Private Secretary to the Chief Executive

Placed: 14/06/17
Region: London
Location: London
Category: Jobs


Content of the advertisement:

Being the Private Secretary to the Chief Executive puts you at the very heart of policy, relationships and oversight in a government department. The PS to the CE has overall responsibility for the smooth running of the Chief Executive’s Private Office, ensuring a high quality, professional level of support to the Chief Executive. The work is varied and can be demanding, requiring good judgement and analytical skills. The role often involves working to tight deadlines, but it is also interesting, challenging and engaging. Due to the holistic nature of the work, there is the need to be able to grasp key issues quickly and prioritise workloads.

A key responsibility for the post holder will be to manage the flow of information to and from the Chief Executive, whether that is commissioning briefings, handling and drafting correspondence, or conveying the Chief Executive’s views to FSA colleagues. The post holder will also accompany the Chief Executive to meetings, providing timely feedback of those meetings to colleagues in the FSA. Finally, the post holder will not only ensure the smooth running of the Chief Executive’s Office, through strategically prioritising work flows, but will take an active lead in ensuring the effective management and working of the wider Private Office Group.

The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial department of 1200 people, with a big vision – to drive change in the food system so that it delivers “food we can trust”.

This post is office-based, but there is some scope for occasionally working from home.

In 2018 the FSA will move from its current London office, Aviation House, to Clive House, Petty France.

Person specification
Excellent written English and the ability to articulate clearly are essential skills for this role, together with good IT skills and a high level of planning and organisational skills. You will be able to work in a fast paced environment to tight deadlines, using your own initiative and working independently.

With responsibility for the Chief Executive’s Office, you will have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective working relationships. Diplomatic skills and the ability to maintain confidentiality are therefore key to this role.

You will be able to manage a team, develop and support team members and be committed to equal opportunities and cultural awareness.

Project Management skills and previous Private Office experience are desirable.

Competencies
We'll assess you against these competencies during the selection process:
Managing a quality service
Leading and communicating
Seeing the big picture
Delivering at pace
Making effective decisions
Collaborating and partnering

Price / Salary: £35,700 - £44,000