Job summary
This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade. Our aim is to promote British trade and investment across the world which is vital for the prosperity of the UK. DIT brings together policy, promotion, and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment in markets across the world to help businesses succeed. This is a great opportunity to be part of an international team that contributes to the success of the UK's trade goals.�
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The Investment Directorate is the beating heart of everything investment in the Department for Business and Trade. The team works closely across Whitehall to deliver strong and coherent government support to business. We lead on engagement with global pools of capital, deliver our strategy, and performance metrics, as well as offering specialised sectoral advice and influence policy making.�
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We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic candidate to join the Private Office in the Investment Directorate as the Executive Assistant.� The role is vital in assisting our SLT in managing and coordinating their time to deliver an effective programme of internal and external departmental duties, international visits, and stakeholder engagements.��
As Executive Assistant you will have an exciting opportunity to work in a busy private office with a unique overview of the workings of DBT, Whitehall and business. You will join a busy team at the heart of the organisation, working closely with the Investment Directorate Senior Leadership team, external stakeholders and officials within the department both in the UK and overseas.�
Job description
Working in a busy Private Office and reporting to the Private Secretary, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the SLT makes effective use of their time by:��
1. Planning and managing appointments, keeping the team and Private Secretary informed of changes in the daily schedule, and using your own judgement to prioritise appointments�
2. Understanding meeting priorities and dealing with clashes, organising deputies where necessary�
3. Preparing meeting papers, obtaining background papers, briefing notes etc��
4. Ensuring the your principal has the correct advice and briefings for meetings�
5. Coordinating the logistics of overseas visits, including booking flights/hotels and ensuring value for money�
6. Acting as a representative of the department when communicating with and meeting external stakeholders�
7. You may be required to pick up additional duties depending on business needs including corporate & HR related duties�
Person specification
Essential criteria�
While no previous experience is required to be successful in this role, we are looking for someone who:��
8. will be highly organised with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver them at pace to a high standard�
9. should be confident in dealing with senior people and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills��
Desirable criteria �
10. Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills��
11. An ability to develop and maintain strong and effective working relationships both with senior stakeholders, within and outside the department�
12. Experience in diary management�
13. The role may present opportunities to take on extra responsibilities and so you should be a self-starter with drive and energy�
Personal attributes & skills�
We would be particularly interested in hearing from you if you:��
14. Enjoy working in a fast paced, stimulating environment�
15. Can effectively manage competing priorities and find solutions to problems under pressure in order to help the private office deliver effectively��
16. Are able to work well within a small team�
17. Have strong communication skills�
18. Can develop positive working relationships with a variety of people including senior stakeholders��
19. Can efficiently use Microsoft Office products such as Outlook and SharePoint�
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
20. Delivering at Pace
21. Making Effective Decisions
22. Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �27,329, Department for Business and Trade contributes �7,378 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
23. Learning and development tailored to your role
24. An environment with flexible working options
25. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
26. A with an average employer contribution of 27%
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
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits