Correspondence Drafting Officer

In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.

We are seeking candidates to work within the Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries (MCPE) unit at the Department of Health and Social Care. The roles will include the processing and drafting of correspondence casework for ministers, responding to queries from members of the public, and helping the unit to build and maintain strong working relationships with policy officials across the department and government.

This is an opportunity to work in an exciting and challenging environment which sits at the very heart of the department. We take great pride in providing a high-quality service to both ministers and the public.

The successful applicants will join a team that is dedicated to delivering an exceptional service. We are committed to the development of our staff, and we provide opportunities to gain further experience and aid career progression.

The correspondence team within MCPE are responsible for drafting timely and accurate responses to correspondence received from MPs, members of the House of Lords, external stakeholder organisations, and members of the public. This work is critical in providing information to those who need it in a timely and professional manner. We work closely with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including ministerial private offices, to make sure that responses are accurate, drafted in line with ministerial preferences and are received in a timely manner.

MCPE is also the home of the Freedom of Information (FOI) team. This team are trained to be subject experts in this important legislation and opportunities may be available to supporting this work also. The FOI team offer advice to officials across the department and engage with stakeholders to support the department in upholding its legislative obligations. This is often complex work and incredibly interesting, especially for those interested in the law and transparency of government.

The successful candidates will manage and be responsible for their own casework, ensuring that they meet deadlines in a timely manner. They will need to be organised and have a high standard of written and oral communication skills.

Members of MCPE work closely with ministerial offices, policy teams, our arms length bodies and colleagues across government, building an extensive network and a broad oversight of health and social care policies, making this an excellent opportunity for those who are new to the department.

We are running external recruitment campaigns at both AO and EO grade within the same team. The AO campaign is for a Correspondence Support Officer 466085.

If you are unsure which grade is most suitable, we encourage you to review both roles and apply for the one that best reflects your experience. You are welcome to apply for both roles if appropriate. Please note that applications for each role will be assessed separately against the relevant criteria.

Were hosting online information sessions every Wednesday and Friday (1pm to 1.30pm) during the application period. These sessions include a short overview of the role and a live question and answer session. To attend, please register via this link: Book an information session.

Role responsibilities

• Take personal responsibility and accountability for your performance. Work to both internal and legal deadlines as required.
• Be an effective member of the team. Be active and supportive of colleagues in your own team and the wider unit as required to ensure targets are met.
• Seek and collate information to draft high-quality and accurate documents for ministers or to issue directly to the public. Pay close attention to detail and be committed to delivering a quality service. Use appropriate communication skills to handle enquiries in a professional manner.
• Be confident in engaging with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Remain calm and level-headed, even when under pressure. Be positive and focused on achieving outcomes.
• Work flexibly, primarily within the team but also across the wider unit as required.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential:

• Demonstrate strong written communication skills including good grammar, punctuation, and spelling
• Deliver high-quality work, managing your time and prioritising tasks to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Provide a good service to customers, identifying and resolving routine issues, escalating more complex problems where appropriate
• Adapt your approach to meet the needs of different customers and situations
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including those more senior to you
• Ability to use common IT systems (e.g. Microsoft Word and Outlook) to complete tasks efficiently and accurately
• Willingness to use new tools (such as artificial intelligence) to improve the quality and efficiency of your work.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds. Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration, and enhancing team working, learning, and support.

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need.

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.