Executive Assistant

We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Are you an organised, dedicated, and enthusiastic self-starter who can act independently and thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment?

Are you a confident and articulate communicator with great interpersonal skills, who enjoys creating positive working relationships at all levels?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for an Executive Assistants to join the Rail Workforce Transformation (RWT) Directorate and would love to hear from you!

The RWT Directorate in the Department for Transport (DfT) is involved in reforming the workforce and staffing landscape in rail, ensuring that the industry is both operationally and financially sustainable. The aim is to create a commercially viable environment and a passenger-focused service, as well as supporting the Government’s objectives of decarbonisation and levelling up.

As an Executive Assistant, you will play a key role in providing vital support to the RWT Directors and Deputy Directors, enabling them to effectively lead a team who will deliver this reform. This is a varied and challenging role within a fast-paced, high profile, evolving environment, which will provide a range of opportunity for personal and professional development. This will include the opportunity to build a network of senior stakeholders, as well as providing insight into how the department makes strategic decisions at senior levels.

You will be a representative of the Director and Deputy Director office and will be play a part in creating a positive reputation for the office within the Rail Infrastructure Group, the DfT and with external groups.

If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Preparing for forthcoming committees and Board meetings, ensuring papers and briefing materials are received from lead officials, and attending meetings to understand the key things happening in those areas and note any actions for senior leaders.
• Organising meetings for the senior leadership team, including setting up suitable dates, room bookings, forward planning agendas, coordinating and circulating papers and taking minutes.
• Managing the inbox and diary for senior leaders, drafting replies to routine queries and ensuring that urgent/important correspondence is prioritised and brought to the attention of the Director and Deputy Director.
• Making judgement calls on what takes priority, anticipating issues and challenges, taking steps to mitigate these in advance and communicating relevant information to Directors.
• Providing support to other parts of RWT, including covering the other Assistant Private Secretaries and Personal Assistants as required.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

About you

You will be confident communicating with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, both verbally and in writing. You will be able to build trusted working relationships with a range of colleagues and external contacts of all levels.

You will be highly organised, with excellent time management, high attention to detail and the capability to plan strategically. You will demonstrate resilience and good judgement whilst remaining calm and professional in the face of conflicting and changing priorities. You will be adept at using IT systems and be able to effortlessly navigate through arranging appointments, creating room bookings etc.

You will work well independently, using your initiative when required, as well as demonstrating good teamwork and support for colleagues. You will be able to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality, recognising and dealing appropriately with potentially sensitive issues.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in London, Leeds or Birmingham, and we would also expect the individual to be willing to occasionally travel to visit alternative office locations.

A minimum of 40% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Job contact :

Name :
Rail Resourcing
Email :
railresourcing@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk