About the job
Job summary
As a Deputy Director Chief of Staff, you will be managing a 20-30 person, multi-office network supporting a number of senior officials.
The team is one of the most dynamic teams in DCMS involved in all aspects of departmental business, supporting the Departments senior leadership team with a high quality service.
Working as part of the wider PO team, Officials Private Office is a close-knit, friendly team working across the whole breadth of the departments work. Working closely with DCMS senior leaders, ministerial private offices and policy officials, you will be part of a fast paced team, where you will need to engage regularly with the most senior parts of the department and have a good strategic eye.
This is a unique opportunity to influence decisions at the highest levels of government while helping ensuring DCMS is operating at its best.
Job description
The Chief of Staff provides strategic leadership and oversight of the Permanent Secretary’s Office and the network of Director General (DG) Private Offices (PO) across the newly expanded department.
The Chief of Staff acts as the Permanent Secretary’s principal adviser on corporate and cross-cutting issues, ensuring that strategic priorities are translated into effective action across the organisation. They provide leadership to the collective officials’ PO function, strengthen alignment between senior offices, and ensure effective coordination with Ministerial POs.
The role is accountable for:
- Supporting the Permanent Secretary in the effective running of the department.
- Acting as a senior troubleshooter on complex, sensitive and cross-cutting issues.
- Leading and managing the Permanent Secretary’s PO and DG PO network.
- Building coherence across senior leadership structures and ways of working.
- Leading a review of support arrangements for the Permanent Secretary and DGs to ensure they remain fit for purpose within an expanded department.
- Strengthening links between officials’ POs, Ministerial POs and central corporate functions.
- Supporting crisis management and major incident responses affecting departmental leadership.
The post-holder contributes directly to the effectiveness of departmental leadership, governance, organisational performance and delivery.
Person specification
The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates:
- Seeing the Big Picture: outstanding strategic judgment; anticipating emerging risks and opportunities across the wider operating environment, and translating overarching priorities into coherent action across complex governance structures.
- Making Effective Decisions: leading on complex, cross-cutting issues; synthesising ambiguous evidence, balancing competing priorities, and driving sound, timely decisions in a high-tempo environment.
- Leadership: visible, inclusive leadership through periods of change and ambiguity; empowering teams to deliver at pace while sustaining high standards, resilience, and wellbeing.
- Working Together: building influential relationships across executive offices and governance boards; resolving competing agendas and fostering collaboration to secure collective ownership of corporate priorities.
- Changing and Improving: championing continuous improvement and innovation; using operational and corporate insight to shape sustainable solutions that improve outcomes across the department.
Desirable Skills
- Familiarity with some of DCMSs policies and delivery agenda.
- Experience of working with, and delivering on behalf of, senior stakeholders, such as ministers or senior executives.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .
DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. Were 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
- 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 30 days after 5 years service
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- 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.
