Personal Assistant to Director - Policy Directorate

HM Revenue & Customs; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 26,527 - 32,422; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday (rising to 30 with service)

Pension contributions from Civil Service

Family-friendly policies

Personal support and coaching

Job summary

A government agency in Newcastle upon Tyne is seeking a Personal Assistant to the Director. The role involves managing diaries, organizing meetings, and providing administrative support to ensure effective leadership. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills and be able to communicate effectively with various stakeholders. The position offers a salary of £29,475 and flexible working policies.

Qualifications

• Experience in diary management and administrative tasks.
• Ability to understand and prioritize the Director's needs.
• Proficiency in managing correspondence and budgets.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Director's diary and organize meetings.
• Handle inbox management and prepare papers for meetings.
• Provide day-to-day business support for IPD.

Skills

Strong organisational skills

Effective communication

Ability to plan and coordinate

Job description

Overview

Personal Assistant to Director - Policy Directorate. In this role, you will support the Director of IPD as part of their private office, managing time and providing administrative support to enable effective leadership and decision making.

About Us

Individuals Policy Directorate (IPD) brings together policy and technical aspects of taxes and benefits that affect individual customers. We are responsible for policy integrity, working with HM Treasury, delivering new policy, and overseeing processes including pensions, charities, and savings. Around 400 people work in IPD.

For more information, please visit the Customer Strategy & Tax Design Careers website.

https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/hmrc-customer-strategy-tax-design/

Job Description

You will support the Director of IPD with private office duties, diary management, and administrative tasks to ensure effective leadership. You will gain insight into the decision-making process and policy issues affecting HMRC and government departments across Whitehall.

The Private Office is a small, flexible team that works in a high-profile, fast-paced environment with ambiguity and complexity. You will be trusted to shape your role to provide needed support.

The Private Office coordinates the Director’s time, ensures resources are used effectively, and supports senior officials in HMRC and HM Treasury as well as private offices.

Person Specification

• Diary management for the Director – organise meetings with senior colleagues, identify deputies, proactive forward planning, and ensure priorities are met.
• Inbox management – triage correspondence, ensure papers are ready for meetings.
• Some routine HR tasks, travel arrangements, and expenses for the Director.
• Day-to-day IPD business support, record keeping and budget management.
• Other ad hoc support tasks as required, including covering for the Assistant Private Secretary.
• Strong organisational skills and sound judgement with ability to understand the Director’s priorities.
• Ability to plan, coordinate and prioritise the Director’s and your own time; work flexibly in a changing environment.
• Effective communication with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders.

Transitional Sites

Locations may change; see site information for future building relocations.

• Waterview Park, Washington – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
• Benton Park View, Newcastle – moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle

Behaviours

We will assess the following behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Salary: £29,475 with a Civil Service Pension contribution of £8,538. The Civil Service Pension provides defined benefit schemes. HMRC offers Flexible and Hybrid working policies.

• 25 days holiday (rising to 30 with service)
• Pension contributions (Alpha scheme)
• Family-friendly policies
• Personal support
• Coaching and development

More information about HMRC benefits is available on the Civil Service pages.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, provide:

• A name-blind CV focusing on relevant experience
• A 500-word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the Essential Criteria with examples and outcomes

Further details are on the application form. Be sure to avoid plagiarism; AI use is allowed as a tool but all content must be truthful and from your own experience. See candidate guidance for more details.

Eligibility and Sift/Interview

This vacancy uses Success Profiles (Behaviours, Strengths, Experience). A sift may be conducted on the Personal Statement, and at full sift both CV and Personal Statement are assessed. Interviews will be conducted via video link; dates to be confirmed.

Notes

Please check eligibility information before submitting your application. If you make an eligibility mistake, contact [e-mail] with the vacancy reference and closing date.

Job location postings and dates shown are for awareness and may not reflect final assignment.