Details
Reference number
438634
Salary
£36,000A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%GBP
Job grade
Higher Executive Officer
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DFE - Skills Group
Type of role
Administration / Corporate Support
Policy
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time, Compressed hours
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
Sheffield (S1 2FJ)
About the job
Job summary
At the Department for Education (DFE), we are striving for world-class education, training and care for everyone whatever their background. Our ambition is to have a more productive economy, giving everyone the chance to reach their potential and live a more fulfilled life.
We work in multi-disciplinary teams using Agile methods to innovate and radically improve services that:
- Raise education standards and provide the best start in life for children,
- Support disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people,
- Drive economic growth.
Our work and set up is truly end-to-end. We work closely with Ministers and our users on the design of our programmes and policies, through to successful implementation, through our research and analysis, finance and commercial, communications, technical design and programme management.
We achieve our work by blending excellent strategic, operational and analytical thinking leading to well developed and tested policies and processes.
Job description
Private Office is one of the most dynamic teams in the Department for Education involved in all aspects of departmental business, supporting the senior leadership team with a high quality service.
This is an exciting opportunity to work in the heart of government on a high profile and exciting policy area.
As Private Secretary, the successful candidate will provide direct support to the Director of Higher Education in his interactions with policy teams, Ministers, and external stakeholders.
The postholder will have the opportunity to be involved in some of the most high-profile policy areas that the Department holds.
The successful applicant will be joining a small and friendly Directorate Support Team and will have an opportunity to involve themselves in a range of different policy areas related to Higher Education.
Job Responsibilities
- Support the Director in their interactions with policy teams, supporting them in a wide range of meetings and events, and ensuring that their directions are implemented effectively.
- Management of the Director’s diary and inbox, including commissioning and responding to emails on Director’s behalf.
- Provide on-going support to the Director by preparing weekly briefings/action lists that help the director stay on track in delivering their objectives.
- Coordination of corporate commissions to the divisions, including sourcing more information, managing timelines, and collating returns, working often to tight deadlines.
- Provide secretariat support to meetings, as needed, including taking minutes.
- Support the Head of Office in creating a positive workplace culture in the Directorate.
Person specification
Essential criteria:
- Strong ability to solve problems and use their own initiative to come up with creative solutions and resolve issues independently.
- Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise competing priorities effectively to resolve difficult issues.
- Strong inter-personal skills, and ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
- Work effectively in a team, being flexible and adaptable to support the wider team and division and complete all work to a high standard.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £36,000, Department for Education contributes £10,429 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Strengths and Experience.
To apply for this role, please select 'Apply Now' at the top or bottom of this advert. CV details need to be included in the template within the application form; attached or emailed CVs will not be considered.
Please be advised there are two stages to the recruitment process for this role, these are outlined below.
Stage 1 – Application
At sift stage, you will be assessed on your Experience in line with the essential skills listed in the person specification section of the job advert.
To apply for this role, please provide:
- A ShortCV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.
- A Statement of Suitability(no more than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the job advert.
To confirm, the maximum word count for the statement of suitability is 750 words. Please adhere to this limit as anything over 750 words will not be taken into account.
The CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the advert.
If you are successful at application sift stage, your application will be progressed onto Stage 2 part of the Selection process.
Should there be a high volume of applicants, candidates may be sifted on the first essential criteria.
Application sifting will take place week commencing 8th December. Please note this date is subject to change.
Stage 2 - Interview:
The interview will consist of a 45-minute blended interview.
We will ask you a series of questions about your experience to demonstrate, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria listed in the advert.
We will also ask you Strengths based questions.
Interviews will take place towards the start of January 2026. Please note these dates are subject to change. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Interviews will be held in person in Sheffield with the option to hold the interview over video conferencing using MS Teams available on request. If you are invited to interview, please ensure that you have access to this software and that you have your video turned on. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We receive many applications, and unfortunately we’re not able to provide feedback for candidates who aren’t shortlisted. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
All communications will be electronic therefore it is vitally important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.
Other Information
In your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you.
This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it's called name blind recruitment .
Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:
- name/title
- educational institutions
- age
- gender
- email address
- postal address
- phone number
- nationality/immigration status
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe 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 circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
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.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
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 Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk 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.
Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 2024 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
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)
- 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.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 : Joel Fox
- Email : Joel.fox@education.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk
Further information
The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages
