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3 Personal Assistant Jobs at Government Legal Department (GLD) – Bristol and Leeds

The Government Legal Department (GLD) is recruiting 3 Personal Assistants to support senior leaders and legal teams in Bristol and Leeds. These permanent Civil Service positions offer a salary of £30,891 per year, flexible working options and access to the Civil Service pension scheme.

Visa sponsorship: Not available to new external candidates. Sponsorship may only be available to existing GLD civil servants who meet the relevant Home Office and UKVI requirements.

Job Overview

  • Employer: Government Legal Department (GLD)
  • Job Title: Personal Assistant
  • Salary: £30,891 per year (National)
  • Job Grade: Executive Officer (EO)
  • Locations: Bristol (1 vacancy) and Leeds (2 vacancies)
  • Contract Type: Permanent
  • Working Pattern: Full-time, part-time, flexible working or compressed hours
  • Number of Vacancies: 3
  • Job Reference: 485082
  • Security Clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)
  • Closing Date: Monday, 26 October 2026, at 12 noon
  • Visa Sponsorship: Not available to external candidates

About the Government Legal Department

The Government Legal Department provides legal services across the UK government, supporting government departments with legal advice, litigation, regulation and legislation.

GLD employs nearly 4,000 people, including almost 3,000 legal professionals. Its corporate services colleagues also play an essential role in helping the department deliver its objectives.

The department’s Business Management teams work alongside legal teams to provide the operational and administrative support needed to deliver an effective service. These vacancies offer an opportunity to join that community and contribute to important government work.

Job Description

As a Personal Assistant, you will provide high-quality administrative and personal assistant support to senior leaders and their legal teams. You will normally support up to two Deputy Directors, managing their diaries, inboxes, meetings and other administrative responsibilities.

You will need to be highly organised, comfortable managing competing priorities and able to communicate professionally with colleagues and stakeholders at different levels.

You will work closely with Business Managers, other Personal Assistants and the wider Business Management Team to deliver a responsive and reliable service.

Please note: These positions are within GLD’s Business Management profession and do not involve legal or paralegal work.

Key Responsibilities

1. Diary and Executive Management

  • Provide day-to-day administrative and PA support to Directors, Deputy Directors and colleagues.
  • Manage diaries, inboxes, appointments and meeting arrangements.
  • Resolve diary clashes and manage competing priorities according to business needs.
  • Monitor inboxes, identify urgent or sensitive matters and escalate issues when appropriate.
  • Draft routine correspondence and maintain team distribution lists and administrative information.

2. Meetings and Coordination

  • Arrange meetings, coordinate attendees and book rooms.
  • Organise virtual and in-person meetings.
  • Prepare and circulate agendas, meeting papers and supporting documents.
  • Take accurate minutes, record decisions and track agreed actions.
  • Support divisional events, away days and engagement activities.
  • Assist with visitor arrangements and meeting logistics.

3. Document Management and Administration

  • Print, file, collate, circulate and maintain documents and reports.
  • Support the preparation of weekly and monthly reports and other business returns.
  • Maintain accurate administrative records, including organisational information and annual leave records.
  • Support the appropriate use of GLD systems, including case management systems where required.
  • Maintain relevant registers and assist with other administrative processes.

4. Travel, Logistics and People Support

  • Arrange travel and accommodation for colleagues when required.
  • Book meeting rooms, facilities and external venues.
  • Support the onboarding and induction of new employees.
  • Coordinate IT and security access arrangements for new starters.
  • Assist with offboarding arrangements when employees leave or move teams.

5. Teamwork and Service Improvement

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  • Work collaboratively with the wider Personal Assistant network and Business Management community.
  • Contribute to corporate activities, team events, projects and away days.
  • Identify opportunities to improve administrative processes and services.
  • Provide additional administrative support in response to changing business priorities.

Some positions may include additional responsibilities depending on the directorate. For example, roles within Litigation may involve monitoring central inboxes, triaging and allocating new proceedings, maintaining records and coordinating new claims.

Essential Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate the following skills and experience:

  • Experience providing administrative, business support or Personal Assistant support to senior leaders in a busy working environment.
  • Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines, including organising meetings, appointments and other activities.
  • Experience using diaries, email and standard Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 applications effectively.
  • Professional communication skills when dealing with colleagues and stakeholders at different levels.
  • Ability to handle information appropriately and exercise judgement about when matters need to be escalated.
  • Strong accuracy and attention to detail when preparing correspondence, maintaining records and coordinating documentation.
  • Ability to use digital systems to organise work and maintain accurate information.

Desirable experience

The following experience may help distinguish candidates who meet the essential criteria:

  • Working in a large or complex organisation, including the Civil Service or wider public sector.
  • Using corporate systems for case management, document management, human resources, finance or management information.

A degree is not listed as an essential requirement in the advertised criteria. Applicants should demonstrate how their skills and experience meet the stated requirements.

Behaviours Assessed

The recruitment process uses the Civil Service Success Profiles framework to assess candidates’ suitability.

The behaviours assessed are:

  • Delivering at Pace – Lead Behaviour
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together

Applicants must provide individual behaviour statements for Delivering at Pace and Working Together, with a maximum of 250 words for each statement.

More information is available in the official Civil Service Success Profiles guidance.

Salary and Benefits

The advertised salary is £30,891 per year on the National pay scale. Existing Civil Service employees will be appointed according to the applicable Civil Service pay rules.

Benefits include:

  • Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution rate of 28.97%.
  • An advertised employer pension contribution valued at approximately £8,949 per year.
  • Flexible working arrangements.
  • Full-time, part-time and compressed-hours options.
  • Learning and development opportunities tailored to the role.
  • Professional development sessions and opportunities for mentoring and coaching.
  • Opportunities to pursue relevant professional qualifications and apprenticeships.
  • An inclusive workplace that encourages diversity and career development.

