Diary Manager to the Director General at Department for Culture, Media and Sport in Manchester, London

Job summary

This role sits in the fast-paced, high-profile and supportive Society, Media & Culture Director General (DG) Private Office, alongside the Head of Office and the Private Secretary. We act as the interface between the DG, the Department and the rest of government.

Our office is part of the wider Private Office and Ministerial Support & Parliamentary team, within the Corporate Strategy Directorate. We work closely with other Private Offices, which serve the Permanent Secretary, Ministers and Special Advisers, to advance the department’s strategic, operational and delivery agenda.

Our team is crucial to the successful running of the Department - we help senior officials to deliver ministerial priorities.

This is a great opportunity if you’re interested in DCMS policy areas - offering hands-on work across on arts, heritage, museums, the creative industries, media, the BBC and so much more. It is also a valuable opportunity if you are interested in gaining private office experience or are interested in seeing how decision makers operates at board level.

Working in our team you will gain a strong understanding of the inner workings of a central government department.

Job description

We are looking for a highly organised and enthusiastic individual to join the Society, Media & Culture DG Private Office as a Diary Manager. This is an opportunity to work in a fast-paced office supporting the Director General Richard Clarke to deliver high profile ministerial priorities. The position will be challenging and rewarding, managing a busy diary, ensuring it suits the needs of the Director General and consistently managing competing priorities.

The successful candidate will be exposed to senior leaders and corporate and policy teams across the department, and will be expected to work with counterparts in other private offices. Once settled in the team, there would also be the opportunity to take on further stretching work to develop within the role and across the portfolio.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Ensure the smooth and efficient running of the DGs diary, handling requests and invitations, working closely with other Private Offices and prioritising between conflicting requirements;
• Develop strong relationships with officials of all grades within the department;
• Manage the DG cycle of external engagement with key stakeholders;
• Provide administrative support including inbox management, booking travel and accommodation; managing expenses and transparency returns;
• Support the continuous improvement of office processes both within and outside of their immediate responsibilities.

Person specification

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, only in the event of tied candidates would desirable criteria be considered.

Essential requirements:

• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to communicate concisely and coherently to a variety of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact confidently and professionally with a diverse set of senior stakeholders.
• Ability to work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues.
• Strong judgement, with an understanding of how to handle sensitive information, and the ability to manage situations independently and understand when to escalate and how.

Desirable skills:

• An understanding of how a Private Office operates.
• A strong interest in DCMS and its sectors.

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Jamie Haworth and will take place on: Friday 23rd October 10:30-11am

The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.

Please register your interest by filling out this Registration form and you will be sent an invitation. Invites will only be sent after this deadline has passed.

Please note that the session will not be recorded and will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to resourcing.team@dcms.gov.uk

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,307, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes

£8,779 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
• 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
• 3 days of paid volunteering leave
• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
• Occupational sick pay
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
• Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work
• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the experience success profile :

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 500 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed however these will not be considered in the assessment of your application except in circumstances where there are a high number and calibre of candidates.

For the shortlist, we will select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the ‘Application and Interview Guidance’ document attached to the job advert.

The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths .

The behaviours to be tested at interview are:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Prior to the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance.

You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview.

Your interview will take place remotely via Teams.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Candidate Information Pack’ attached.

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.

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 Adjustment

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process.

In order to request an adjustment, please:

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on 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 a verbal test rather than a written one.

Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for ap