Personal Assistant to the FCSP Director

Job summary

We are looking for a highly organised and proactive individual to join our team as a Personal Assistant (PA) to the Director of Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property (FCSP). This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a dynamic directorate, providing essential support to a senior leader and contributing to the smooth running of Business Support Team.

As PA to the FCSP Director, you will play a pivotal role in managing the Director’s day-to-day activities. This includes comprehensive diary management, scheduling meetings, and ensuring the Director is fully prepared for engagements. You will act as the first point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, handling queries professionally and maintaining confidentiality at all times.

In addition to supporting the Director, you will work as part of the Directorate Support Team to deliver high-quality administrative services. This will involve coordinating tasks across the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property functions, ensuring deadlines are met and priorities are managed effectively. You will also provide diary support to the Finance Deputy Directors.

This role requires excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work of your own initiative and under pressure in a fast-paced environment. Strong communication skills and a proactive approach are essential, as you will often need to anticipate needs and resolve issues before they arise. Experience in diary management and supporting senior leaders is essential.

If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding role where you can make a real impact, we would love to hear from you.

Job description

As PA to the Director you will report to the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability & Property Business Manager.

The main tasks and accountabilities for the role of PA to the FCSP Director are detailed in the responsibilities

Responsibilities:

Diary, Travel & Correspondence Management:

• manage complex diaries for the Director and senior leaders, ensuring effective scheduling, prioritisation, and conflict resolution, ensuring the Director is fully briefed with relevant documentation for daily commitments, arrange travel and accommodation bookings in line with organisational policies
• coordinate internal and external meetings, book rooms, and arrange IT/video conferencing facilities to optimise time management
• oversee all agreed correspondence, including email, maintaining inbox protocols, prioritising urgent matters, and drafting professional communications as required

Secretariat:

• provide secretariat support for FCSP forums and meetings, including accurate minute-taking, action tracking, and timely distribution of papers
• support the planning and delivery of staff meetings and events, including agenda preparation, speaker coordination, and logistics management (e.g., audio-visual requirements)
• administer the FCSP INSSpire Panel awards process, including pre-checks, meeting attendance, outcome notifications, payment processing, and record maintenance

Performance & Engagement Support:

• coordinate the completion of the monthly FCSP Performance pack, liaising with contributors and preparing the pack for the Senior Leadership Team
• support engagement initiatives, maintaining action plans and collaborating with Engagement Champions to drive delivery

Intranet Administration & Records Management:

• serve as FCSP Intranet Editor, ensuring content is accurate, relevant, and up to date
• maintain key records and systems, including email distribution lists and WISDOM filing
• act as Local Records Officer (LRO), ensuring compliance with document retention and destruction policies

Business Support:

• assist the Business Manager with organisational chart updates, business continuity planning, recruitment support (including interview arrangements), and workflow management
• manage deadlines and submissions in the absence of the Business Manager, ensuring timely delivery using the FCSP Tracker

Further Information

In order to assist you in making your decision in whether to apply, we will be holding 3 drop-in sessions where you will be able to hear more about what the role entails, what our Support team does, who we are as a government agency and what it is like to work in the Insolvency Service. You can access the sessions from the link below:

The sessions will take place on:

Thursday 22nd January 12pm

Join The Meeting

Meeting ID: 348 287 116 774 83

Passcode: CZ9422vo

Thursday 22nd January at 5.15pm

Join the Meeting

Meeting ID: 385 287 330 266 84

Passcode: FH3Rj6pq

Monday 26th January at 8.30am

Join the Meeting

Meeting ID: 357 456 862 973 22

Passcode: jD2Go7AK

Person specification

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive individual with strong administrative expertise and excellent interpersonal skills. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following strengths:

• proven Administrative Experience
• demonstrated ability to manage complex administrative tasks with accuracy and efficiency
• professionalism and Integrity
• ability to maintain trust and confidentiality when handling sensitive information
• organisational and Time Management Skills
• strong capability to prioritise a busy workload, manage conflicting demands, and remain calm under pressure
• assertiveness and Confidence
• comfortable making decisions, taking initiative, and working independently without close supervision
• problem-Solving Ability
• skilled at identifying issues and implementing practical solutions in a timely manner
• excellent Communication Skills
• confident, enthusiastic, and able to liaise effectively with colleagues at all levels, including senior stakeholders. A strong team player with a positive attitude
• IT Proficiency
• competent in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and able to learn new systems quickly
• attention to Detail and Quality Focus
• committed to delivering high-quality work with accuracy and consistency
• proactive and Self-Motivated
• demonstrates initiative and energy in driving tasks forward and supporting the wider team

Essential Criteria

Significant experience working as a Personal Assistant within a fast-paced, multi-functional Organisational Command or Public Sector directorate, with a proven ability to optimise senior leaders’ time and manage communications effectively, including reducing unnecessary email traffic.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,645, Insolvency Service contributes £10,326 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We want you to have a good work-life balance and want to support you in all that you do, so we offer a great benefits package including:

• flexible working arrangements and flexi-time
• full time new entrants to the Civil Service and those Civil Servants on modernised terms and conditions will be entitled to 25 days leave increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• in addition to this you are entitled to 8 public/bank holidays plus an additional day of privilege leave
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• 5 days paid leave for learning and development
• 5 days paid for volunteering
• a Cycle to work scheme
• staff have access to an employee assistance programme, Workplace Wellness, for confidential, independent support and advice during difficult times in either their professional or personal life

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk

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 and Experience.

As part of the sift process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Personal Statement
• Behaviours
• Behaviour 1 - Managing a Quality Service
• Behaviour 2 - Delivering at Pace
• Behaviour 3 - Communicating and Influencing

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and personal Statement, assessing candidates against the essential criteria. Only those who meet the essential criteria at this stage will proceed to a full assessment of their application. If a candidate does not meet the minimum requirements during the initial sift, the remainder of their application will not be reviewed. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

CV Guidance

Your CV should provide a clear overview of your employment history, key responsibilities, relevant qualifications, and the skills and experience you’ve gained throughout your career including any notable achievements.

Note: Your CV will be scored as part of the assessment process and will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the job advert.

Personal Statement Guidance

Your personal statement should be no more than 750 words and must demonstrate how your personal skills, qualities, and experience align with the requirements of the role. Please ensure your statement references the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

If successful at the sift stage, at interview, you will be assessed on the following:

• Experience
• Behaviours - assessed through:
• Behaviour 1 – Managing a Quality Service
• Behaviour 2 - Delivering at Pace
• Behaviour 3 - Communicating and Influencing

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – week commencing 2nd February 2026

Interview – week commencing 2nd March 2026

Location - MS Teams

Your interview will either be conducted by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Further Information

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

Any move to Insolvency Service 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.

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/Disclosure Scotland 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.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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

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

Feedback

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 : Kate Wallace
• Email : kate.wallace@insolvency.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel there have been procedural irregularities at any stage of the recruitment process or that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact hr.recruitment@insolvency.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Applying for a Job - A Candidate Guide (9) Opens in new window (pdf, 3061kB)Insolvency Service Candidate Information Pack (Sept 2025) (9) Opens in new window (pdf, 6459kB)FCSP PA to the Director - Drop in Sessions Opens in new window (docx, 15kB)