About This Role
This role operates at the strategic centre of the UK Government, managing a portfolio of circa £5bn to deliver critical policy outcomes. The Chief of Staff will play a pivotal part in operating alongside the Commercial Leadership Team (CLT) to support the Commercial Directors to deliver their vision of a high performing commercial directorate, delivering optimised commercial outcomes and securing value for money. The role will provide strategic and operational support to the Commercial Directors and Commercial Leadership Team and will have responsibility for the successful function of the Private Office.
Responsibilities
- Provide high quality, efficient and effective support to the Directors
- Routinely demonstrate strong organisational skills whilst working at pace
- Support the Directors to ensure priorities are driven forward and communicated both internally and externally
- Lead the Private Office function to deliver an effective and efficient delivery service
- Identify and deliver continuous improvement opportunities to continually evolve service to the Commercial Directors and Commercial Leadership Team
- Work alongside the Strategy and Planning manager to ensure internal and externally-shared information is well planned and co-ordinated in line with the Directorate communications strategy and approach
- Perform directorate governance, including setting agendas for senior leadership meetings, tracking action items, and unblocking internal bottlenecks
- Manage, commission and collate information required for the Directorate and the team for reporting purposes or in response to high level queries
- Track and complete actions on behalf of the Directors
- Facilitate and attend meetings as required, including scheduling, preparing agendas and producing minutes/actions
- Be the spokesperson for the Commercial Directors where necessary and enable effective responses to commissions
- Produce high-quality reports, presentations and submissions tailored to the needs of the audience that are clear, with proportionate detail and engaging as required by the Directors
- Build and maintain positive working relationships in both CO and HM Treasury Private Offices
- Ensure all commissions are approached with a view of both Departments and all ALBs
- Provide a full range of secretarial and administrative support to the Commercial Leadership Team (CLT) and Directors, including the organisation of wider team meetings, routine meetings, and away-days
- Take control of the logistics, co-ordination of content with suitable contingencies should any issues arise
- Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and work collaboratively with senior managers and colleagues across the organisation
- Act as a trusted adviser to the Commercial Directors
- Hold the highest level of confidentiality for the Commercial Directors, including sensitive personal information, future team and Government policy and decisions
- Support the Commercial Director in building a strong team culture and helping to define and embed core team values
- Manage and develop a team of Executive Officers
- Manage and coordinate the drafting and submission of responses for Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests on behalf of the directorate
Requirements
- Ability to proactively oversee the Private Office and run governance structures, providing robust support to ensure the leadership team operates with maximum efficiency
- Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, both written and verbal, with the poise to interact with stakeholders across all levels of seniority and provide trusted advice
- Strong aptitude for drafting comprehensive documents, briefings, and high-standard presentational materials with meticulous attention to detail
- Maintain composure in high-pressure environments, successfully managing multiple deadlines and competing demands to produce high-quality outputs promptly, including experience managing commissions, PQs, and FOI requests
- Superior organisational and planning capabilities, operating with independence to effectively balance a diverse range of operational, administrative, and support responsibilities
- Exhibit strong skills in prioritisation and the capacity to deliver succinct updates, ensuring messages are cascaded effectively to maintain team cohesion and transparency
- Possess superior organisational and planning capabilities, including the aptitude for drafting comprehensive presentations and documents while monitoring team targets and milestones
- Display high levels of personal resilience and the capability to remain focused and productive when faced with rapidly evolving requirements
- Prove capable of rapidly grasping new concepts and delivering results at a significant pace
- Operate with independence, taking full ownership of workstreams while effectively balancing a diverse range of responsibilities
- SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years UK residency in the past 5 years
- 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
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30
Important Details
- Locations: Glasgow, Manchester, York
- Contract: Permanent
- Schedule: Full-time
- Working pattern: Full-time
- Number of jobs available: 1
- Principal workplace attendance: Minimum 60% of working time at principal workplace, up to 100% for some roles due to nature and business need
- Expected sift date: w/c 2nd November
- Expected interview date/s: w/c 9th November
- Interview location: Face to face or by video
Application Process
- Submit a CV, no longer than two pages in length
- Submit a separate Statement of Suitability (max: 1000 words) to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as listed in the 'Person specification' section of the job advert
- Submit a number of behavioural statements (max: 250 words each) that outline your suitability for the role and evidence against the behaviours listed
- Initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, if a large number of applications are received
- At interview you will be assessed on your Behaviours and Experience
About the Company
The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury (COHMT) operate at the strategic centre of the UK Government. The COHMT Commercial Team's vision is to be a top-performing function that sets the standard for excellence across the Civil Service. The COHMT commercial team has recently undergone a strategic evolution, transitioning into a highly specialised Commercial Delivery and Operations model. The directorate comprises two delivery clusters and a third cluster containing central strategy, performance and all enabling functions as well as non-category delivery and commercial portfolio management. The COHMT Commercial team operates with core values: Curious, Collaborative and Kind, acting with Integrity and Focused on value for money.
