Senior Private Secretary, No.10 North
Description
- Job grade: Grade 7
- 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: Policy
- 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.
We are seeking an outstanding Senior Private Secretary to lead the provision of Private Office support to No.10 North’s Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff. This is a high-profile leadership role at the heart of No.10 North. You will lead the office, ensuring that their time, attention, and decisions are focused on the organisation’s most important priorities. You will act as a trusted adviser to your principal, providing advice on priorities, handling, and the effective use of their time. You will oversee the flow of business through the office, ensure that the principal receives timely and decision-ready advice, and maintain oversight of their decisions, commitments, and priorities.
You will work closely with the other Senior Private Secretary and the Head of Private Office to ensure effective coordination between the Director General and Deputy Chief of Staff and a coherent approach across the wider Private Office.
Responsibilities will include:
- Leading the Private Office support provided to either the Director General or Deputy Chief of Staff.
- Acting as a trusted adviser to the principal on priorities, handling, stakeholder relationships, and the effective use of their time.
- Maintaining a strategic overview of the principal’s portfolio and ensuring that important decisions, risks, and emerging issues are identified early.
- Overseeing the flow of business to the principal and resolving competing demands on their attention.
- Ensuring that advice is concise, evidence-based, and clear about the decision required, available options, and the implications.
- Overseeing the commissioning and quality assurance of briefing, submissions, correspondence, and meeting materials.
- Ensuring that important meetings, visits, and engagements have clear objectives, appropriate preparation, and effective follow-up.
- Tracking the principal’s decisions, commitments, and actions, holding teams to account and escalating risks or delays.
- Leading and developing the staff supporting the principal and ensuring clear allocation of portfolios and responsibilities.
- Building strong relationships across No.10 North, No.10, the wider Office of the Prime Minister, and Cabinet, HM Treasury, government departments, and external partners.
- Working closely with the other Senior Private Secretary to coordinate shared and cross-cutting business.
- Supporting the Head of Private Office to establish consistent standards and effective ways of working across the Private Office.
- Deputising for the Head of Private Office when required.
Person specification
Essential skills and experience:
- Excellent strategic judgement and the ability to understand a senior leader’s priorities and translate them into an effective programme of business.
- Significant experience of operating in a complex, fast-paced and high-profile environment.
- Experience of leading or working in a Private Office supporting a Minister, Permanent Secretary, Director General, or equivalent senior leader.
- The ability to provide clear, candid, and trusted advice to senior decision makers.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to improve and quality-assure complex advice.
- A strong record of building influential relationships and coordinating activity across organisational boundaries.
- Strong leadership and people-management skills.
- The ability to anticipate emerging issues, make connections across a broad portfolio and intervene early to address risks.
- Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, combined with resilience and calmness under pressure.
- A high level of political awareness, discretion, and integrity.
Desirable skills and experience:
- Experience of working at the centre of government or on a significant cross government priority.
- An understanding of central government policy, fiscal and decision-making processes.
- Knowledge of devolution, local government, economic growth, or place-based policy.
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
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
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.
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 to (in no more than 1000 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.
Selection process
CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the Success Profiles Framework. Candidates successful at sift will be invited to a Behaviours 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 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 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.
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.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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.
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 are not satisfied with the response 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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