21887 - Head of the Ministerial Priorities and Delivery Unit

Full Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working

Vacancy Approach

External

Location

London

Region

London

Closing Date

27-Sep-2026

Post Type

Permanent

SCS 1

Number of jobs available

1

Reserve List

12 Months

Job ID

21887

Descriptions & requirements

The Role

This role is one of the most senior in Private Office, offering a unique opportunity to work at the centre of ministerial decision-making and support one of government’s biggest and most complex departments.

Key Responsibilities

• Set priorities: leading a 12-month cycle of priority and delegation letters to Junior Ministers. These set out priorities for the Department and policy delegations for Junior Ministers.
• Track delivery: lead across the Department on a quarterly stocktake of the priorities set out in letters. This provides an update on progress and an early warning system for anything that is off track.
• Enhance delivery: overseeing a Delivery Unit function that works directly with policy and operational teams on a small number of priority projects, where delivery is off track.
• Forward Plan: responsibility for a six-month forward look, which brings together all the known events and moments - legislative, parliamentary, policy, operational, statistical releases, internal and external publications. This is designed to reveal crunch points, potential risks and opportunities to articulate key messages.
• Articulate key messages: leading through others to ensure high-quality written briefing for parliamentary-appearances, reflecting key messages and priorities. The postholder will also oversee Ministerial correspondence, as part of this.

Additional Responsibilities

Leadership: this role provides leadership to two Grade 6s, two Grade 7s and the wider Ministerial Correspondence Support Team.

• A track record of leadership in high profile roles.
• A clear understanding of both political and departmental priorities.
• Confidence in engaging with senior officials, Ministers and external stakeholders.
• A track record of success in service delivery.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• The ability to thrive and lead in a fast-paced environment.
• Prior exposure to ministerial or senior official support roles
• Understanding of parliamentary processes
• Understanding of ministerial correspondence

Job Description Attachment

Head of the Ministerial Priorities and Delivery Unit _ (003).docx(Job Description Attachment)

We will assess your experience for this role via the following methods

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Statement of Suitability

Guidance for the Statement of Suitability

Please set out clear evidence of how you meet the essential and desirable experience below:

Essential Experience

• A track record of leadership in high profile roles.
• A clear understanding of both political and departmental priorities.
• Confidence in engaging with senior officials and external stakeholders.
• A track record of success in service delivery.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• The ability to thrive and lead in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Experience

• Prior exposure to ministerial or senior official support roles
• Understanding of parliamentary processes
• Understanding of ministerial correspondence

Evidence of Experience

CV or Work History, Statement of Suitability

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

Other Assessments

Which assessment methods will be used?

Level of security checks required

Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.