Business Administrator Apprentice (Personal Assistant)

This is a fantastic opportunity to develop an administrative career in government, working at the heart of Government, whilst also providing you with the opportunity to work alongside senior leaders. If you are organised, efficient and people focused, then we would love to hear from you!

About the Team

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Group Management Support (GMS) Team to provide personal assistance and corporate support. The role is wide-ranging and fast-paced at the heart of the Group. The GMS is made up of 2 experienced PA's, a Private Secretary and a Business Manager based across the Darlington and London offices. Their aim is to provide a professional PA and Business Support service to keep the work of the Group running smoothly, enable it to deliver its objectives, and operate in line with the Treasury's policies and procedures. This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate and will be a great introduction to a career in the Civil Service. We offer tailored training to PAs, dedicated networks for professions and interests and offer other development opportunities.

About the Job

Key Accountabilities for this role include:

• Diary management - proactively plan and manage the diary using your professional judgement to line up meetings in a well-organised way. Resolve conflicts, negotiate and allocate time to Deputy Directors (DDs) priorities.
• Support DDs priorities - you will support by anticipating problems, risks, issues and corporate tasks that they will have to deal with and proactively make suggestions about the best way to take them forward.
• Coordinating Logistics - ensure the DDs are clear on their schedules for the day and prepare diary and meeting folders in preferred format. Coordinate all logistics of virtual and in-person, internal and external meetings including organising international travel, hotels, taxis, visas, rooms, conference phone lines etc.
• Correspondence management - Manage and coordinate official correspondence including Ministerial responses, Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, and Treat Official communications, ensuring timely and accurate handling in line with departmental standards.
• Team support - Provide cover for the other PAs in the Group Management Services Team (GMS) during absences by monitoring the inboxes and diaries of the Deputy Directors they support when needed.
• Building Relationships - take the initiative to develop and lead relationships with key external and internal partners and colleagues to effectively do the job.
• Admin/Secretariat Support

The successful applicant will undertake a Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship with Paragon as part of this role, and therefore you will need to be eligible for this to be considered for the post. Full details for the apprenticeship standard can be found in the link. You will need to meet the eligibility requirements for apprenticeship funding, more information is available here , and pass an assessment of prior learning from the apprenticeship provider to ensure funding is being used to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

As part of this, you will be required to evidence the below existing qualifications:

• Equivalent of Level 2 Maths and English (GCSE Grade C/4 or above).

About You

The successful candidate will:

• Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work with colleagues at all levels be able to express information and ideas clearly.
• Work independently and manage a busy workload to deliver changing deadlines and priorities.

Some of the Benefits our people love!

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King's birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees to take up to an additional 2 days off each month
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
• Generous parental and adoption leave packages
• Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions of 28.97%
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity

For more information about the role and how to apply, please follow the apply link.

If you need any reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process, please tell us about this in your online application form, or speak to the recruitment team at