the Council’s availability and value. You'll be a natural problem-solver who thrives on variety and takes pride in enabling others to succeed.

If you're looking for a role that offers breadth, pace, and the chance to develop your understanding of the Council’s work and contribution to the Government’s growth efforts, this could be the perfect next step in your career.

Key accountabilities

• Managing two Deputy Director and one Director’s diaries, ensuring hybrid or meeting room arrangements are in place, and briefings are received in good time.
• Manage the Director’s inbox, compiling relevant briefings and exercising judgement in prioritising competing demands and determining which issues require the Director’s attention so their time can be used to maximum effect. Ensure the Director has the information and context needed to engage confidently on a wide range of issues.
• Play a key role in enabling effective decision-making across the Senior Leadership Team and supporting delivery of the Secretariat’s objectives and provide Secretariat support to wider Management Team, including coordinating meeting agendas, papers, taking minutes, and action tracking.
• Act as a key point of contact representing the Secretariat and building strong working relationships with your counterparts in the Private Office of the Director for Industrial Strategy, and the Private Office of the Director General for Industrial Strategy, providing advice and guidance to stakeholders on prioritisation, processes, and the effective use of senior leadership time.
• Support the coordination of the Director's and DD’s travel, visits, and attendance at events, sighting the Operations Manager to ensure logistics run smoothly and are coordinated with that of the Council
• Support the Secretariat in identifying meetings and invitations for attention in the ISAC mailbox, and acting as the primary point of contact for the ISAC Chair’s PA, on her ISAC related activities, and taking ownership of key Secretariat communication processes with the Council’s PAs, ensuring consistency and quality of outputs.
• Identify, analyse and resolve emerging risks and issues, using judgement to determine appropriate action or escalation route.
• Contribute to wider business management activities, supporting with finance, workforce, and governance matters as needed.
• Use AI tools and digital solutions to improve efficiency and streamline processes within the private office
• Stay across developments in the directorate and wider department, proactively gathering information to keep the Director and Deputies informed.

Person specification

We're looking for someone organised who genuinely enjoys enabling others to succeed. You'll be energised by variety and comfortable operating in an environment where priorities may shift according to the Council’s needs and availability.

You'll be naturally curious and proactive – the kind of person who notices what needs doing and gets on with it. You'll have the confidence to engage with senior colleagues while remaining approachable and supportive to everyone you work with. You'll handle sensitive information with discretion and exercise good judgement about when to act independently and when to seek guidance.

You'll be enthusiastic about finding better ways of working, including using AI and digital tools to improve efficiency. Above all, you'll be a positive, can-do team member who helps make the ISAC Secretariat a great place to work.

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage.

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in an independent body, NDPB or similar, or executive support/equivalent business management role to Senior Leaders/C-suite.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• A proactive problem-solver who anticipates needs, spots connections, and takes initiative without waiting to be asked, operating with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-paced environment, balancing competing priorities with limited supervision
• Strong interpersonal skills with the confidence to engage professionally with senior leaders and build trusted relationships with externals, particularly with Principals’ PAs and support staff.
• Sound judgement and the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion
• Clear and confident written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable with digital tools and enthusiastic about using AI and technology to work more efficiently
• Resilient and adaptable, able to stay calm under pressure and recover quickly from setbacks

Desirable criteria

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

• Understanding of the role and objectives of the Industrial Strategy and the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (through publicly available sources on gov.uk)
• Experience of diary management, correspondence handling, or secretariat functions
• Familiarity with departmental processes such as financial management, workforce planning, or governance

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,377, Department for Business and Trade contributes £11,407 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).

• 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%

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

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.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements that relate to the essential criteria listed in this advert. Any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years should be explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
  
  
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

We aim to sift both the CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the Personal Statement will either progressed to a full sift where the CV is then assessed or progressed straight to further assessment/interview.

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Success Profiles elements of Behaviours and Strengths.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date, though this is subject to change.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

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 see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
• 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. Any applicant who has 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.
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.

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.

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

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

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.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 : Rachel Richards
• Email : rachel.richards@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: Resourcing@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DBT T&Cs 2025-08-18 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB)DBT candidate pack July 2024 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 943kB)