Full time Correspondence Operations and Parliamentary Officers at Cabinet Office
Job Description
Job summary
The Parliamentary and Correspondence Team is a diverse and welcoming team, closely linked to Cabinet Office Ministerial Private Offices. Our role is to manage the Cabinet Office’s relationship with Parliament and the public.
Ministerial Private Offices and the Parliamentary and Correspondence Team (PCT) support Cabinet Office Ministers to deliver on their policy objectives and manifesto commitments. This involves providing timely and high quality policy advice, conveying ministerial decisions to the department, organising ministerial diaries, responding to ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions and the full suite of parliamentary business (debates, legislation, select committee business etc).
Job description
Successful candidates will be placed into one of the following roles:
Parliamentary Officer:
- Management of Select Committee correspondence to the department, working with policy teams and private offices to draft and clear cases in a timely manner.
- Coordinating work on petitions debates, working closely with policy teams and private offices to prepare Ministers with necessary briefing in good time
- Ensuring the department is updated on Parliamentary business taking place, on a daily and weekly basis; issuing our routine “Today in Parliament emails” each day and coordinating the team’s work to update and distribute our “Parliamentary Planner” each week.
- Ensuring the department is kept informed of the activity of our varying Select Committees, sharing information on Select Committee events; listening into Select Committee hearings to note follow-up actions; and tracking the commitments departmental witnesses make during evidence sessions we attend.
- Providing flexible resource and support to the workstrands across the Parliamentary team.
The Correspondence Drafter:
- Working with policy teams, other government departments and private offices to draft high quality replies to ministerial and public correspondence
- Managing the progression of casework to ensure responses are sent within the agreed Cabinet Office timeframe of 15-20 working days
- Ensuring that casework is accurately logged, processed, and tracked via our online casework management system
- Ensuring the wider Parliamentary and Correspondence team is kept informed about policy areas relevant to ongoing casework
The Operations and Digital Officer:
- Ensuring that casework is accurately logged and data is appropriately managed via our case management system
- Successfully managing the transfer of correspondence to other departments, and managing the contribution or transfer requests received by the Cabinet Office
- Supporting the maintenance of our case management system, including the training of users across the department
- Opportunities to support and potentially manage small scale digital projects for PCT
The ability to manage your time effectively is crucial in order to successfully progress casework in line with our expected timeframe in any of the roles. The Cabinet Office plays a key role in coordinating Government work across Whitehall and you will be required to build positive working relationships with a wide range of teams and Other Government Departments.
Person specification
Successful candidates should be:
- Confident writers with a keen eye for detail
- Proactive and able to manage their time effectively
- Able to deliver at pace and manage multiple cases at once
- Aware of policy developments and able to assess the likely impact on casework
- Confident in building positive working relationships with a wide range of teams and other Government departments.
Essential Skills:
- Excellent written English and communication skills, including meticulous grammar, spelling and punctuation
- Working knowledge of MS Office systems and Google Apps
Desirable Criteria
- An interest in current affairs
- Some knowledge of Parliament
Candidates will be required to provide an CV detailing job history and any skills and experience you have gained.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- 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 average employer contributions of 27%.
- 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
Selection process details
Application process
You are also asked to complete separate 250 word statements for each of the following Behaviours:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Selection process
The selection process will consist of an interview that will comprise behaviour questions as listed above, strength-based questions, and a written exercise. The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidate.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 21 August
Expected interview date/s – w/c 28 August
Interview location – Google meet
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 [email protected] 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
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 CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 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.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Cabinet Office 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
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 [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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.
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 Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected]. 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
Location :London
Closing Date :23rd August 2023
HOW TO APPLY
Click Here to Submit your CV and Application on Company Website