22671 - Central Secretariat Team Manager

Role: Central Secretariat Team Manager

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: National

Grade: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Salary: London: £40,014 - £42,859 National: £35,335 - £37,847

Contract Type: Permanent

Minimum Hours: 30 hours

Organisational Overview

Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society.

This transformation programme will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

The successful candidate will join the OPG Central Secretariat Team, based in Birmingham, although the role can be undertaken from any national location.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a small team working at the heart of OPG’s corporate governance arrangements. The postholder will manage the delivery of high-quality secretariat support to OPG’s senior Boards and Committees, including the OPG Board and Executive Committee, working closely with the Public Guardian, Deputy Directors, Non-Executive Directors, Committee Chairs, the Public Guardian’s Private Office and colleagues across the organisation.

The role will provide leadership and oversight of the Central Secretariat Team, ensuring meetings are effectively planned and supported, papers are of a consistently high standard, decisions and actions are clearly recorded and followed through, and governance arrangements operate effectively. The postholder will also work with Chairs and senior stakeholders to develop forward plans and ensure Board and Committee business is focused on organisational priorities.

The role provides excellent exposure to the breadth of work undertaken across OPG and an opportunity to develop strong relationships with senior leaders across the organisation. It offers a unique insight into the discussions and decisions that shape OPG’s strategic direction and support the effective delivery of services to our customers.

Duties and Responsibilities

The postholder will:

• Act as the lead secretariat and governance contact for the OPG Board, taking responsibility for the end-to-end planning and delivery of Board business and working closely with the Chair, Chief Executive, Non-Executive Directors and senior leaders to develop forward plans, agendas and meeting schedules, coordinate high-quality papers and ensure effective follow-up of decisions and actions.
• Provide dedicated and professional support to Non-Executive Directors, Board and Committee Chairs and senior leaders, building effective relationships and responding confidently to sensitive or high-profile issues.
• Oversee the commissioning, coordination and quality assurance of Board and Committee papers, constructively challenging authors where papers do not meet required standards or governance requirements.
• Ensure governance processes comply with OPG, MoJ and Cabinet Office requirements, identifying governance risks and escalating issues where necessary.
• Maintain accurate governance records and decision logs, ensuring a clear audit trail of decisions, actions and approvals.
• Produce and quality assure accurate, concise and timely minutes, decision records, Chair's briefs and other governance documentation.
• Maintain oversight of decisions and actions arising from senior governance meetings, proactively following up with action owners and escalating overdue or significant matters where appropriate.
• Maintain and coordinate forward plans and annual meeting cycles, anticipating future requirements and ensuring appropriate sequencing of business across OPG's governance structure.
• Support the maintenance and regular review of Terms of Reference, membership, governance records and other key governance documentation.
• Line manage EO grade staff, taking responsibility for individual and team performance of staff, allocating work effectively, managing team and individual performance by setting clear expectations and providing quality assurance, coaching and support.
• Promote consistent standards and ways of working across the Central Secretariat team, ensuring resilience and effective cover across Boards and Committees.
• Identify and implement opportunities to continuously improve secretariat and governance processes, drawing on good practice and feedback from Chairs, members and senior stakeholders.
• Drive the effective use of Microsoft 365 and other governance tools to improve document management, action tracking, reporting and meeting administration.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately and exercise sound judgement when dealing with senior stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Any other duties commensurate with the HEO grade, as required.

Agreed Expectations

The successful candidate will be expected to work from their base location on a weekly basis in line with current Civil Service requirements, outside of any reasonable adjustments.

This role may include some travel to MoJ / OPG sites.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Leadership and people management: Experience of leading, supporting or developing colleagues, with the ability to allocate and prioritise work, maintain high standards and build an effective team. Lead Criteria
• Quality Assurance and attention to detail: Demonstrate ability to maintain high level of accuracy and quality when managing governance documentation, meeting records and senior correspondence.
• Senior stakeholder management: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence and judgement to build effective relationships with senior leaders, Board/Committee Chairs, Non-Executive Directors and other stakeholders.
• Organisation and delivery: Excellent organisational skills, with demonstrable experience of managing competing priorities, planning and delivering high-quality work to tight and changing deadlines. Lead Criteria
• Written communication: Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to understand complex discussions and information and produce clear, concise and accurate minutes, briefings and governance records.
• Judgement and constructive challenge: The ability to assess information critically, identify gaps or issues and provide appropriate challenge to colleagues and senior stakeholders while maintaining effective working relationships.
• Digital capability: Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365, with the ability to use and champion digital tools to improve document management, action tracking, meeting administration and information governance, ensuring efficient and effective ways of working.

Desirable Skills

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates.

• Experience of working within a corporate governance, Board Secretariat or senior leadership environment.
• Experience of supporting Non-Executive Directors or equivalent senior independent stakeholders.
• Experience of improving governance, secretariat or administrative processes.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead criteria:

• Leadership and people management: Experience of leading, supporting or developing colleagues, with the ability to allocate and prioritise work, maintain high standards and build an effective team. Lead Criteria
• Organisation and delivery: Excellent organisational skills, with demonstrable experience of managing competing priorities, planning and delivering high-quality work to tight and changing deadlines. Lead Criteria

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process. Candidates will be expected to complete the following as part of the application:

• Statement of Suitability of no more than 1000 words, to demonstrate your experience against the essential skills required for this role.

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

• Strengths relevant to the role
• The following Behaviours at Level 3 (HEO):
  • Leadership
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.