Diary Secretary / Personal Assistant to NCSC Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director Ref. 2414

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Operational and Surveillance
London
Permanent
Full Time
£28,642 plus a London allowance of £5,500
No
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce.

Short summary of role

A part of GCHQ, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the UK’s lead authority on cyber security and its vision is to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online.

The NCSC has two vacancies which provide exciting opportunities to join the NCSC senior support team.  The two posts we are recruiting for are Diary Secretary / Personal Assistant to CEO NCSC Lindy Cameron, and Diary Secretary / Personal Assistant to Technical Director Dr Ian Levy.

The roles would suit a proactive, motivated self-starter with good organisational, interpersonal and communication skills, also comfortable switching between multiple priorities at pace. The successful candidate will need to make and maintain contacts across a broad spectrum of partners in Whitehall, UKIC and industry. You will develop an understanding of the strategic picture in order to help maximise your principal’s time. Working closely with other members of NCSC’s executive support team, you will gain unique insight into the workings of NCSC and wider GCHQ, Whitehall and UKIC.


What will the successful candidate be doing?

We are looking for self-motivated individuals who are keen to take on a new challenge. These roles are busy so would suit someone able to demonstrate good judgement and prioritise at pace. You should be able to communicate effectively and sensitively at all levels and be able to maintain and develop relationships across the business. A commitment to do routine tasks well, resilience, flexibility and initiative are key.

The main responsibilities of the post holder will include:

-    Managing diary which is a critical business function. Diarising high and low side meetings, events and domestic travel to make best use of the principal’s time.
-    Arranging overseas travel, including booking flights, accommodation and liaising with overseas contacts on visit agendas.
-    Triaging inboxes, highlighting urgent emails, ensuring queries are dealt with in a suitable timeframe.
-    Building and maintaining internal and external contacts across Whitehall, UKIC and Industry.
-    Processing expenses in a timely manner.
-    Supporting APS / SO and assisting with daily briefing packs
-    Playing an active part in the wider departmental executive support network.

Competency Requirements

•    Communication and Knowledge sharing    - Intermediate
•    Corporate Vision and Efficiency   - Fundamental
•    Change and Innovation   - Fundamental
•    Analysis and Decision Making - Intermediate
•    Contribution to Delivery   - Intermediate
•    Managing the Customer Relationship   -Intermediate
•    Working with and Leading Others - Intermediate

You can familiarise yourself with the general competencies we use to assess the aptitude of candidates here - Recruitment Process

If you’re excited about working with us and think you have some of what we’re looking for but aren’t sure if you’re 100% there yet… Back yourself and give it a go. If in doubt, get in touch with the hiring manager, keep working through the application and then hit ‘submit’!


Benefits we offer

At NCSC and wider GCHQ, we are proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment that’s designed to encourage open minds and attitudes.  As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential.  With comprehensive training and development opportunities, tailored to your needs and the requirements of your work, we will enable you to flourish in your role and perform to the very best of your abilities.
•    Access to learning and development tailored to your role and support to gain professional qualifications and certifications.
•    An environment that supports a range of flexible working options (including a flexible working hour scheme).
•    A culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
•    Support to gain professional qualifications and certifications
•    A civil service pension
•    25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days based on length of service.

Salary

Salary of £28,642 plus £5,500 London allowance

Location

London

Selection Process

To apply for this position, you must meet our nationality, residency requirements. You’ll find more details here – www.gchq-careers.co.uk/recruitmentprocess

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. This is known as the Offer of Interview (OOI).
To secure an interview for this role, candidates applying under this scheme must meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Be prepared to dedicate 60-90 minutes to completing your application. We’re conscious this might be more time than you expected, so our system will allow you to save your application at any time and come back to it later. But remember to submit your full application before the closing date.
 
Once we’ve established that you meet our eligibility criteria, the next steps of this selection process are:
 
•    Paper sift
•    Personal Interview
•    Drugs test
 
If you successfully complete these stages, you’ll receive a job offer, conditional upon you completing our developed vetting (DV) process which enables you to obtain the level of security clearance required to perform this vital role.

The closing date for this role is 6 December 2021.

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment. 

This Program / Vacancy is closed to applications.