![Department for Business and Trade](https://patchworkhub.org/uploads/0000/770/2024/05/02/screenshot-2024-05-02-114310.png)
Personal Assistant to the Deputy Chief Executive (Apprenticeship)
- Public sector
- 15/07/2024
- £27,329.00 - £33,018.00 /yearly
- Apprenticeship
Job Type
Salary
Date Posted:
Expiration date:
Job ID
About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
We are looking to recruit a Diary Manager to work alongside the Deputy Chief Executive (DCEO) in the Policy Impact Area within the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). You will be part of the Policy Coordination Team and will also work alongside the wider PA group within OPSS.
Although there are core responsibilities for the role, it will be fast paced and varied, with a value on building strong relationships with a wide range of colleagues. The post will support the DCEO, whilst working closely with the Policy Impact Area Coordinator and the wider directorate to ensure cross-OPSS issues are well managed. This will involve building strong relationships with senior staff and require good judgement on the management of time, meticulous organisation and attention to detail. You will engage with various policy teams and will lead on work that spans the breadth of the Policy Impact Area. This will be an opportunity for the successful applicant to gain experience in working at the heart of OPSS policy and closely with senior decision makers.
We develop and formulate policy, delivering evidence-based solutions and robust advice for Ministers, whilst supporting business to meet their obligations and ultimately protecting consumers and ensuring they have confidence in the products they buy. We are outward facing, seeking to raise our profile and share our technical expertise and knowledge, utilising this expertise to lead and influence on both the domestic and global stage.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to undertake a Business Administrator Apprenticeship (Level 3).
The Business Administrator apprenticeship is a minimum of 12 months and should typically be completed within 18 months. The apprenticeship provides a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills and behaviours, which can be gained working across an organisation and its processes. The apprenticeship is a firm grounding in organisational operations and functional processes, as well as the wider working environment.
The apprenticeship will typically take between 12 and 18 months to complete. If you have not already achieved Level 2 English and Maths, you must do so before taking the end-point assessment.
Key Responsibilities
Provide PA support to the DCEO in the Policy Impact Area
Providing support to the wider group
Please note that this role is open to candidates working in either our Birmingham, London or Teddington office. When you are required to give a preference, Twickenham will appear rather than Teddington, so please be aware that you should choose this option if you wish to be based in Teddington.
Skills and Experience
Essential Criteria
An excellent communicator, able to adapt your communication skills to suit both the situation and individual.
You are:
Personal Attributes and Skills
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.
Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:
It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:
Complete the Assistance required section on the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.
Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.
Further Information
Who can start an apprenticeship
To start an apprenticeship, youll need to be:
You can apply for an apprenticeship while youre still at school but youll need to be 16 or over by the end of the summer holidays to start the apprenticeship. Please note if successful you must be 16 or over to undergo the relevant security checks.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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 [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Feedback
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
DBT candidate pack Sept 2023 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 737kB) |
DBT T&Cs 19092023 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB) |
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