Board Secretariat & Business Manager
- Civil Service
- Part Time
- Lichfield
- 46,040
Job Description
Job summary
Do you want to work on one or the most exciting transformation projects in the public sector?
The Defence Housing Service (DHS) is being created through the Armed Forces Bill to deliver a step-change in housing for the UKs Armed Forces and their families following the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy on 3 November 2025, which marked the most significant change to Armed Forces housing in over 50 years. DHS will bring a dedicated focus to improving the homes, communities and lived experience of Service personnel, placing families firmly at the heart of everything it does.
This is one of the most ambitious housing transformation programmes in the UK today. Backed by a 9.2 billion investment, DHS will modernise tens of thousands of homes, introduce a more proactive and customer-focused approach to maintenance, and unlock new opportunities to develop housing on Defence land. DHS will have the focus and agility to deliver change at pace, combining public service values with greater flexibility to build the skills, systems and partnerships needed for the future.
This is a rare opportunity to be part of shaping its culture, influencing how it works, and helping deliver lasting improvements for Service families across the UK.
The Defence Housing team is currently part of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), who respond to the evolving needs of our military personnel, and the ways in which they live, work, train and deploy. We are proud to be the expert partner Defence needs for all their infrastructure requirements. From large scale infrastructure projects such as runways for the F35 fighter jets to net carbon-zero accommodation for our Service families, our activities focus relentlessly on our customers, and our outputs are unique in the UK and across the globe!
DIO , What we deliver every day.
The future delivery model for this team is currently under review and may change as part of potential organisational developments. This could include the team or function transferring to a different employer or organisational structure in the future. Should activities transfer out of the Ministry of Defence existing employees transferring with those activities will maintain the same, or substantially the same, terms and conditions of employment.
Job description
Reporting to the Board Secretariat & Business Management Lead, you will be responsible for delivering high-quality secretariat support to the DHS Board, Executive Committee, Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee (ARAC) and associated governance forums; and business management support on cross-enterprise activity. You will work closely with senior leaders, Board members and Non-Executive Members, helping to ensure effective decision-making, robust governance and organisational accountability.
In addition to leading this activity, you will provide day-to-day leadership to team members, support business management across the Directorate and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance the effectiveness of the service.
We are looking for a proactive and highly organised individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys working with senior stakeholders. You will be comfortable balancing competing priorities, maintaining attention to detail and providing credible advice and support within a complex organisation.
Responsibilities
- Working confidently with senior leaders and stakeholders across Defence, ensuring a professional, responsive and customer-focused service; managing the end-to-end delivery of secretariat services for senior boards, committees and governance forums.
- Coordinating governance calendars, forward plans and meeting cycles to support strategic decision-making.
- Reviewing and quality assuring papers and submissions for senior stakeholders, ensuring high standards and clear decision-making information.
- Preparing meeting packs, producing accurate minutes and maintaining action logs and governance records.
- Monitoring actions and decisions, driving accountability and escalating risks where appropriate.
- Through line-management responsibility, lead and develop team members, allocating work and supporting performance and capability development.
- Contributing to wider business management activity, corporate priorities and continuous improvement initiatives across DHS.
Person specification
This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced board secretariat, governance or business management professional to broaden their leadership experience, gain exposure to senior decision-making and play a key role in supporting one of the most important housing transformation programmes in government.
Essential Criteria
1. Proven experience providing high-quality secretariat, governance or business support to senior leadership teams, boards, committees or equivalent decision-making forums. (application)
2. Experience of driving improvements to processes and services. (application)
3. Strong judgement, discretion and professionalism when handling sensitive information and supporting senior leaders, together with excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality minutes, correspondence, briefings and reports for senior audiences.
4. Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, coordinate complex workloads and consistently deliver to tight deadlines.
5. Demonstrable experience of building effective relationships and influencing stakeholders at all levels, including leading, coaching or developing colleagues and contributing to a high-performing team environment.
6. Advanced use of Microsoft Office packages, particularly Outlook, OneNote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, to support senior-level communication.
A full UK driving licence is essential, due to travel between Defence sites, many of which are remote and not easily accessible via public transport.
If not held already, opportunity may be provided to gain the following when in post:
- Work towards a Housing accreditation
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance of attendance in the workplace (your permanent duty station, which is based on business assessment of where the work is best done) and working from home as a personal choice (if the role is suitable for this). If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Dependent on the business need, there will be a requirement to travel to meetings within the UK (or potentially occasional overseas visits) with some overnight stays.
