Executive Assistant London

Job summary

We lead the UK�s diplomatic, development and consular work around the world. We employ around 17,000 staff in our global network of 281 offices worldwide.

Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street in London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.

We are looking to recruit talented and enthusiastic individuals to join the FCDO Private Office Directorate (POD) Rotation Scheme. These roles are varied and rewarding, offering an exciting opportunity to see policy-making at the highest level and gain an understanding of how Parliament works. We aim to provide a top-quality service to Ministers and senior officials, in order to deliver UK foreign and development policy priorities.

The successful candidates will get the chance to work on top HMG international priorities, providing an opportunity to get to know the FCDO from the heart of the organisation, giving an unrivalled view of the range of the department�s work.� They will learn how to formulate policy and develop crucial knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a policy professional.

Job description

Roles and Responsibilities

Executive Assistants provide a mix of policy support and professional office administration. POD will configure the roles to meet specific business needs.� The list below is not exhaustive and gives an indication of what roles typically include : ��

• Diary Manager : Maintaining oversight of all appointments, including meetings with foreign governments, cross-government meetings, and overseas travel.�
• Office Manager : Responsible for the smooth day-to-day running of the office, having oversight of all central administrative functions.���
• Attach� : Leading Private Office�s relationship with the Correspondence team and responsible for timely responses on correspondence and Written Parliamentary Questions (PQs), ensuring that they reflect Ministerial steers and priorities.�
• Correspondence Drafter : Managing and drafting bespoke correspondence for a Ministerial portfolio on a wide range of subject matters, coordinating with teams across the FCDO for policy lines to inform draft replies.��
• Parliamentary Questions Officer : Drafting and coordinating Written Parliamentary Questions and ensuring that the department meets its targets.��
• Parliamentary Executive Assistant : Playing a coordination and supportive role to ensure that the FCDO responds to Parliamentary scrutiny, for example Select Committee appearances, Oral Questions, Urgent Questions and debates in both the House of Commons and the Lords.��
• Operations & Crisis Response Officer : Supporting preparations in the event the FCDO moves to crisis mode, ensuring that plans are in place to maintain a positive relationship with Parliament and respond effectively to increased scrutiny, along with liaising with other Whitehall departments to ensure correspondence is allocated correctly.��
• Parliamentary Innovation Officer : Looking to the future and thinking creatively about how we can work better with Parliament. You will develop project management skills to make progress on various projects to improve our effectiveness, for example improving how we handle correspondence processes.��
• Parliamentary Performance & Capability Officer : Using data and analytical skills to monitor our performance and develop solutions to address gaps or trends and improve the skills and knowledge of staff across the FCDO.�
• Business Support Officer : Supporting POD on a wide range of corporate, financial and business needs to enable the Directorate to function effectively.��

The successful candidates will have the opportunity to work in different roles within POD. We will place you in each role, taking into account your interests and matching skills and experience where relevant. In principle, you move roles every 12 months. Successful candidates need to be flexible and prepared to do any role. Please note, the roles are subject to change depending on business need.����

Person specification

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport / Driving Licence etc.) with you .

This role requires you to attain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process, . �Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty�s Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents� or partner�s Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.�

Minimum Criteria

Behaviours

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

Technical skills

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of �33,000, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes �9,560 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. � A Civil Service Pension.

25 days Annual Leave per annum.

9 days Public and Privilege holidays per annum.

Learning and Development tailored to your role.

See the attached candidate pack.