Assistant Private Secretary, No.10 North
Description
- Job grade: Higher Executive Officer
- Contract type: Permanent, Fixed term, Loan, Secondment
- Length of employment: 2 years - If Fixed Term, Loan or Secondment
- Business area: No.10 North
- Type of role: Administration / Corporate Support, Secretarial
- Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
- Number of jobs available: 1
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Prime Minister’s Office enables the Prime Minister to deliver the Government’s overall priorities and to communicate the Government’s policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences. From the Policy Unit, Press Office, Switchboard and Custodians to the Events & Visits team and the Private Office support; the diverse No.10 team draws on varied expertise from across the Civil Service and beyond. The teams come together to deliver excellent service to the Prime Minister while also making No.10 a great place to work.
No.10 North is focused on delivering good growth in every postcode and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. No.10 North is the Prime Minister’s centre for devolution, place and local growth. Based in Manchester and working across the United Kingdom, it connects places directly to the centre of government. It brings together local leaders, HM Treasury and other government departments to resolve problems that no single organisation can solve alone.
Job description
The Strategy and PMO team provides the leadership, governance and coordination backbone of No.10 North. The team supports senior leaders, drives strategic planning, oversees programme delivery and ensures the organisation remains focused on its priorities. Working across governance, performance, business management, people and private office functions, the team coordinates activity across No.10 North and the wider Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, helping to turn ambitious priorities into effective delivery.
This is a high-profile, demanding role at the heart of government. The Assistant Private Secretary role will ensure the Director General is well briefed, effectively prepared and focused on their highest priorities. You will act as a key link between the private offices in No. 10 North and 10 Downing Street. You will build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, resolve issues quickly and ensure the smooth running of meetings, visits and engagements. The role requires excellent judgement, organisation and communication skills, as well as the ability to handle sensitive information, balance competing priorities and operate confidently in a fast-moving environment.
Role responsibilities will include:
- Managing the flow of business to the DG, ensuring they are sighted on the most important issues and decisions.
- Tracking actions, deadlines, and risks, following up with teams to keep work moving and get issues resolved quickly.
- Filtering and prioritising competing demands, making judgement calls about what needs senior attention and what can be handled elsewhere.
- Commissioning, coordinating and quality assuring briefing, submissions, and papers so advice is timely, concise and decision focused.
- Drafting correspondence, speaking points and internal communications where needed.
- Building strong relationships across No.10, private offices, and cross-government to coordinate activity and unblock issues.
- Working closely with diary managers and counterparts to ensure meetings, visits and events support strategic priorities.
- Making sure the DG is properly prepared for all commitments, with briefing, travel and preparation time built in.
- Supporting the smooth running of the private office, including workflows, business processes, meetings, visits, and events.
Person specification
Essential skills and experience:
- Supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced environment.
- Managing competing priorities and delivering to tight deadlines.
- Building effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Producing high-quality written briefing and correspondence.
- Demonstrating sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive information.
Desirable skills and experience:
- Understanding of local government and/or central government.
- Experience coordinating visits, events, and senior stakeholder engagement.
- Line management or team leadership experience.
- Knowledge of how devolved and local government works.
- Experience supporting business management activity.
Additional information
Office for the Prime Minister policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
Application process
A candidate information session will be held on Thursday 5th November 2026, 11:30 - 12:00, on MS Teams. You can join the session through this link: Candidate Information Session: Strategy and PMO , Join meeting in Teams , Microsoft Teams.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, a statement of suitability and a behavioural statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please provide a CV of no more than 800 words setting out your career history, qualifications and experience, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert. You must ensure you do not go over 800 words. Any information included beyond 800 words will be disregarded and not assessed.
Please use your statement of suitability (in no more than 750 words) to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.
Please provide a 250-word statement explaining how you demonstrate the following behaviour: Delivering at Pace.
Information is available on the application process (including what Civil Service Success Profiles is) and how to write your personal statement.
Selection process
CV, Personal Statement and a Behaviour will be assessed against the Success Profiles Framework. Candidates successful at sift will be invited to a Behaviour based panel interview.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Delivering at Pace. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Reasonable adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via menurecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Further information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Office for the Prime Minister from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Near-miss opportunities may also be offered. This means candidates may be offered a similar role at a lower grade at the end of the campaign.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : No.10 Recruitment Team
- Email : No10Recruitment@no10.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : menurecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service at: menurecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk.
For further information on the Recruitment Principles, and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.
Attachments
| Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB) |
| Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB) |
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