This is a critical role at the heart of the Department, advising and supporting the Department’s Permanent Secretary, wider Executive Team and Non-Executive Directors. The Deputy Private Secretary role sits in the Permanent Secretary’s Office and is responsible for supporting the Permanent Secretary to engage, and be engaged, effectively on a significant portion of the department’s portfolio, as well as the Permanent Secretary’s broader corporate and cross-government responsibilities.
The role is demanding, and the successful candidate will need to be able to a large workload which is often compounded by reactive asks. The right candidate will have an ability to grasp complex issues at pace and be a keen problem solver who can maintain oversight of the bigger picture whilst stepping into enough detail to know when to engage the Permanent Secretary, with support from their manager and the wider office.
Relationship building is fundamental to being an effective private secretary and as such the roles require excellent interpersonal skills and collaborative working across Ministerial Private Offices, Directors General and their offices, and civil servants across the department.
Job description
The post-holder will have the following responsibilities:
* Advise and work directly with the Permanent Secretary and Executive team to support them in delivering the department’s priorities. In doing so, they will an interesting department and customer-focussed portfolio, which includes supporting the Permanent Secretary on his internal communications, HR, propriety and ethics, staff/ customer experience, commercial and cross-cutting enablers. As ever, portfolios are subject to change as priorities shift.
* Work with senior stakeholders across the Department, including policy and operations, as well as across Whitehall, to effectively support the Permanent Secretary to discharge their duties
* Leading the corporate function for the team, including line management of the diary/ officer manager.
* Be an active member of the Governance and Legislation Team.
Person specification
Experience Key Criteria
* Be a proactive and flexible problem solver with excellent judgement in identifying who to engage at each step of a policy problem and an instinct to work collaboratively to achieve a shared outcome. (Lead Criteria)
* Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, with evidence of curating and maintaining a positive and efficient network.
* A track record in confidently delivering at pace whilst effectively managing a heavy workload, demonstrating the ability to manage competing priorities and filter workflow, all whilst providing a quality service.
* Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) with precise attention to detail.
* Evidence of having worked confidently with, and having influenced senior leaders, progressing priorities while maintaining a high degree of preofessionalism and personal resilience.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Working Together
* Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £48,468, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £14,041 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
* Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
* Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
* Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
* Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
* Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
* Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
* An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
1. Application & Sift
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
A sift will be carried out using your 750 word Personal Statement.
Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below and not the published behaviours listed in this advert.
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances.
The standards detailed in the Experience Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. In the event of a large number of applications, meeting the pass standard for the lead criteria "Be a proactive and flexible problem solver with excellent judgement in identifying who to engage at each step of a policy problem and an instinct to work collaboratively to achieve a shared outcome" will determine if the other criteria are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all criteria to progress to interview.
Your statement must not exceed 750 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism, or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:
* Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
* Copying content from an online/published source
* Using forms of Artificial Intelligence to produce application content which you present as your own.
We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.
If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.
2. Interview Stage
If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to an in person interview in our Caxton House office.
The interview will comprise of Behaviour-Based questions, shorter strength based questions and an exercise testing your experience (based on the essential criteria). The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The exercise will be used to assess your drafting skills.
The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert:
• Communicating & Influencing
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.
The strengths to be assessed will not be shared ahead of the interview.
By applying you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in our London office based at Caxton House, Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA.
The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may also use to fill future similar vacancies
Any move to DWP 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. Determine your eligibility at
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.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
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.
Reasonable Adjustments
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, especially those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” 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.
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 the Civil 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 :Jessica Thain
* Email :Jessica.Thain@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
* Email :dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s 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 DWP by email: HR.BUSINESSASSURANCE@DWP.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 the Civil Service Commission.
Attachments
401432 - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1370kB)