Private Secretary

Job description

Job responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Private Office of the Commercial, Vaccines and Countermeasures Delivery Directorate in UK Health Security Agency as a Private Secretary.

The Vaccine and Countermeasures Delivery teams within CVCD play a critical role in delivering UKHSA's mission to protect and improve public health. These teams oversee the supply and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of life-saving vaccines, countermeasures and immunisation products across the UK, spanning children's, adults', rapid response and seasonal programmes. Drawing on expertise from diverse disciplines, the teams ensure the seamless operational execution and optimal supply of regulated pharmaceutical products while adhering to GDP best practices and maintaining the resilience of these essential public health initiatives.By coordinating and supporting the relevant internal and external workstreams across the UK, the team ensures all nations (where appropriate) are effectively represented and operationally prepared. This includes ensuring supply reaches the right place, at the right time, and in the right volumes, while supporting the mobilisation of those supplies into impactful delivery campaigns. Through extensive collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, suppliers, clinical experts, and data analysts, the team drives continual improvement, fosters knowledge-sharing, and ensures better patient outcomesall while delivering value for taxpayers.

The Private Secretary is a pivotal and demanding role within the organisation, helping to advise the principal and deliver the Agencys priorities. They will lead on a portfolio of areas within the Private Office to support the principal, their senior leadership team, and colleagues across the group. This will involve commissioning and reviewing advice and briefing, ensuring that the principals priorities are being taken forward, and that these are aligned to the Agencys and Ministers priorities.

This role has line management responsibility for executive support/diary manager, as well as supporting the effective running of the office and the leadership of the business area.

Essential criteria:

• The ability to work at pace on a range of competing priorities, whilst remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating resilience.
• The ability to work flexibly and quickly develop expertise on new policy areas and exercise judgement often working with incomplete or inconclusive information and data.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate people at all levels, building trust with stakeholders to achieve goals.
• A proven track record of making a strong personal impact, demonstrating effectiveness and credibility to operate at a senior level.
• Ability to grasp new challenges and concepts at pace.

Desirable criteria

We will only assess on desirable criteria in the event of a strong field of candidates and as a second stage after essential criteria have been considered.

• Previous experience of working in Private Office.
• Previous experience of working in public health or another healthcare-related area.

Selection ProcessDetails:

This vacancy is using SuccessProfiles andwill assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Stage 1:Application& Sift

Please be aware that we will assess on the 5 essential criteria stated on the advert rather than the full list on the job description document.

You willbe requiredto complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 5 essentialcriteria,and this will be in the form ofa:

• Application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

• 1000 word Statement of Suitability.

This should outline how your skills,experience,andknowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

TheApplication formand Statement of Suitability will be markedtogether

Longlisting:

In the event ofa large number ofapplications we willlonglistinto 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria

• Meets some essential criteria

• Meets no essential criteria

In order to be shortlisted you must meet some of the essential criteria listed above.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• The ability to work at pace on a range of competing priorities, whilst remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating resilience

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment

Please do not exceed 1000words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

Behaviours and strengths will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Delivery at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (includingby definition internalapplicants).

Location

This role is an office based role at Canary Wharf. Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Additionally some work travel may be required to support the Director.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC Clearance.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC)UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Person Specification

Application form and Statement of Suitability

Essential

• Application form and Statement of Suitability

Behaviours

Essential

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

UK Health Security Agency

Address

Canary Wharf

10 South Colonnade

London

E14 5EA

Employer's website

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency (Opens in a new tab)