Senior Private Secretary

The Office for Students; Bristol; On-site; GBP 56,209 - 58,820; Full time

Job summary

The Office for Students in Bristol is seeking a Senior Private Secretary to support the Chair and Chief Executives, coordinating fast-moving priorities, delivering high-quality briefings and ensuring decisions are acted on efficiently.

You will build relationships with colleagues across the organisation and external partners, provide rigorous information for executive governance, and lead improvements to private office operations with professionalism and sound judgment.

Qualifications

• Understanding of the work of the OfS
• Strong writing skills and the ability to provide accurate and reliable information in a timely manner
• Ability to communicate complex issues effectively through both verbal and written communication
• Ability to take the initiative and make decisions relating to the operational parts of the role
• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, showing openness, professionalism and an ability to support delivery of senior priorities through others
• Ability to prioritise work and deliver high-quality outcomes under time pressure and in the face of competing demands
• Ability to exercise judgement, discretion and professionalism appropriate to a senior support role, enabling effective decision-making and delivery through others

Responsibilities

• Coordinate complex and fast-moving priorities and ensure key decisions and actions are delivered.
• Provide high-quality briefings to senior leaders, preparing them for meetings and events.
• Support executive decision-making and help navigate complex issues and competing demands.
• Lead improvements to how the private office operates.
• Build strong relationships with colleagues across the OfS and with external stakeholders.

Skills

Strong writing

Clear communication

Initiative

Collaboration

Prioritisation

Judgement

Job description

Job Overview

Senior Private Secretary – Bristol£56,209 - £58,820 plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension.

As Senior Private Secretary, you will play a central role in supporting the Chair and Chief Executives of the Office for Students (OfS). You will coordinate complex and fast‑moving priorities, provide high‑quality briefings, and help ensure that key decisions and actions are delivered.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate complex and fast‑moving priorities and ensure that key decisions and actions are delivered.
• Provide high‑quality briefings to senior leaders, preparing them for meetings and events.
• Support executive decision‑making and help navigate complex issues and competing demands.
• Lead improvements to how the private office operates.
• Build strong relationships with colleagues across the OfS and with external stakeholders.

Qualifications

Essential criteria:

• Understanding of the work of the OfS and the context it operates in.
• Strong writing skills and the ability to provide accurate and reliable information in a timely manner.
• Ability to communicate complex issues effectively through both verbal and written communication.
• Ability to take the initiative and make decisions relating to the operational parts of the role.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, showing openness, professionalism and an ability to support delivery of senior priorities through others.
• Ability to prioritise work and deliver high‑quality outcomes under time pressure and in the face of competing demands.
• Ability to exercise judgement, discretion and professionalism appropriate to a senior support role, enabling effective decision‑making and delivery through others.

Desirable criteria:

• Understanding of the OfS’s priorities, and the ability to utilise judgement and creativity to apply these priorities to decision‑making in novel situations.

Equality and Diversity

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.