Senior Secretary - Corporate Development Department

Vacancy Information

Division / Department - Corporate Development
Grade - Grade 8
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Salary Grade Range - £28,914 - £30,897
Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week
Shift Allowance - No
Politically Restricted - No
Location - Lewes 

The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time. 

Chief Constables' Message

We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe.

We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you.

We wish you all the very best with your application.

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer & Chief Constable Jo Shiner

The Role & Key Responsibilities

A vacancy has arisen in Corporate Development Department for an experienced Senior Secretary to support the Senior Management Team in delivering the department’s objectives and their varied business areas. CDD brings together a range of central functions that work collectively to help the Force develop and plan for the future.

The department focusses on strategic insight, service improvement and assurance. It supports Chief Officers to manage corporate risk, and to monitor performance, working closely with divisions and departments to ensure that Sussex Police is continuously improving its services to the public, whilst meeting its statutory obligations.

Skills & Experience

Do you have the following required skills, knowledge and experience:

• Act as a main point of contact and provide support to the Senior Management Team to make best use of their time.
• Management of emails for senior managers, using initiative to problem solve and prioritise as required.
• Provide a provision of secretarial services, including arranging meetings, diary management, producing and formatting documents and preparing relevant paperwork in line with departmental need.
• Arrangement of meetings as agreed with Senior Manager, preparing relevant paperwork and files beforehand, and distributing them to meeting attendees in advance of the meeting for reference. Printing of meeting papers may be required but this will be agreed through discussion with the meeting Chair.
• Ensure that accurate and detailed minutes are captured at meetings, and actions are recorded and distributed in line with the meeting terms of reference or as directed by the meeting Chair.
• Have a coordinated and organised approach to diary management, ensuring that managers are appropriately briefed on their commitments and prepared for meetings.
• Management and maintenance of effective and consistent electronic filing systems.
• Responding to questions appropriately on behalf of the department, and relaying messages clearly and concisely. Dealing effectively with all visitors on behalf of the Department.
• Arrange work-related travel, accommodation and training for Senior Management Team where required, and administer all financial elements regarding these bookings, ensuring an audit trail is in place to review as required.
• Provide cover for other secretaries in the department when necessary and in line with abstraction management overseen by the Corporate Planning Support Officer.

A good working knowledge of Policing would be an advantage and experience in coordinating meetings and taking minutes is desired. An accurate typing speed of at least 60 words per minute and experience in the use of Microsoft Products, particularly Outlook for diary management and MS Teams, is essential.

The post holder will interact with a variety of colleagues daily, both internally and externally, so having effective communication skills, both verbally and in writing is critical. There will be a requirement to have a proactive approach to diary management for the respective business areas in the department, and this will require experience of problem solving and negotiation by the post holder.

Why Work With Us?

Policing is an exciting 24/7 business and we all have commitments outside work. We’re invested in supporting people to balance their life with work and we encourage flexible working. We are open to conversations about job shares and part time working. We encourage agile working, giving you the opportunity to manage your own diary and work wherever you give the best service to the public. This may include flexi-time and home working.

We take pride in looking after our people and offer a variety of benefits;

• career progression
• contributory pension scheme (LGPS)
• generous annual leave allowance
• discounts for everyday spend
• on-site gyms and a range of sports clubs
• generous and supportive parental leave
• financial and mental wellbeing guidance and support
• discounted contributory healthcare scheme

Please use the following links for more information on the benefits of working with Surrey Police or Sussex Police

Further Information

Deadline for this application is: 1200 midday on Wednesday 25th February 2026

Interviews are likely to take place the week commencing: 2nd March 2026

For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Georgina Baker, Corporate Planning Support Officer on 07795 332380.

Diversity Statement

We are only as good as our people.  It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.

We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. For more information, you can read our full anti-racism statement here.

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Please use the following links to find out more on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Surrey Police and Sussex Police

Additional Information

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly.  You may wish to consider adding noreply@policejobssurreyandsussex.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.

This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes.  Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference.  This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.

Please note that not all jobs are available for internal candidates across both Forces, the current agreed recruitment principles are;

• vacancies in collaborated units are available to all officers and staff across both Forces
• vacancies in non-collaborated units are only available to officers and staff within the Force with the vacancy unless it is advertised externally
• if the vacancy is advertised externally and an officer or member of staff from the other Force is successful it will result in a transfer of employment

Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.