Executive Assistant
1 day ago
Darlington
Job Summary The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a new shared corporate service, launched in July 2023. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). Our team of just over 300 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field. We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the ___ and the ___Find Out More You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: ___Job Description Join ICS Digital, where innovation meets expertise to create digital solutions. We are a cohesive digital community who work in the open, solving problems together and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to user-focused design and data-driven decision-making ensures that we deliver accessible services tailored to the needs of our customers. We are seeking a proactive Executive Assistant looking to develop a career in a digital team. If you have ambition to drive forward top priority work in a fast-paced environment, then we encourage you to apply. The successful candidate will support both the Deputy Chief Digital & Information Officer and the Deputy Directorfor Design, Data and Delivery. This is a dynamic role providing the opportunity to work within a small cohort in the Director’s Office. The candidate's primary responsibility will be to provide a variety of secretarial and administrative support, managing diaries, correspondence, and acting as a key link between internal and external stakeholders in a complex stakeholder environment which includes a large network of Private Offices. Visit our blog to learn more about us and our work: ___Person specification As an Executive Assistant your key duties will include: • Managing the inbox and diaries for two Deputy Directors with good judgement, prioritisation, discretion, and professionalism, ensuring time is effectively managed to tackle the most important issues., • Maintaining oversight of the Deputy Directors' priorities and reflect these in the arrangement of meetings., • Using judgement and initiative to proactively signpost issues and tasks arising from the inbox, ensuring deadlines are met., • Appropriately sharing information and tasks from the inbox with teams to maximise efficiency and the Deputy Directors’ time, ensuring matters are managed in their absence., • Building effective networks and relationships across a complex stakeholder environment., • Commissioning actions and outputs on behalf of the Deputy Directors with internal and external stakeholders., • Ensuring a record is kept of correspondence and documents in line with the department’s information management principles., • Making travel arrangements and accommodation bookings ensuring value for money and keeping clear records for transparency., • Researching and booking appropriate venues and meeting spaces, including drafting agendas for away days and team events., • Deputising for colleagues in director’s office during periods of varying business need., • Assisting with booking and arranging interviews for your wider business area/s. The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and the post holders may be required to undertake some additional tasks not listed above, within the remit of their grade, to support the team. Essential Criteria • Highly organised individual with the ability to manage multiple tasks., • Diary and inbox management experience., • Excellent communication skills. Must be confident dealing with individuals at varying levels of seniority in person, via email or via teams., • Track record or building and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders., • Confident in working independently and making informed decisions with discretion. Desirable Criteria • Good working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, SharePoint and Outlook., • Demonstrable experience of providing a broad range of administrative tasks in a fast paced environment and to deadlines. When completing your CV as part of the application please ensure to include name of organisation, time you have worked for them and your key objectives in the role. It is unusual that all candidates will meet all the desirable criteria. If your skills and experience look slightly different from what we have identified and you think you can bring value to the Executive Assistant role and the team, we strongly encourage you to apply. We'd love to hear from you! Please, no recruitment agencies. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: • Communicating and Influencing, • Managing a Quality Service, • Delivering at Pace Benefits Alongside your salary of £28,915, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £8,376 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. ___The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including: • A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours., • Automatic enrolment into the ___, with an employer contribution of 28.97%., • A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30., • An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue., • Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts. Office attendance The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using ___, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Work Strengths Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 15 December 2025. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. Please be aware that the Online Tests on this campaign will not be accessible during the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00pm on 14 December 2025. Please do not attempt to launch the test during those times, as you may experience technical issues and we may not be able to assist you before the closing date and time. As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to describe how your past experiences relate to the essential criteria outlined in this job description, focusing on your most recent career history. Applications will be sifted on the CV and personal statement. In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. The interview will consist of behaviour and strength-based questions. Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time. Sift and interview dates Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 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 ___ for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Further Information Reasonable Adjustment We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions. Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our ___. A ___ of the guidance is also available. We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position. Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you. Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero 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 ___. DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service / Disclosure Scotland 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 stating the job reference number in the subject heading. For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email 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. 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 ___ 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 ___, • 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 ___Working for the Civil Service The ___ 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 ___. 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 ___ and the ___. Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the ___ initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. ___. 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 : People and Development Team Recruitment team Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click ___ to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints