Chief of Staff X4

Location: South East London

On behalf of The Government Property Agency , we are looking for X4 Chief of Staff (Inside IR35 ) for a 6 month contract. This is a hybrid working role (up to three days per week office based - various locations available including London/Birmingham/Nottingham/Swindon/Manchester). The Government Property Agency is an Executive Agency of the cabinet office. It is changing the way the Civil Service works and is at the forefront of Government's transformation agenda;

reshaping the relationship civil servants have with their place of work. The Agency is central to the delivery of key Government policies including moving 22,000 Civil Service roles out of London by 2030 and tackling climate change by contributing to the Net Zero agenda. To do this we are delivering a major change programme across the UK and consolidating our portfolio in order to save £1.4 Bn over 10 years.

Beyond the bricks and mortar, the GPA is about providing great workplaces for our people. This is an ambitious and exciting task, for which we need innovative people, with strong commercial acumen, who are passionate about visualising and implementing customer needs.

Job Purpose:

To act as the strategic engine and trusted advisor to the Director and the guardian of the Directorate's delivery. You are responsible for ensuring the Director's priorities are driven forward, integrating business operations, advising on sensitive issues and ensuring consistent join up across the wider business ensuring digital tools are optimised across the organisation. This role requires you to provide independent advice, challenge assumptions and manage the interface between the director, their executive team and external stakeholders.

We are looking for an experienced Business Integrator who understands how a complex organisation functions and how digital tools can support these functions. You will bring broad experience in operations, strategy and finance to act as the Director's Critical Friend. This is a recruitment for multiple vacancies across our directorates - Strategy, Investment, capital projects, Workplace Services, finance and COO.

Upon appointment, successful candidates will be mapped to the role that best aligns with their individual skills, experience, and professional strengths. See the attached overview of our GPA structure and how the CEO Business Support function connects across our Directorates.

PLEASE NOTE:

SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.

As a Chief of Staff , your main responsibilities will be to:
* Act as a sounding board and independent challenger to the Director. You are expected to 'provide input and challenge' on complex issues, testing the Director's thinking before ideas are presented to ExCo or the Board.
* Provide 'high-quality, timely, and accurate advice' on sensitive issues. You must anticipate how the Director's decisions will land with Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, and the CEO, navigating conflicting views and priorities on the Director's behalf.
* Operate with the trust of the Director. You will attend meetings and make decisions in their absence, ensuring the Directorate's momentum is maintained without the Director needing to be in every room.
* Responsible for briefing the director on problems before they become crises, working with other heads of office to solve issues laterally.
* You will implement consistent and contemporary data collaboration…