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Join to apply for the Secretariat Manager role at Government Property Agency
Job Summary
The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.
Birmingham
Job Summary
The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.
We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.
Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.
Innovation and progress are at the heart of our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. And we’re dedicated to becoming a leading, inclusive employer both in the external market and throughout the Civil Service. Our strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces.
Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.
The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.
To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Job Description
This role sits within the Agency’s Corporate Team, specifically the Governance team; a group of 5 people to ensure the smooth running of the Agency’s Boards and Committees (Governance).
Main Job Purpose:
To support the management and delivery of the central secretariat function for the Agency, including but not limited to the:
* Board
* Audit and Risk Committee
* Investment Committee,
* Strategic Client Committee
* Nominations and Remunerations Committee
* Executive Committee.
* Portfolio Performance Committee
* Sustainability Committee
* Group Health and Safety Management Committee
To support the wider governance function - including support to the management of Non-Exec Directors and general governance admin tasks as appropriate.
This role may require occasional travel to various locations to support team activities, attend meetings, or facilitate events as needed.
Key Responsibilities
The provision of high-level diverse secretarial and administrative duties within the Governance team. Examples of duties will include but not be restricted to:
* Meeting coordination: Oversee diary management, logistics, and room bookings for meetings.
* Agenda and Paper Management: Send clear communications for paper submissions, ensuring high-quality inputs and adherence to deadlines in collaboration with Chiefs of Staff and Business Managers.
* Document Distribution: Collate and distribute meeting papers well in advance to attendees.
* Meeting Participation: Attend meetings to take accurate minutes, capturing key decisions and actions.
* Action Tracking: Maintain and update a log of actions for all Boards and Committees, ensuring follow-up with action owners before each meeting.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with GPA teams to highlight strategic issues to Boards/Committees for informed discussions and proactive advice.
* Chair Support: Assist Committee Chairs in effectively planning and conducting meetings, ensuring they are well-informed.
* Inbox Management: Oversee the Secretariat mailbox to ensure effective communication, timely responses, and coordination of meetings, while maintaining organised records and distributing information as needed.
* Assist with support to the GPA Non Executive Directors for management of
o Expenses.
o Travel bookings if required.
This role sits within the Agency’s Corporate Team, specifically the Governance team; a group of 5 people to ensure the smooth running of the Agency’s Boards and Committees (Governance).
The Provision Of High-level Diverse Secretarial And Administrative Duties Within The Governance Team. Examples Of Duties Will Include But Not Be Restricted To:
* Meeting coordination: Oversee diary management, logistics, and room bookings for meetings.
* Agenda and Paper Management: Send clear communications for paper submissions, ensuring high-quality inputs and adherence to deadlines in collaboration with Chiefs of Staff and Business Managers.
* Document Distribution: Collate and distribute meeting papers well in advance to attendees.
* Meeting Participation: Attend meetings to take accurate minutes, capturing key decisions and actions.
* Action Tracking: Maintain and update a log of actions for all Boards and Committees, ensuring follow-up with action owners before each meeting.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with GPA teams to highlight strategic issues to Boards/Committees for informed discussions and proactive advice.
* Chair Support: Assist Committee Chairs in effectively planning and conducting meetings, ensuring they are well-informed.
* Inbox Management: Oversee the Secretariat mailbox to ensure effective communication, timely responses, and coordination of meetings, while maintaining organised records and distributing information as needed.
* Assist with support to the GPA Non Executive Directors for management of
o Expenses.
o Travel bookings if required.
Person specification
Highly organised with previous secretariat and administrative experience. Would suit someone used to working as a PA or EA, working to regular deadlines in a fast paced environment.
Someone who is comfortable working with senior staff members and confidential information, able to work independently and confidently in this environment.
Essential Criteria:
Experience & Technical Skills
* Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills and experience including the ability to review, edit, proof-read and draft succinct and accurate reports, papers and documents.
* Experience in planning and managing tasks with multiple dependencies and components.
* Experience of working independently in a fast-paced environment.
* Skilled in building relationships with senior stakeholders and the wider organization, delivering clear, sensitive communications, and collaborating effectively to resolve challenges.
* Experience in utilising appropriate communication channels.
* Strong organisational and problem solving skills with ability to provide well argued, evidenced recommendations.
* Ability to work with changing priorities and competing demands.
* Competent in the use of productivity and collaboration software suites, such as Office 365 or Google Workspace.
Desirable Criteria:
* PA/secretary experience to board chairs.
Qualifications & Accreditations
Essential criteria:
* Educated to GCSE level or equivalent in English
Desirable Criteria:
* Educated to GCSE level or equivalent in Maths
Additional Information:
A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.
Qualifications
Educated to GCSE level or equivalent in English
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Working Together
* Managing a Quality Service
* Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Customer Perspective
* Commercial Acumen
* Property Market Knowledge
* Innovation
Alongside your salary of £36,728, Government Property Agency contributes £10,640 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* 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%
* Generous annual leave
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
Sift
The sift is due to take place week commencing 16th June 2025.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 500 personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.
Should we receive a large number of applications, we reserve the right to sift solely on CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Interview
GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date and location will be confirmed if you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact recruitment@gpa.gov.uk to discuss prior to submitting your application.
At interview, applicants will be scored against 3 behaviours - Working Together, Managing a Quality Service and Communicating and Influencing.
Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to GPA 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.
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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 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.
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 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.
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 will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
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.
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.
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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
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 : Linda Jenkinson
* Email : linda.jenkinson@gpa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email : gparecruitment.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 HR@gpa.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission:
Click here to visit Civil Service Commission
Seniority level
* Seniority level
Not Applicable
Employment type
* Employment type
Full-time
Job function
* Job function
Administrative
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