Diary Manager to Scotland Office Junior Ministers

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Would you like the opportunity to play a leading role in supporting Ministers to shape the future of the UK and Scotland within it?

We are looking for Band D/EO to be the diary manager to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Iain Stewart MP) and our Lords Minister (Lord Offord). The role is based in the Scotland Office in our London office.

Overview

The Scotland Office supports the Secretary of State in promoting the best interests of Scotland within the United Kingdom. It ensures Scottish interests are fully and effectively represented at the heart of the UK Government, and the UK Government’s responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Scotland.

The Scotland Office’s role is to:

Strengthen and sustain the UnionAct as Scotland’s voice in WhitehallChampion the UK Government in Scotland

The Role

This fast-paced and rewarding role offers opportunities rarely available at this grade to work directly with ministers at the heart of Whitehall. This role offers the opportunity to be a focal part of a busy, friendly team and gain valuable experience of working at the centre of Government.

It is an excellent opportunity to gain a real insight into the work of ministers, how the department and the wider Government operates, and how the UK Government works collaboratively with the Scottish Government.

The successful candidate will manage the diaries of two ministers and ensure that a busy office runs effectively. It is a unique role, working with ministers who sit in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and based across London and Edinburgh. With broad and varied ministerial portfolios, the successful candidate will also get to gain exposure and expertise in a wide range of policy areas spanning across Government.

As the role is within a private office, the role requires an ability to work in a fast paced environment and sometimes to work unsociable hours. As such the role includes a Private Office allowance.

The role will be London based and will require regular in-person responsibilities. It also offers the opportunity for frequent travel to Scotland to support the ministers on visits and meetings with stakeholders.

We are recruiting using Ministry of Justice terms and conditions. The successful candidate will need to have or complete national security vetting at SC level (Security Check). Note that these checks take on average 1-2 months to complete.

Person Specification

We are looking for a collaborative and enthusiastic individual.

The successful candidate will be a team player who will be able to balance competing priorities and manage a busy workload.

The successful candidate will need to be assertive and confident in their ability to work with Ministers, Special Advisers and officials at all levels.

Excellent communications skills, sound judgement, and the ability to remain calm and reliable under pressure are also essential skills.

The successful candidate will be flexible and able to react quickly to emerging priorities.

The Main Responsibility Include

Effective diary management to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland and the Lords Minister, including: organising and leading on the logistics for meetings; making travel arrangements; and, leading regular meetings to coordinate diaries, agree priorities and monitor workloads.Handling sensitive content: the postholder needs to be able to handle matters with discretion and awareness of security guidelinesMaintaining effective administrative processes and accurate record keeping, including upholding departmental responsibilities on Freedom of Information and transparency publications.Supporting Ministers with engagement, including events, meetings and visits.Work as part of the Private Office team, supporting the day-to-day operations of the wider office and providing an efficient, accurate, confidential and comprehensive service.Providing additional support to the team on shared tasks and other duties that would reasonably sit within the portfolio, supporting the Private Secretary as and when required.Occasional weekend on-call responsibilities.

Skills

Essential:

Possess excellent organisational skills, and be detail oriented.Strong oral and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal and team working skills.A “can-do” attitude and team player who can drive forward multiple priorities simultaneously.Have excellent IT skills.

Desirable:

A knowledge of and interest in Scottish politics or experience of working with the devolution settlement.Experience working on policy development or delivery.