Role: Business Manager to Deputy Director

Business: Office of Public Guardian (OPG)

Location: National (requiring regular travel to OPG Birmingham and Nottingham offices)

Grade: HEO

Salary: £35,335-£37,847 National. £40,014-£42,859 London

Contract Type:

Minimum Hours: Full time

Organisational Overview

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) protects people in England and Wales who may not have the mental capacity to make certain decisions for themselves, such as about their health and finance. We are an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), set up in 2007 following the introduction of the Mental Capacity Act of 2005.

OPG is responsible for registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) and enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and supervising deputies who are appointed by the Court of Protection.

OPG is a fantastic place to work offering a range of development opportunities. The OPG is a disability confident employer and is committed to developing a supportive and inclusive environment that reflects the diverse community we serve.

OPG is currently delivering an ambitious transformation programme. This will change the way we provide services and help us meet the growing needs of our users, partners and our stakeholders. It will make sure our users experience a better level of support and will help us to respond to the changing needs of society. Transformation will ensure we can better support adults at risk and create high-quality services that are accessible and affordable.

Team Overview

We are recruiting for up to two Business Manager roles within OPG.

One role will support the Chief Operating Officer, who is responsible for the directorate who receive, register and amend LPAs, safeguard people with LPAs investigating any concerns of abuse  and monitor people holding deputyships, including investigating any concerns about their decisions. This role reports to the Operations Capability Lead.

The other role will support up to two Strategy & Central Services Deputy Directors, who are responsible for Policy, Data, Performance, Assurance, People Services and Transformation and Change. This role reports to the Public Guardian’s Private Secretary.

Both roles offer a unique opportunity to work at the heart of the OPG, supporting senior leaders in driving forward our organisational priorities. These are stretching and high-profile positions where you’ll gain exposure to a wide range of projects and strategic initiatives. Whether supporting the Chief Operating or up to two Strategy & Central Services Deputy Directors, you’ll be joining OPG at a busy but exciting time as we focus on transformation and innovation. These roles offer scope for creativity, professional growth, and making a real impact.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a Business Manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting senior leaders and enabling the smooth running of directorate priorities. Each Business Manager role will be nuanced based on the Deputy Director(s) you are supporting but the core responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Provide a high-quality service for the Chief Operating Officer or Strategy & Central Services Deputy Director(s) by personally delivering key priorities and proactively resolving issues on their behalf.

• Line manage a small team of Executive Assistants and ensure effective day to day support required by the Chief Operating Officer or Strategy & Central Services Deputy Director(s) is managed within the team - e.g. inbox and diary management and commissioning papers and briefings.

• Develop a strong understanding of the Directorate remit and develop strong working relationships to act as a trusted advisor and sounding board to the Chief Operating Officer or Strategy & Central Services Deputy Director(s) and their leadership teams.

• Lead and coordinate directorate-level governance, ensuring smooth delivery of OPG core meetings and monitoring progress of actions.

• Lead internal directorate communications, including content development for blogs, staff update emails and all-staff calls, ensuring messaging is engaging and aligned with organisational goals.

• Oversee directorate budgets, liaising with Finance colleagues and contributing to key corporate outputs such as the Annual Report and Accounts.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships across OPG, MoJ, and wider Civil Service.

• Promote diversity, inclusion, and equality of opportunity in all aspects of your work and be a visible leader and role model by developing a team culture and environment of continuous improvement that supports the wider organisation to deliver.

• Additional responsibilities dependent on specific directorate, could include interpreting and communicating KPI’s and performance, acting as L&D budget holder and procuring bespoke training, and monitoring central HR systems.

Skills & Qualifications

Essential Criteria

• A highly competent, positive and organised person with proven experience in managing multiple demands.

• Ability to work with sensitive information and always ensuring confidentiality.

• Able to build relationships with multiple stakeholders at senior level with tact and diplomacy, capable of using initiative, working to a high standard and able to work as part of a team.

• A confident communicator, with confidence, energy, and enthusiasm with people at all levels across OPG and MoJ.

• An ability to think creatively and effectively use various technology tools and software to develop better ways of doing things.

• Ability to work without supervision and committed to give a high-quality performance in all aspects of the job.

Excellent leadership and management experience

Application process

This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process and will assess your Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.

Candidates will be expected to provide a CV (2 pages of A4 maximum) plus a supporting personal statement of suitability of no more than 750 words explaining how you demonstrate your experience against the essential criteria required for this role. The first 3 criteria’s will be used as lead criterion if there is a large volume of applications.

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an informal and unassessed fireside chat with the Chief Operating Officer and an informal and unassessed fireside chat with the Strategy & Central Services Deputy Director. You will also be invited to interview which will follow the Success Profile process.

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will follow the Success Profile process.

Interview Process

If you are successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview which will use the Civil Service Success Profiles. At interview, candidates should expect questions on:

• Strengths relevant to the role

• The following Behaviours at Level 3:

  • Managing a Quality Service (lead)

  • Delivering at Pace

  • Communicating and Influencing

  • Working Together

All interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

At OPG we consider all applications on the basis of merit and want you to feel able to demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any reasonable adjustments for any aspect of the selection process, do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. If you are applying for a role within OPG and would like to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the selection process.

For further information on benefits of working for OPG, such as our Flexible Working Policy and a FAQ, please check the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, we may offer you an alternative role at the same or lower grade should one be available.