Principal Private Secretary to the Permanent Secretary for Government Communications
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Location:
London
Working Pattern:
Full Time
Job Summary:
Government Communications is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation. The Permanent Secretary for Government Communications — a role created in November 2025 — is leading a radical modernisation of how the Government speaks to citizens, working with Civil Service leaders to drive a fundamental shift in how Government plans, delivers and evaluates communications.
The priorities of our Permanent Secretary, David Dinsmore, are:
- Increasing the reach and impact of communications from government by shifting to an audience-first approach that connects citizens with what government is doing for them.
- Modernising Government Communications with a new brand and channel strategy, increased digital capability, and greater collaboration across departments.
- Strengthening leadership, accountability and performance across Government Communications.
The Principal Private Secretary will be instrumental in helping David to achieve these objectives.
You will lead and develop our Private Office team, providing expert support to both the Permanent Secretary and the Director General for Government Communications. You will be the principal adviser to the Permanent Secretary and work closely with senior leaders and ministerial teams, both within Cabinet Office and across Whitehall, to deliver our transformation.
About Government Communications
Government Communications is the professional body for communicators across the UK Government. With over 6,000 communicators working across ministerial departments, agencies and arm's-length bodies, we are one of the largest and most influential communications organisations. To find out more about what we do, go to https://www.communications.gov.uk/
Job Description:
This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior leader who wants to work at the very heart of an ambitious transformation programme. As Principal Private Secretary, you will be the Permanent Secretary's most trusted adviser and a key contributor to our modernisation agenda.
You will lead a small, high-performing Private Office team and act as a strategic partner to both the Permanent Secretary and the Director General for Government Communications. You will operate with significant autonomy, exercise fine judgement on the most sensitive and complex issues, and engage credibly and confidently with the most senior leaders across the Civil Service — including the Cabinet Secretary, the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service, directors of Communications and ministerial teams across government.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic leadership and advice: Serve as the principal strategic adviser to the Permanent Secretary, providing candid, well-judged advice on priorities, risks, opportunities and decisions. Ensure the Permanent Secretary's time and energy are focused where he will have the greatest impact.
- Private Office leadership: provide inspiring, empowering leadership to the Private Office team — setting high standards, supporting professional development, managing performance and maintaining team resilience in a demanding environment. Be an active and visible leader within the central GCS team and with your peers in Permanent Secretary offices across Whitehall.
- Governance and delivery: ensure the Permanent Secretary and Director General are supported by robust systems, high-quality briefings and effective governance arrangements. Maintain rigorous oversight of correspondence, submissions and the preparation of ministerial and senior official engagements.
- Driving the transformation agenda: work closely with the Director General, Strategy Development Unit and senior leaders to ensure the Permanent Secretary's modernisation ambitions are translated into clear plans and that progress is tracked and reported effectively. Identify blockages early and take proactive steps to resolve them.
The successful candidate will be a strong leader, able to motivate and instil confidence with clear thinking, strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. You will develop a strong network of contacts across Whitehall and beyond, and draw on that network to secure the necessary advice, buy-in and quick decision-making to support a high performance, private office delivery team.
Person Specification:
It is important that, through your CV and supporting statement, you provide evidence of the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post as set out in the essential criteria below.
Essential Criteria:
- We are looking for a senior leader who combines strategic thinking with pragmatism, and who is as comfortable shaping strategy as they are navigating the day-to-day complexity of a busy working environment. You will be collaborative and collegial by instinct, but decisive when it matters. You will build trust quickly, handle sensitive information with discretion, and bring out the best in the people around you.
- Proven ability to operate strategically at the most senior levels of large and complex organisations (e.g. government, public sector or equivalent), exercising sound judgement in complex, ambiguous and fast-moving situations where the stakes are high.
- Outstanding relationship-building and influencing skills, with the personal credibility and presence to engage confidently with the most senior stakeholders.
- Demonstrable experience of advising very senior leaders on prioritisation, risk and delivery within complex governance and accountability structures.