HR Private Secretary

Job summary

This role sits within the Defra group HR Private Office, supporting the HR Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the HR Chief of Staff and wider senior leadership team.

This is a high profile, high impact role at the centre of HR delivery. You will lead support for the HR Chief Operating Officer (HR COO), ensuring strong oversight of priorities, governance and delivery. You will act as a trusted adviser, applying a people lens to high-quality briefings and reporting, and ensuring the HR COO is well equipped to make informed, timely decisions.

You will play a key role in ensuring the HR COO’s portfolio runs smoothly, with strong forward planning, clear decision-making structures and high-quality outputs across HR services, enablers and change.

As part of the HR Private Office, you will report to the HR Chief of Staff, who works directly to the Defra Group Chief People Officer, and work closely with colleagues across HR to provide joined up, high quality support to the HR senior leadership team and the wider function.

Job description

As the Private Secretary you will:

• Lead the day to day management of the HR COO’s office, ensuring oversight of priorities and delivery: Take overall responsibility for the smooth running of the HR COO’s office, ensuring priorities are clear, aligned to delivery objectives and delivered effectively. Maintain a clear line of sight across the portfolio, proactively managing competing demands, resolving issues and ensuring the HR COO’s time and focus are used effectively.

• Own governance for the HR COO, including forward planning, agendas and action tracking: Establish and run a robust governance framework for the HR COO portfolio, ensuring a clear and effective rhythm of business. This includes leading forward planning of key forums, shaping high quality agendas aligned to HR priorities, and maintaining rigorous tracking of actions, decisions and dependencies to ensure delivery and accountability.

• Commission and quality assure briefings, submissions and reports: Oversee the commissioning of all briefing and reporting products for the HR COO or on their behalf, working with teams across HR to ensure inputs are timely, accurate and aligned. Provide strong quality assurance, challenging content where needed and ensuring outputs are concise, insightful, and support clear decision making.

• Provide strategic advice, identify risks and support effective decision making: Act as a trusted adviser to the HR COO, bringing together insight from across the HR function, Group Corporate Services and Defra Arm’s Length Bodies to inform thinking. Anticipate emerging operational and people risks and issues, provide balanced and evidence based advice, and support the HR COO to make informed, timely decisions across a complex and fast moving portfolio.

• Act as a key interface across HR, maintaining alignment and flow of information: Build and maintain strong relationships across HR, GCS and the wider department, acting as a central point of coordination for the HR COO to ensure information flows effectively in both directions, enabling alignment, reducing duplication, and supporting a joined up approach to delivery.

• Drive high standards in governance, reporting and submission quality: Set and uphold clear expectations for the quality of governance, reporting and submissions across the HR COO portfolio. Embed consistent standards and ways of working, continuously improving processes to ensure outputs are clear and credible, and that governance operates efficiently and effectively.

• Future focused and innovative – Use AI and other emerging tools with confidence and judgement to enhance delivery, strengthen outputs and improve ways of working.

Person specification

We are looking for a highly capable Private Secretary to support the HR Chief Operating Officer to drive effective delivery across their portfolio. You will be a confident and highly organised individual who brings sound judgement, strong written skills and the ability to build trusted relationships in a fast paced, senior facing environment.

The following skills and experience are essential to the role and will be assessed throughout the recruitment process:

• Experience working in a Private Office or similar environment: Demonstrable experience of supporting senior leaders in a fast paced environment, with the ability to manage competing demands, handle sensitive information and work with pace and discretion. Comfortable operating with autonomy, anticipating needs and providing proactive support.
• Excellent drafting, briefing and reporting skills: Strong ability to produce clear, concise and well judged written material for senior audiences. Able to draw out key messages from complex information and present them in a way that supports effective discussion and decision making.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities: Able to stay organised and effective across a busy and changing workload, using sound prioritisation and attention to detail to maintain momentum and quality under pressure.
• Sound judgement and ability to operate at senior level: Demonstrates good judgement, discretion and political awareness when working with senior stakeholders. Able to navigate ambiguity, know when to act independently and when to seek direction, and operate with confidence and credibility.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills: Able to build effective working relationships quickly and work collaboratively across teams and functions. Confident engaging with a range of stakeholders and using good interpersonal skills to support alignment and progress.
• Knowledge of HR or experience working in HR environments: Understanding of HR functions and strategic priorities, or experience working in an HR context, with the ability to recognise people risks and implications for delivery.

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

Technical skills

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

• Brief writing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 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%

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Civil Service Online Test

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 27th July 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 27th July 2026.

While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible.

It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.

Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits; for further information visit the Reasonable adjustments for online tests - a candidate guide

There will be maintenance for online tests on Sunday 19 July - 4pm to 7pm.
This means you will be unable to access the online tests. Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again.

Where a test is not available due to maintenance, candidates will see a message advising them to try again later. Candidates who are interrupted in the middle of a test will be able to pick up from the same point when the test becomes available again.

CV and Personal Statement

As part of the application process, you will also be asked to provide a CV (which will be used as a supporting document and will not be scored), a 750-word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria set out in the advertisement, and a statement of up to 250 words on the following behaviour:

• Communicating and Influencing – Producing high quality written outputs and engaging confidently with senior stakeholders

Sift

Should we receive a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift or directly to interview.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, experience, behaviours and strengths will be assessed. The interview will focus on the following behaviours:

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

Your interview may be conducted virtually via MS Teams or in person.

Technical

As part of the interview process, you may also be asked to deliver a presentation and complete a desktop exercise to demonstrate strong drafting capability, including briefing, submissions and reporting for senior leaders. Further details will follow for those progressed to interview.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of1 2 months from which further appointments can be made.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move toDefra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be 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 defrarecruitment.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.

Accessibility

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

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Criminal Record Check

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.

Internal Fraud Database Check

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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : Karen Howroyd
• Email : karen.howroyd@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here

Attachments

Job Advert HR COO Private Secretary v2.0 June 26 Opens in new window (pdf, 590kB)