46140 - Admin Support Officer to the Deputy Chief Inspector

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

About The Role 

The role of admin support officer is principally to provide support to the Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons (DCI). The postholder will act as first point of contact for the Deputy Chief Inspector and provide administrative assistance to them throughout all aspects of their work. This will involve managing the Deputy Chief Inspector’s diary, including liaising with internal MoJ, partner organisations and external stakeholders. The role will also involve acting as secretary to a programme of meetings and committees. 

The post sits within the Secretariat at HM Inspectorate of Prisons which provides support to the entire organisation to ensure that HMI Prisons delivers its role. The post holder will provide administrative assistance within the Secretariat such as booking hotels and travel for Inspection teams and managing the Inspectorate’s public inbox. 

Responsibilities

• Manage Deputy Chief Inspector’s diary, including internal MOJ, other Government Departments and external stakeholders. Act as first point of contact for the Deputy Chief Inspector and proactively resolve diary conflicts. Organise a range of internal and external meetings, on behalf of the Deputy Chief Inspector and other senior leaders in the organisation. This will include assisting with preparing agendas, distributing meeting papers and following up action points as required.
• Manage HM Inspectorate of Prisons Inspection Programme and Allocations documents. This involves handling and storing appropriately Official Sensitive documents, crucial to the delivery of HMI Prisons’ core functions. The post holder is required to continuously update the documents to reflect the allocation of seven inspection teams across HMI Prisons’ Programme of Inspections. This also requires assisting the Deputy Chief Inspector in resolving allocation conflicts or requirements, identifying resource and communicating these changes to both internal colleagues and external partner organisations and stakeholders as required.
• Copy typing and minute taking – type letters, bilateral notes and email messages on behalf of the Deputy Chief Inspector and manage the DCI’s filing system. The post holder is required to attend a range of internal and external meetings and produce an accurate minute. They will have the ability to summarise complex and sensitive information at a fast pace and to a high standard. Excellent writing skills are essential to this post. They should also be able to draft correspondence on behalf of the Deputy Chief Inspector, and other members of the senior leadership team, in the style of the organisation.
• Arrange Deputy Chief Inspector’s travel and for Inspection Teams – including car hire, hotels, flights. Ensure that the Deputy Chief Inspector’s travel requirements are identified, prepared in advance and amended accordingly. Obtain the requirements of Inspection and Research teams and identify appropriate accommodation according to needs of the team and budget considerations. Book and file the accommodation, amending up to the date of inspection, as required.
• Act as secretary to the monthly Delivery Board meeting and provide secretariat support to chair and board members. The postholder will need to work alongside the Head of Secretariat and Deputy Chief Inspector to ensure the priorities of the Board are identified. As secretary to the Delivery Board the postholder is required to set appropriate agendas, collate and distribute meeting papers, maintain action plans and follow up requirements, produce a detailed minute of the meeting and communicate actions within the organisation.
• Act as secretary to both the Equality and Diversity committee and Fire, Health and Safety committee. Understand the objectives of both committees and ensure that priorities are reflected in the Action Plans. Provide administrative support to the Chair at each committee, organising papers, liaising with attendees and taking and distributing minutes of meetings.
• Produce the announced inspection programme and distribute to stakeholders quarterly, including creating IRP letters and sending inspection announcements. Liaise with Team Leaders to organise the preparation of IRP letters ready for review.
   
• Be part of a rota system, on the HMI Prisons’ General Enquiries phone line, working in collaboration with colleagues within the Secretariat. This involves receiving information, responding to enquiries and resolving queries from prisoners, family members of prisoners and other members of the public. The post holder is required to act as an ambassador for the Inspectorate whilst working independently. This also involves following up all Safeguarding Concerns, making referrals to appropriate departments and agencies and communicating updates according to the Inspectorate’s Safeguarding Protocol. A strong knowledge of HMI Prisons’ role and remit is essential for communicating effectively with stakeholders in this role. The post holder is also required to manage the General Enquiries inbox. This involves distributing correspondence appropriately and responding direct to emails where it is possible to do so without reference.
• Cover for Chief Inspector’s personal assistant post, and provide regular assistance, as required.
• Organise quarterly all-staff Development Days. This involves booking an appropriate venue, preparing and distributing the agenda, communicating with external speakers and booking accommodation and travel as required. 

In addition, when required you could be required to assist with the following: 

• Take Minutes in key meetings
• Assist secretariat with development days
• Provide support to the secretariat as required, with hotel, travel and meeting bookings 

Knowledge, Experience and Skills 

Essential: 

You will have: 

• Excellent organisational/prioritisation skills and the ability to work to and manage conflicting deadlines 

• Excellent minute taking skills and experience of providing administration of meetings. 

• Effective team working and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues within and outside the 

• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, and deal with difficult situations whilst remaining 

• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint 

• Energy and enthusiasm, and the capacity to adapt to new situations and work flexibly 

Desirable: 

• Previous experience of diary management 

Success Profiles 

You will be tested against the Success Profiles used across the Civil Service at application and/or at interview stage. 

Essential behaviours: 

Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive. 

Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others. 

Seeing the Bigger Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest. 

Essential strengths: 

Adaptable - You can adapt to variations in work or environment and your effectiveness isn’t impacted by change. You are flexible and versatile and act as an advocate for change. 

Precise - You are detail-focussed, you ensure everything is accurate and error free. 

Explainer - You communicate thoughts and ideas, verbally or in writing. You simplify complexities and adapt communication so others can understand. 

Problem Solver - You take a positive approach to tackling problems and find ways to identify suitable solutions.