The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) was created in May 2006 to help develop an environment that enables the whole of the third sector to thrive and fulfil its potential contribution to society, the economy and the environment.

The OTS has developed an exciting new agenda that will focus on groundbreaking policies to support the sector in campaigning; strengthening and supporting community action; transforming the delivery of public services and creating a thriving culture of social enterprise.

These are interesting and challenging key posts in OTS. The Public Sector Partnerships Team Policy Manager will be leading on strengthening the role that the sector can play at the local and regional level and helping to shape priorities for local action. The Strategic Partnerships role will manage our ground-breaking strategic partners programme and Advisory Body, as well as high level relationship management, and will evaluate the programme and recommission the funding in 2011.

MAIN DUTIES OF THE POST

In your application please state which of the post(s) you are applying for

Post 1 - Public Sector Partnerships Team

Strategic Support Activity:

Lead the Office of the Third Sector's (OTS) policy development work to embed the role of the third sector at local and regional levels

Manage a network of third sector leads across 9 Government Offices in delivering OTS priorities, and lead on the relationship between the Cabinet Office and the Government Office network

Monitor performance of local government against third sector related performance measures

Support improvements in performance of local statutory agencies in their engagement with the third sector, focusing in particular on engagement activity, involvement in decision making and review, and commissioning and procurement of services.

Influence policy development and implementation of key elements of the new local government performance framework, such as the Comprehensive Area Assessment

Provide briefing, research, analysis and support for ministers and other key stakeholders as required;

Support the Senior Management Team (SMT) in embedding Cabinet Office (CO) and OTS values, developing OTS competence, building capability and achieving beneficial cultural change through robust team/individual performance management and the development of a learning culture;

Support the SMT in delivery of OTS overall strategic vision and objectives;

Provide effective leadership and strong performance management for the team.

Developmental Activity:

Responsible for providing strong, motivational leadership and direction to the Public Services team in line with CO values and goals, ensuring effective support and development are provided to enable effective operation of the team, including in periods of structural change;

Responsible for line management of two B2 staff, supporting them in their personal development, effectively managing their performance and monitoring their well-being.

The post holder will report directly to the Deputy Director, Public Sector Partnerships

For more information about the role contact Jeff Masters or Pat Samuel on 020 7276 6093/6054

Post 2 - Strategic Partnerships Team

Your role will be to ensure that both the Strategic Partners Programme and the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) Advisory Body provide an effective voice for the sector into government policy making. You will be responsible for ensuring our £12 million a year partnership programme delivers sector voice into policy-making across government, and that the OTS Advisory Body is offering an effective oversight to the work of the Office. The post requires good stakeholder management skills and sound policy judgement, as well as an interest in third sector issues, and the ability to work with colleagues across Whitehall and outside of government.

You will be leading a small team with one Band B2 member of staff and work together with another Band A to mange a B2 in a matrix management approach.

Principal Responsibilities:

Lead the Strategic Partner Programme, developing overall strategy and operations. Develop strong working relationships with our stakeholders, and ensure that their voice is heard across government.

Responsible for the process of programme monitoring and evaluation through the Mid & End of Year Review processes, and to monitor its overall effectiveness.

Lead the programme evaluation by developing and overseeing the implementation of an evaluation plan, gaining input and buy-in from across the office and other departments with an interest.

Use the findings of the evaluation to inform the programme redesign and recommissioning

Lead the work in planning and running the annual stakeholder awayday.

Oversee the secretariat for the OTS Advisory Body and provide high level policy support to the body, ensuring their voice into policy making is effective.

Provide briefing, research, analysis and support for ministers and other key stakeholders as required;

• Support the Senior Management Team (SMT) in embedding Cabinet Office (CO) and OTS values, developing OTS competence, building capability and achieving beneficial cultural change through robust team/individual performance management and the development of a learning culture;

Support the SMT in delivery of OTS overall strategic vision and objectives;

Provide effective leadership and strong performance management.

Developmental Activity:

Responsible for providing strong, motivational leadership and direction to the Third Sector Support team in line with CO values and goals, ensuring effective support and development are provided to enable effective operation of the team, including in periods of structural change;

Responsible for line management of one B2 staff, supporting them in their personal development, effectively managing their performance and monitoring their well-being.

The post holder will report directly to the Deputy Director, Third Sector Support

For more information about the role contact Helen Stephenson or Lauren Smith 020 7276 6036/6112