Assistant Private Secretary, No.10 North

The Prime Ministers Office enables the Prime Minister to deliver the Governments overall priorities and to communicate the Governments policies to Parliament, the public and international audiences. From the Policy Unit, Press Office, Switchboard and Custodians to the Events & Visits team and the Private Office support; the diverse No.10 team draws on varied expertise from across the Civil Service and beyond. The teams come together to deliver excellent service to the Prime Minister while also making No.10 a great place to work.

No.10 North is focused on delivering good growth in every postcode and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. No.10 North is the Prime Ministers centre for devolution, place and local growth. Based in Manchester and working across the United Kingdom, it connects places directly to the centre of government. It brings together local leaders, HM Treasury and other government departments to resolve problems that no single organisation can solve alone.

The Strategy and PMO team provides the leadership, governance and coordination backbone of No.10 North. The team supports senior leaders, drives strategic planning, oversees programme delivery and ensures the organisation remains focused on its priorities. Working across governance, performance, business management, people and private office functions, the team coordinates activity across No.10 North and the wider Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, helping to turn ambitious priorities into effective delivery.

This is a high-profile, demanding role at the heart of government. The Assistant Private Secretary role will ensure the Director General is well briefed, effectively prepared and focused on their highest priorities. You will act as a key link between the private offices in No. 10 North and 10 Downing Street. You will build strong relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, resolve issues quickly and ensure the smooth running of meetings, visits and engagements. The role requires excellent judgement, organisation and communication skills, as well as the ability to handle sensitive information, balance competing priorities and operate confidently in a fast-moving environment.

Role responsibilities will include:

• Managing the flow of business to the DG, ensuring they are sighted on the most important issues and decisions.
• Tracking actions, deadlines, and risks, following up with teams to keep work moving and get issues resolved quickly.
• Filtering and prioritising competing demands, making judgement calls about what needs senior attention and what can be handled elsewhere.
• Commissioning, coordinating and quality assuring briefing, submissions, and papers so advice is timely, concise and decision focused.
• Drafting correspondence, speaking points and internal communications where needed.
• Building strong relationships across No.10, private offices, and cross-government to coordinate activity and unblock issues.
• Working closely with diary managers and counterparts to ensure meetings, visits and events support strategic priorities.
• Making sure the DG is properly prepared for all commitments, with briefing, travel and preparation time built in.
• Supporting the smooth running of the private office, including workflows, business processes, meetings, visits, and events.

Essential skills and experience:

• Supporting senior leaders in a fast-paced environment.
• Managing competing priorities and delivering to tight deadlines.
• Building effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Producing high-quality written briefing and correspondence.
• Demonstrating sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive information.

Desirable skills and experience:

• Understanding of local government and/or central government.
• Experience coordinating visits, events, and senior stakeholder engagement.
• Line management or team leadership experience.
• Knowledge of how devolved and local government works.
• Experience supporting business management activity.

Additional information

Office for the Prime Minister policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.