GLD provides regular performance and development reviews to support employees’ ongoing learning and career progression.

Visa Sponsorship and Right to Work

Important for international applicants: Visa sponsorship is not available to new external candidates for these vacancies.

The Government Legal Department states that sponsorship will not be provided except where applicants are existing GLD civil servants who meet the relevant Home Office and UKVI requirements.

Candidates with limited leave to remain may apply if they already hold a visa that permits them to work for GLD and have at least 12 months remaining when employment begins.

The existing visa must meet the required conditions. A visa application that is still awaiting a decision cannot be used to satisfy the 12-month requirement.

Applicants with Indefinite Leave to Remain may apply, subject to the other eligibility requirements.

Candidates must ensure that their immigration status and right to work cover the duration of their employment. GLD states that it cannot provide sponsorship when an existing visa expires, so applicants must have an appropriate non-sponsored route if needed.

Applicants will be asked to confirm their immigration status and visa type during the application process. Candidates who do not meet the eligibility requirements will be rejected at the pre-sift stage.

If you are applying from outside the UK and require a new Skilled Worker visa, this vacancy is not suitable for you under the advertised sponsorship policy.

Security Clearance Requirements

Successful candidates must obtain Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance before starting employment.

If a candidate cannot obtain the required security clearance, their provisional offer will be withdrawn. Successful candidates must also undergo the required basic criminal record check.

The advert states that applicants should allow approximately three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer.

Candidate Information Session

GLD is holding an optional online information session for prospective applicants. The session will provide an opportunity to hear from colleagues in Business Management, including current Personal Assistants, about their day-to-day responsibilities and experience of working in the profession.

  • Date: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
  • Time: 12:30 pm–1:15 pm
  • Platform: Microsoft Teams
  • Attendance: Optional; it will not form part of the assessment process.

Join the information session: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/398599873671076?p=z06FqaZacNJ11KUqx1

Meeting ID: 398 599 873 671 076

Passcode: ug3LQ6iy

Application and Selection Process

The recruitment process includes two online Civil Service tests, a CV, a personal statement, behaviour statements and an online interview for shortlisted candidates.

Step 1: Complete the Civil Service online tests

Applicants must complete two tests:

  • Verbal Test
  • Numerical Test

Candidates must pass both tests to progress to the full application stage. Applicants can find preparation information and practice materials in the official Civil Service online tests guidance.

The advert also states that online tests will be unavailable on Sunday, 25 October 2026, between 12 noon and 1 pm because of scheduled maintenance. Progress will be saved, and candidates can continue when the tests become available again.

Step 2: Submit your CV

Provide your recent career history and explain any gaps within the last two years in the relevant application section.

The CV will be assessed against the key skills and experience listed in the person specification.

Step 3: Write your personal statement

Submit a personal statement of no more than 750 words.

Use genuine examples from your own experience to demonstrate how your skills and experience match the essential requirements and how you would apply them to the Personal Assistant role.

Step 4: Provide behaviour statements

Submit separate statements of no more than 250 words each for:

  • Delivering at Pace – Lead Behaviour
  • Working Together

If there is a high volume of applications, the initial sift may be based on the personal statement alone. Candidates who meet the required standard may then progress to a full sift assessing the CV and behaviour statements.

Step 5: Attend an interview

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed online.

The interview may assess:

  • Delivering at Pace – Lead Behaviour
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Key skills and experience
  • Strength-based questions

Candidates will be notified of the outcome through Civil Service Jobs. Applicants who meet the required standard but are not initially appointed may be placed on a reserve list.

Important Information About Linked Vacancies

This Personal Assistant vacancy is part of three linked recruitment campaigns.

If you apply for this BPSS-clearance role, you will not be eligible to apply for either of the following linked vacancies:

  • Reference 484854: 2 Personal Assistant jobs – Security Clearance (SC).
  • Reference 484906: 4 Personal Assistant jobs – Counter Terrorist Check (CTC).

You may apply for only one of these three campaigns. Submitting applications for more than one will result in the additional application being treated as a duplicate.

Eligibility and Nationality Requirements

The vacancy is broadly open to eligible groups, including:

  • UK nationals.
  • Republic of Ireland nationals.
  • Commonwealth nationals who have the right to work in the UK.
  • Eligible EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein nationals and qualifying family members with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
  • Certain individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who meet the specified eligibility conditions.
  • Turkish nationals and certain family members who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.

Applicants must confirm their eligibility and immigration status during the application process.

Read the official Civil Service nationality requirements before applying.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online through the official Civil Service Jobs website.

Use the vacancy reference 485082 when searching for the position.

Official application link: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=2017711

Before submitting your application:

  • Check that you meet the nationality, right-to-work and security-clearance requirements.
  • Complete both online tests and allow enough time to finish the application.
  • Prepare your CV and personal statement.
  • Provide the two required behaviour statements.
  • Ensure that all information in your application is truthful and accurate.

The Civil Service permits applicants to use artificial intelligence as a support tool, but all examples and statements must reflect their own genuine experience. Applications may be withdrawn if generated or copied examples are presented as personal experience.

Application deadline: Monday, 26 October 2026, at 12 noon.

Applications will not be accepted after the vacancy closes.

Contact Information

Job contact: John Coan

Email: john.coan@education.gov.uk

Recruitment team: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

For application eligibility errors, contact the recruitment team as early as possible. The advert states that applications may not be reopened if the request is made later than two working days before the closing date.

For recruitment complaints, contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the relevant incident or decision.

Source

Government Legal Department (GLD) via Civil Service Jobs.

Job Reference: 485082

 

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