Executive Officers in Private Office and Parliament Directorate

Executive Officer (EO)

Private Office and Parliament Directorate

Want to see how government really works? Join a team at the heart of ministerial decision-making, where every day brings new challenges, direct exposure to Ministers, and the chance to develop skills that will serve you throughout your career. We'll support you with active development opportunities and the chance to work flexibly in a team that values your contribution.

The Ministry of Justice Private Office and Parliament Directorate are looking to fill vacancies at Executive Officer (EO) grade. This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs.

Location:

Successful candidates will be based at 102 Petty France, London

Postholders would be expected to attend their location (102 Petty France) at least 3 to 4 times a week, depending on the post. This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their location more frequently.

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

Full-time, part-time or the option to job share
Flexible working patterns

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:

promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or
pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

About the role

These roles are based in the Private Office and Parliament Directorate. The roles available range from diary managers to Ministers, to roles in our Parliament team. We also have roles available providing support functions to the group. While the roles on offer differ, they are all right at the heart of the department, and the group is the interface between senior officials, Ministers, and Whitehall. No one day is the same - you could be writing the reply to an urgent question in Parliament, or scheduling meetings for a Minister.

The work is fast-paced and requires the ability to adapt to new information, constantly reprioritise and work closely with senior stakeholders and Ministers. They are best suited to a self-starter who relishes a challenge and working closely within a team.

Successful applicants will be matched to an EO role in the directorate depending on the outcome of their interview. If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

About The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Skills and Experience

We are looking for candidates with strong communication skills and who are confident delivering at pace and managing a quality service. Excellent organisational, prioritisation and relationship building skills are essential. You will need to demonstrate personal resilience, sound judgement and political awareness.

Essential:

You’re enthusiastic, confident and have a passion for providing excellent service delivery within a fast-paced environment.
Possess excellent organisational skills and be detail oriented.
Strong oral and written communication skills and excellent interpersonal and team working skills.
You’re a proactive individual with a high degree of organisational ability, attention to detail and manages time effectively.
A “can-do" attitude and team player who can drive forward multiple priorities simultaneously. 
You work well with others and can build meaningful relationships with stakeholders.

Desirable:

Previous experience working in a private office environment is desirable but not essential.
Previous experience of acting as a PA/taking on Diary manager duties is desirable but not essential.

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words stating what you would bring to the role, with reference to the Skills and Experience listed above.

Behaviours

Please provide examples of how you have met each one of the behaviours listed below (see Annex A for more information):

Communicating and influencing - 250-word limit

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 2 - EO or equivalent):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely.

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You will be assessed on the following behaviours:

Communicating & Influencing
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details: Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Interviews are expected to take place December 2025.

Contact information

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team, via: Amelia Prusinski amelia.prusinski@justice.gov.uk.

Annex A - The STAR method

Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.

Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.

Where are you?
Who was there with you?
What had happened?

Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.

What was the task that you had to complete and why?
What did you have to achieve?

Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.

What results did the actions produce?
What did you achieve through your actions, and did you meet your goals?
Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.