Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive

As the Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive you will need to deliver a high quality professional administrative service. You will act as a mentor to Personal Assistants supporting the Executive Team and coordinate activities across the Personal Assistant team to ensure consistency and quality., + Pro-actively manage the Chief Executive’s diary and travel arrangements, maintaining free space in the diary, setting reminders for actions and responses, and managing priorities and clashes. Adding reminders to calendar and keeping time free for actions to be addressed.
+ Closely liaise with Corporate Office in making arrangements for all meetings between the Chief Executive and the Secretary of State, Ministers, Permanent Secretary, Select Committees and other Senior Government Officials.
+ Liaise with Directors and senior management to ensure good quality information is available in advance of meetings, visits and presentations.
+ Closely liaise with the Chair and Non-Executive Directors ensuring they have access to appropriate information where needed.
+ Analyse papers and prepare them for the Chief Executive’s attention.
+ Co-ordinate the workload of the PAs, ensuring cover is provided across all Directors at all times, taking account of annual leave, etc.
Please see the Candidate Pack attached to this job advert for more information about the role and responsibilities., This role will be based in Bristol, your presence at this location will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, and therefore a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements. Hybrid working is a non-contractual arrangement where employees have the flexibility to work remotely combined with a minimum of 60% of their working time a month at either their principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, to carry out separate duties at alternative working locations or DVSA sites. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation. For example, due to the nature of this role, you will be required to be extra flexible with your working and be available to go into office when the Chief Executive is in office.
If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).
Occasional travel with potential overnight stays may be required.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week over 5 days.
The working days for this role will be Monday-Friday each week.
About Us
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably.
We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
We’re working hard to:
+ make roads safer.
+ improve services for our customers.
+ make road transport greener and healthier.
+ harness the potential of technology and data.
+ grow and level up the economy.
To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Developing Self and Others
+ Working Together
+ Managing a Quality Service, The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:
+ an interview.
+ a written exercise.
The sift is due to take place from 7th November 2024
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from 3rd December 2024
This interview will be conducted face to face in Bristol, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
We’ll try to meet the dates we’ve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. We’ll give you plenty of notice of any important dates.
If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work for DVSA and how to apply, we will be holding virtual sessions to find out more. Please click here to secure your place at one of our upcoming events.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack attached, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
The Department for Transport recruits using Success Profiles. For each role, we consider what you need to demonstrate to be successful.
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
You can read more about Success Profiles here.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Do you have experience of providing administrative support at director level?
Are you someone with excellent time management skills?
Can you be highly organised and responsive to changing demands?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!, The role involves close-working with the offices of Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Senior Civil Servants as well as Directors and senior management from DVSA. It is a demanding, varied and interesting role and requires someone who is pro-active, flexible and responsive. You must also possess high levels of integrity given the often highly confidential nature of the Chief Executive’s responsibilities., We are looking for someone with experience of providing administrative support at director level. Someone who can mentor and co-ordinate the work of others by utilising their experience.
They must be highly organised and responsive to ever-changing demands, with the flexibility to work outside the remit of their role and able to establish and maintain excellent working relationships at all levels within the Civil Service and outside, such as industry / private sector organisations / trade and road safety organisations as well, which may well require a different approach and ways of working.
Time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines is essential with prior experience of in-depth diary management.
Advanced user knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 products (i.e. Word, Power point and email) is required for the role, as well as experience of drafting emails and letters accurately and concisely using these tools.
The successful candidate will have high levels of integrity, particularly when dealing with highly confidential topics. They will be able to extract accurate, concise summaries from complex information., + Experience of providing administrative support at director level.
+ Experience of mentoring/co-ordinating the work of others.
+ In-depth Diary Management experience.
+ Able to extract accurate, concise summaries from complex information.

Alongside your salary of £32,603, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £9,445 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
+ An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
+ Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30.
+ 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
+ Latest IT and Tech devices.
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
+ Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
+ Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
+ Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing.
+ Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers.