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About the job
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Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Parliamentary Team is part of the Ministerial and Parliamentary Support Team (MPST), which provides organisational and professional support to DCMS ministers.
MPST sits within the Corporate Strategy Directorate, which provides strategic oversight of the department, including governance, coordinating legislative priorities, and preparing for fiscal events such as the Budget and Spending Reviews.
The Parliamentary Team works closely with ministers and their private offices, special advisers and the wider department to manage the department’s relationship with Parliament.
The Parliamentary Team is a fast-paced and friendly team and offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into all areas of the department’s work and build expertise across a wide range of interesting areas. This includes developing a detailed understanding of how Parliament works and interacts with government – a valuable skill in all civil service roles.
Job description
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is looking for an Assistant Parliamentary Clerk to join its Parliamentary Team.
The Parliamentary Team manages the department’s parliamentary business including written and oral questions, select committee liaison, statements and commissioning briefing materials for debates and other parliamentary proceedings. It is a high performing team which provides first-class parliamentary support and procedural advice to the department and ministers.
The team also provides parliamentary advice on legislation, working with the Legislative Strategy Team to help manage the department’s relationship with the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee and support the delivery of legislation.
You will play a key role in helping ensure the department’s secondary legislation programme is delivered smoothly and other commitments to Parliament such as laying and depositing documents are met.
You may also support the answering of Written Parliamentary Questions and provide support on mailbox management, and parliamentary research and administration.
This is an important role that involves working closely with ministerial private offices, other government departments, and parliamentary stakeholders. Regular access to the parliamentary estate will be required to deliver papers and documents.
The role requires being able to work under pressure, to a high standard and with excellent attention to detail. You will need to be able to work in a fast-paced environment, be confident communicating with a variety of colleagues and senior stakeholders, and have a proven ability to build relationships.
We are also interested in identifying suitable candidates for future vacancies within the wider Ministerial and Parliamentary Support Team. Therefore, if we identify suitable candidates, you may be offered a similar position within the teams that make up MPST, or be considered on a reserve list for future vacancies.
Person specification
The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:
Essential requirements:
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; and strong IT skills
- Excellent organisation, prioritisation, time management and relationship building skills
- Ability to remain calm under pressure, managing competing priorities, and working at pace to deliver high quality outputs
- Strong judgement to manage issues independently and understand when to escalate and how
- Knowledge of how government and Parliament works
Desirable skills:
- Keen interest in and knowledge of the work of DCMS
- Knowledge of Google software and products
We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Harriet Davidson, and will take place on:
Tuesday 9 April 2024 at 15:00
The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
Please register your interest by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation.
Please note that the session will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:
- Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
- 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
- 3 days of paid volunteering leave
- Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
- Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
- Occupational sick pay
- Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
- Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
- Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work
- Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!
Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than 23.55 pm on Thursday 11 April 2024 via the CS Jobs portal:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 3 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
- A Statement of Suitability (max 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.
For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.
For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the ‘Application and Interview Guidance’ document attached to the job advert.
The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths. The behaviours to be tested at interview are:
- Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview.
Your interview will take place remotely via GoogleMeets
For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.
Further Information
If the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only., Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport 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
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Information for Applicants’ document.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process.
In order to request an adjustment, please:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on 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 a verbal test rather than a written one.
Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.
Feedback
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 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
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 feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact (recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk) in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/
