Assistant Private Secretary to the Director/Deputy Director of Communications Directorate - ref. s94890023

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the UK government’s biggest operational department with over 80,000 colleagues delivering services to over 20 million people.

It is implementing the biggest changes to welfare for a generation and our people are radically transforming the way they offer those services to the public.

The role of the Director’s Office is to support the Director of Communications as a member of the Government Communications Service (GCS) and as the Head of Profession for DWP. The Office also supports colleagues within the Communications Directorate, including recruitment, learning and development while ensuring steps are in place to keep them informed of changes and comply with relevant DWP and GCS governance.

• The Assistant Private Secretaries to both the Director and the Deputy Directors of Communications, are accountable for the proactive management of their inboxes and diaries. This requires discretion and includes making decisions on the prioritisation of work, meeting deadlines and coordinating meetings with the Director/Deputy Directors and other Private Offices.
• These roles work closely with the Government Communications Service, plus senior stakeholders within both DWP and across Government.
• These roles ensure the Director/Deputy Directors understand the part they play in protecting the data of DWP customers and staff. Working with stakeholders within DWP and across Government to ensure accountabilities are in place and are communicated, enabling effective risk ownership and mitigation to support the delivery of DWP objectives and the management of security risks.
• These roles work closely with the Director/Deputy Directors, ensuring they have the tools/resources in place to deliver business requirements.

As a leader within the DWP Communications Directorate you will:

• Apply professional expertise to deliver business benefits for the Department, champion value for money and compliance for all financial and governance related activity across the Directorate.
• Operate in a culture of openness and honesty demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment and by delivering results.
• Engage in a professional manner with colleagues across government.
• The post holders will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility for this post. Both post holders will be required to cover each other as and when needed.