Assistant Private Secretary

Join to apply for the Assistant Private Secretary role at Government Digital Service

Join to apply for the Assistant Private Secretary role at Government Digital Service

This range is provided by Government Digital Service. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

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This role is available in our London location.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

GDS leads the Government Digital and Data function and champions the work of digital teams across government. We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading , and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity.

We are part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in London, Manchester, and Bristol.

GDS is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to making change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll help solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, enabling millions of people to access the services they need.

Within GDS, you will join the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), a directorate comprising 85 staff and aiming to grow to 140 staff by the end of financial year 2025/26. The directorate is led by David Knott and four Deputy Directors. The directorate has recently overseen a number of key departmental priorities, ranging from delivering the State of Digital Government Review, to the AI Playbook, to strengthening how Government does digital procurement, and protecting public sector website domains, amongst other priorities.

We are recruiting for two Assistant Private Secretaries, each of whom will support 2-3 Senior Civil Servants. Both roles will be line-managed by the current G7 Head of Office. Through being part of a close-knit team, you will also gain exposure to the wider work of the directorate, including work streams you may be particularly interested in.

The Assistant Private Secretary role is a challenging one with a high level of exposure and responsibility. You will provide proactive, timely and accurate support to both of your Senior Civil Servants by:

• supporting the Head of Office in integrating the directorate within wider GDS, including building links with wider Private Offices
• building and maintaining strong, proactive, and supportive relationships with teams
• working with the directorate’s leadership team to understand and progress priorities, both directly and through others
• commissioning, researching, and providing high quality briefing and advice
• accompanying your Senior Civil Servants to meetings, visits, and following up on actions where required
• identifying and brokering solutions to issues raised with your Senior Civil Servants, pre-empting where possible
• developing the directorate’s culture through organising all-staff events, ensuring alignment with GDS and DSIT communications, and driving wider engagement initiatives
• proactively managing the inboxes and diaries of both Senior Civil Servants
• supporting the Policy & Governance team by assisting with Parliamentary Questions, FOI responses, papers for key forums, and other similar requests
• providing secretarial and administrative support, including arranging travel, logistics, and other ad hoc duties.

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