Private Secretary to Director General – International

Job summary

If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.

Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.

We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a pioneering new cross-government hub which brings people together to play an active role in the most important issues of the day whilst working closer to the communities we serve. The campus provides the opportunity for people from all over the UK to help shape the future of the country, and our flexible working practices ensure you can collaborate effectively with our partners. It’s central government, made more accessible to you!

This is a high-profile and exciting role at the very heart of HMT's international policy making, culture and multilateral engagement.

As Private Secretary, you will support the Director General – International, who has overall responsibility for advancing the UK's economic and financial interests internationally and is the UK's Finance Deputy at the G7 and G20. The Director General is also responsible for overseeing the UK Treasury’s bilateral relations with Finance Ministries and international financial institutions.

Job description

This is a high-profile and exciting role at the very heart of HMT's international policy making culture and multilateral engagement.

As Private Secretary, you will support the Director General – International, who has overall responsibility for advancing the UK's economic and financial interests internationally and is the UK's Finance Deputy at the G7 and G20. The Director General is also responsible for overseeing the UK Treasury’s bilateral relations with Finance Ministries and international financial institutions.

The key accountabilities of the post are:

1. Support the DG in their role on the department’s Executive Management Board (EMB) and in wider corporate leadership, including Champion roles and delivery of Diversity and Inclusion objectives. Using strong networks with the other EMB PSs and International Directors, ensure quality information flows that enable the DG to have timely sight of emerging issues, priorities and sensitivities to strengthen alignment across the wider EMB leadership team. Actively convene conversations so the DG and their group Directors operate as a coherent leadership group, with clear decisions, consistent messaging and effective delivery.
2. Proactively support the DG to deliver their long-term vision across the International portfolio, taking ownership to identify strategic priorities, opportunities and risks (including international development spend, trade, climate, health, Ukraine, economic security, sanctions and illicit finance); manage the DG inbox and work with seniors to set the agenda for SCS management meetings.
3. Work with the DG to prioritise their time and input across fast-moving international issues and key bilateral relationships (Europe, US, China and other advanced and emerging economies). Act as the main interface between the DG and HMT teams, proactively organising high-quality, timely, briefing and support, taking ownership to provide judgments on key topics and giving clear, sensitive and well-judged steers to teams drawing on international knowledge and networks.
4. Work with private secretaries of other EMB members to strengthen join-up between international and domestic priorities across HMT, SCS and cross-Whitehall, identifying and escalating issues where needed.
5. Support the DG in representing the UK in multilateral and bilateral settings, including the G7, G20, IMF and some Multilateral Development Banks, and in set-piece bilateral dialogues, including support to judge and manage logistics and choreography.
6. Maintain excellent working relationships on the DG’s behalf, both internally and externally, with key partners including international stakeholders, No.10, Permanent Secretaries’ and other Senior Civil Servants’ offices across Government.
7. Plan and coordinate international engagement to maximise impact (including external partner relationships and multilateral moments), while managing workload, logistics and any travel commitments efficiently.

You will line manage and work in partnership with the DG’s Executive Assistant.

This job is located in the Darlington Economic Campus as the DG International is based here (although travels frequently), and their Executive Assistant is based in 1 Horse Guards Road, London (1HGR). Regular travel to London would be useful to build connections with colleagues based in 1HGR.

Candidate Drop-In Session

The hiring manager will be running a candidate drop-in session to give you greater insight about the role and HM Treasury, and ask any questions you might have. If you would like to join us, use the link below to join the call at the right time.

Tuesday 28 April, 10 – 10.30am

via MS Teams (link). Meeting ID: 376 389 225 692 781. Passcode: c8hg2a44.

If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact Gillian Neild, gillian.neild@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Person specification

Application Stage

Application Form

Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.

The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

1. Working Together – You have a track record of developing effective relationships with a range of different partners to deliver your objectives, establishing collaborative processes and resolving competing interests.
2. Delivering at pace - You are comfortable progressing diverse strands of work at pace and under pressure, drawing on your strong organisation skills to ensure you and others are on track to deliver.
3. Communicating and Influencing - You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, which you can use to influence stakeholders and deliver your objectives.

The lead criterion is: Working Together.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Strengths
• Behaviours: Working Together, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Seeing the Big Picture

Interview Task / Presentation

Prior to your interview, we will contact you about a task / presentation that the panel would like you to deliver as part of the assessment. Further details will be communicated to you nearer the time.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,670, HM Treasury contributes £16,706 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 25 days’ annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King's birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant)
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
• Generous parental and adoption leave package.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 28%
• Onsite restaurant and coffee bar. The London office also offers a gym, showers and prayer room
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving
• Access to a retail discounts and cashback site
• A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests and diversity

Flexible Working Arrangements

HM Treasury views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they can enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including; part-time, compressed hours and job sharing. Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees the flexibility to adjust their working patterns throughout the week which is subject to operational needs and line management approval.

At HM Treasury we have an incredibly broad remit; our work touches every citizen of the country. So, it’s important our employees come from the widest possible range of backgrounds, bringing us the widest possible range of perspectives and ways of thinking. We are committed to ensuring that all staff can realise their potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

HM Treasury operates an office based working approach across all Treasury sites - Darlington, London, and Norwich, and along with the rest of the Civil Service, has an expectation of a minimum of 60% attendance in the office, along with working remotely. This blended working approach allows you to work collaboratively, meet stakeholders face to face, support others and promotes a healthy work life balance (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. All our offices have been recently modernised and designed to collaborate and connect with colleagues as well as desk and quiet space to allow a range of ways to work.

The office working expectation is linked to the location of the role. If you apply to a post in a single location, then you will not be able to meet this expectation at any of our other sites or move your role to another location.

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.

Candidate Guidance

Please review our candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.

The reference to Experience above is system-generated. For this role, experience is not assessed at any stage. We will ask for some CV details in your application form, but this is for reference only and will not be scored.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 3rd May 2026 before 23:55
• Shortlisting: w/c 7th May 2026
• Interviews: w/c 18th May 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Reserve Lists

You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a post immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be approached for roles in merit order according to the first preferred location stated on your application form.

Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer. We would still encourage you to apply for other HM Treasury opportunities that you are interested in. If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or you are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.

Eligibility Statement

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information.

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC)

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you. Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.

These short videos address common concerns and preconceptions which applicants may have about national security vetting. If you have questions relating to security clearances, please contact HMTSecurityVetting@hmtreasury.gov.uk

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 : Gillian Neild
• Email : gillian.neild@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on 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 HMT by email at: hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.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.

Attachments

454574 Private Secretary to Director General Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 106kB)HM Treasury Guidance on Pay 2024 October 2024 (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 74kB)