The Cabinet Office has launched a recruitment campaign for the next director general to lead its Propriety and Constitution Group – one year after Darren Tierney left the role.
Ellen Atkinson has been interim DG for the group since Tierney’s departure in August 2025 to become permanent secretary at the Office for National Statistics. Atkinson was previously director of constitution and major events.
A salary of £135,000 is on offer for the role, which reports directly to the prime minister and cabinet secretary, shaping and implementing strategy for No.10, the cab sec, Cabinet Office ministers and the Royal Household.
Writing in the job pack for the role, cab sec Dame Antonia Romeo said the position offers “an unrivalled opportunity for you to work in one of the most critical roles in the department and be at the very centre of government”.
Romeo said she is seeking an individual with “an outstanding record of leadership, with good judgement and political antennae, and the ability to set strategic direction for a number of teams in the Cabinet Office”.
“You will need to have resilience and the presence to influence and engage the most senior stakeholders across the civil service and government,” she added. “If you are passionate about improving how the centre of government operates and meet the criteria set out in this pack, then I look forward to receiving your application.”
The DG for the Propriety and Constitution Group oversees the Privy Council Office and provides counsel to the cab sec on the machinery of government, propriety, ethics, the union, and constitutional matters across government.
In addition to these advisory duties, they hold some line management responsibilities for the Scotland Office and the Office of the Advocate General, and oversee the Civil Service Commission, which operates as an arm's length body of the Propriety and Constitution Group.
The deadline for applications is 11:55 pm on Monday 24 August.