Business Manager to Deputy Director (Ref: 10278)

Office of the Public Guardian; Folly Gate; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental agency in Folly Gate is looking for Business Managers to support senior leaders. The role includes managing small teams, leading internal communications, and ensuring effective operations during a transformative period. Ideal candidates will have strong organizational and leadership skills, and the role offers a competitive salary and benefits.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Learning & development opportunities

Civil Service Pension with employer contribution

Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing multiple demands and sensitive information.
• Ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Confident communicator with a creative approach.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality support to senior leaders and manage issues proactively.
• Line manage executive assistants for effective day-to-day operations.
• Lead coordination of governance and deliver key internal communications.

Skills

Organizational skills

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Job description

Overview

Two Business Manager roles to support senior leaders at the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). One role supports the Chief Operating Officer and the other supports up to two Strategy & Central Services Deputy Directors (responsible for Policy, Data, Performance, Assurance, People Services and Transformation and Change). Both roles report to their respective senior leaders and offer exposure to a wide range of projects and strategic initiatives during a transformative period for the organisation. You will join OPG at a busy but exciting time, with opportunities for creativity, professional growth and making a real impact.

As a Business Manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting senior leaders and enabling the smooth running of directorate priorities. Each role will be nuanced based on the Deputy Director(s) you are supporting, but the core responsibilities are similar.

Responsibilities

• 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 (inbox and diary management, commissioning papers and briefings).
• Develop a strong understanding of the Directorate remit and build relationships to act as a trusted advisor and sounding board to the senior leaders 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 updates and all-staff calls, ensuring messaging is engaging and aligned with organisational goals.
• Oversee directorate budgets, liaising with Finance and contributing to corporate outputs such as the Annual Report and Accounts.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships across OPG, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and the wider Civil Service.
• Promote diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, modelling a team culture of continuous improvement that supports the wider organisation.
• Additional responsibilities dependent on the directorate, which could include interpreting and communicating KPIs and performance, acting as L&D budget holder and procuring bespoke training, and monitoring central HR systems.

Recruitment & Selection

• This recruitment will follow the Civil Service Success Profile process, assessing Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.
• Candidates should provide a CV (2 pages max) and a supporting personal statement of suitability (max 750 words) addressing essential criteria. The first three criteria may be used as lead criterion if there is high volume.
• If shortlisted, you will be invited to an informal fireside chat with the Chief Operating Officer and an informal fireside chat with the Strategy & Central Services Deputy Director, followed by a formal interview conducted under the Success Profile process.

Interview Process

• Questions will cover strengths relevant to the role and the following Behaviours at Level 3: Managing a Quality Service (lead), Delivering at Pace, and Communicating and Influencing.
• All interviews will be conducted remotely via MS Teams. Feedback is provided only if you attend an interview.

Behaviours & Assessment

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• This vacancy uses the Civil Service Success Profiles framework to assess Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Other Information

• Security: Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. All roles require baseline personnel security standard checks for those working with government assets.
• Nationality requirements: The job is broadly open to UK nationals, Irish nationals, Commonwealth nationals with right to work in the UK, certain EU/EEA/Swiss nationals and family members with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), as detailed in the posting.
• Person specification: A highly competent, positive and organised person with proven experience in managing multiple demands; ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality; ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders; confident communicator; creative thinker with tech-savvy approaches; able to work without supervision and demonstrate strong leadership and management experience.
• About OPG: The Office of the Public Guardian protects people who may lack capacity to make certain decisions; we register lasting and enduring powers of attorney and supervise deputies. We are an executive agency of the MoJ with a commitment to inclusion and transformation.

Salary & Benefits

Salary: £35,335 - £42,859 (national: £35,335 - £37,847; London: £40,014 - £42,859). Salary depends on base location. Civil Service Pension with employer contribution of 28.97% plus the possibility of additional employer contributions. Benefits include learning & development opportunities, flexible working options, inclusive culture, annual leave, public holidays, season ticket loan, and more. For more information, please refer to the candidate information page.