Diary Manager to the Deputy Directors of Service Strategy and Transformation

EO

The Service, Strategy and Transformation Directorate is recruiting for an EO Diary Manager on a 12-month fixed-term basis with the possibility of extension and/or permanency. 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.

Please note that if you are a current Civil Servant, you will be appointed on a Loan. If you are not a current Civil Servant, you will be offered a Fixed Term Contract.

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

• 102 Petty France, London

• National

We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your chosen base location.

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

*Due to the nature of this role some part-time patterns may be unsuitable, therefore please contact us if you wish to apply on a part-time working pattern.

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)

Security Clearance

This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The vetting charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In addition, there is a minimum UK residency requirement set by the Cabinet Office which is dependent on the security level required for the role.

This role requires SC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 5 years

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

This role sits within the Service Strategy & Transformation Directorate. We are responsible for: 

• Working across the Service Transformation Group (with Justice Digital, the Legal Aid Agency, Office of the Public Guardian and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority), to understand and drive collaboration on current transformation and digital plans 

• Supporting digital development and innovation to enhance the victim experience throughout the criminal justice (CJ) process, implement recommendations from the Independent Sentencing Review and support probation workers in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) 

• Identifying, encouraging and delivering new ways of working, acting as a critical friend to delivery partners and collaborating with a wider range of stakeholders to improve experiences for those in the CJ system. 

• Identifying cross-cutting transformation opportunities across the Ministry of Justice that can drive cutting-edge digital delivery, user experience, efficiencies and delivery of policy goals 

• Baselining and supporting performance and prioritisation across the Service Transformation Group 

• Bringing together all areas of the Group to collectively create a clear and compelling narrative for delivery over the next 3-5 years.  

• Engaging across the Ministry of Justice and its agencies to gain buy-in and support for our initiatives. 

• Supporting the Director General for Service Transformation with strategic and analytical activity. 

Diary Manager - the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join a new and innovative Directorate within the MoJ and the Diary Manager role sits within the Private Office of SS&T. The post holder will be responsible for:

Diary & Time Management:  

• Managing daily and strategic diary planning for a minimum of x3 Deputy Directors of SS&T, using effective judgement to independently review, summarise and prioritise tasks and push back where necessary.  

• Ensuring efficient scheduling, and alignment with priorities, and being able to swiftly adapt to potentially last-minute changes.  

Briefing & Preparation:  

• Prepare daily diary packs , developing a high-level understanding of key business priorities to ensure principals are fully equipped for meetings. 

Correspondence & Invitations:  

• Manage incoming invitations and support planning and logistics for visits, including preparation of materials and follow-up actions. 

Advice & Decision Support:  

• Monitor inbox to support timely, informed decision-making by the Deputy Directors.

Stakeholder Engagement:  

• Build and maintain strong relationships across the Department, including senior leadership, to enable early issue identification and effective collaboration. 

• Communicating effectively with senior stakeholders on behalf of the Deputy Directors, demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills and knowledge of business area. 

Skills and Experience

Narrative Required

Essential:

• Previous experience as a Diary Manager, Personal Assistant or similar role and experience working with senior leaders and stakeholders.

• Be highly organised and able to juggle competing priorities, often to tight timescales.  

• Excellent communication and engagement skills.

• Experience of working well with others in a high-pressure environment. 

• The ability to remain calm under pressure and to ask for help when needed.  

Desirable:

• Private Office experience in an organisation of significant size and complexity.  

• A digital or transformation background.

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.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV, statement of suitability and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour (see Annex A for more information):

• Delivering at Pace

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

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

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process outlining your career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. This will not be assessed.

You will also be asked to upload a Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words stating how you meet the following essential experience criteria:

• Previous experience as a Diary Manager, Personal Assistant or similar role and experience working with senior leaders and stakeholders.

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour Delivering at Pace. 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.

You will be asked by the interview panel to provide examples of how you meet the behaviours listed below.

• Managing a Quality Service

• Communicating and Influencing

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 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 February 2026