Executive Private Secretary

Job description

Job summary

Working at the heart of Ofgem, we are looking for an experienced Executive Private Secretary to play a pivotal role in supporting our Chief Operating Officer (COO) and wider executive leadership team. This is far more than a traditional executive support position; it is a strategic role requiring exceptional judgement, influence and organisational capability. You will act as a trusted adviser and key conduit between the COO, executive leaders, internal teams and external stakeholders, ensuring priorities are aligned, decisions are informed and organisational objectives are delivered effectively. Managing a complex and fast-moving portfolio, you will oversee competing demands on senior leaders time, anticipate risks and emerging issues, coordinate high-quality briefings and submissions, and drive forward priority projects on behalf of the COO. A critical requirement of this role is proven experience supporting C-suite executives and senior leaders in a large, complex organisation, with the confidence and credibility to build trusted relationships, influence at the highest levels and represent senior leaders in meetings and engagements when required. You will need outstanding communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills, together with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion and professionalism. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, maintaining grip across multiple priorities while ensuring the smooth operation of the Private Office and enabling senior leaders to focus on the issues that matter most. If you are a highly organised, resilient and proactive professional with a track record of partnering with executive-level leaders, navigating complexity and driving organisational delivery, this role offers an exceptional opportunity to contribute to Ofgems mission of delivering a cleaner, more affordable and secure energy future for consumers across Great Britain.

Ofgem has a culture of inclusion that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our colleagues. It fuels our innovation and helps ensure we can best represent the consumers and the communities we serve. Everyone is welcome - as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Support

• Align COOs time and priorities with organisational objectives; provide advice on urgent, sensitive or complex matters and ensure decisions are informed by the right evidence, context and judgement.
• Lead or drive forward priority cross-cutting projects on behalf of the COO, working through others to secure progress and outcomes.

Administrative Excellence & Logistical Support

• Proactively manage competing priorities across the COOs portfolio, ensuring the COO is well prepared, key risks and choices are surfaced early, and time is used to maximum effect.
• Proactively manage complex diaries, coordinate meetings and ensure leaders are briefed and prepared, with all necessary papers and information provided in advance.

Stakeholder Management

• Lead day-to-day stakeholder engagement for the COO Office, using judgement to triage, resolve and escalate issues, manage competing interests, and maintain confidence in the group. Build trusted relationships across Ofgem and with external partners, ensuring senior engagement is purposeful and well-coordinated.

Information Flow & Co-ordination

• Filter, synthesise and advise on incoming information, acting as a trusted adviser and conduit between senior leadership, teams and external stakeholders.
• Lead the coordination and quality assurance of advice, briefings, submissions and papers for the COO, ensuring they are clear, accurate, timely and strategically aligned.

Relationship Building

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships across the organisation, government departments, industry stakeholders and consumer groups, using those relationships to unblock issues and support delivery.

Representation and Influence

• Represent and act on behalf of the COO or other senior leaders in meetings as required, providing reliable steers, exercising judgement on escalation, and tracking actions through to completion.
• Promote organisational priorities and resilience in sensitive or contentious situations, tracking and challenging delivery and working with senior stakeholders constructively to resolve issues.

Team Collaboration

• Work collaboratively with the private office network, supporting shared objectives, setting clear expectations and mentoring colleagues where appropriate.
• Contribute to, and where appropriate lead, continuous improvement of Private Office operations.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Effective management of senior leaders time and strategic priorities ensuring focus on the highest-value issues and decisions.
• A well-briefed COO and senior leadership team who receive clear, accurate and timely advice, information and recommendations.
• Delivery of priority coordination projects and support for organisational objectives.
• Strong, resilient and trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders, supporting delivery and effective senior engagement.

Key Skills and Capabilities

• Demonstrates strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate issues, assess risk, align competing priorities with organisational goals and exercise judgement on what requires senior attention.
• Exceptional organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to maintain grip across a complex and fast-moving portfolio.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building capabilities with confidence to influence and manage senior relationships internally and externally.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information clearly and handle sensitive matters with discretion and professionalism.
• Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, dynamic environment including the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience supporting senior leaders to manage diaries with competing priorities, making effective use of their time, and focusing on the issues that matter most to organisational priorities and strategic objectives. (Lead)
• Excellent organisational and analytical skills, with the ability to maintain grip across a complex and fast-moving portfolio, work independently, and exercise sound judgement on risk, escalation and delivery.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to engage, influence and build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• Ability to analyse and synthesise information, solve problems logically, identify risks and options and provide constructive challenge and fresh ideas.
• Experience handling confidential, sensitive or contentious matters with discretion, resilience and professionalism.
• Ability to work flexibly, manage multiple priorities and remain calm and delivery-focused under pressure

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience working in a complex, regulatory organisation.
• Knowledge of strategic planning and organisational performance frameworks.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will also be asked to prepare a presentation. Full details of the presentation will be included in the invitation to interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 49,542, OFGEM contributes 14,352 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; 30 days annual leave after 2 years; Excellent training and development opportunities; The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits; hybrid working (currently 1 day a week in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Plus lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050. This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

When you press the Apply now button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word personal statement evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the criteria listed in the role profile.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Ofgem takes any incidences of cheating very seriously. Please ensure all examples provided are of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant applications will be withdrawn from the process. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Please refer to Civil Service candidate advice on the acceptable use of artificial intelligence within the recruitment and selection process - Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by [ https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn ].

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

• Name : Lucy Dowding
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of these Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website.

Attachments Role Profile_488012 Executive Private Secretary Opens in new window (pdf, 143kB) Candidate Pack_488012 Executive Private Secretary Opens in new window (pdf, 850kB) Terms and Conditions Apr25 Opens in new window (pdf, 335kB)