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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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About the job
Job summary
We are recruiting an individual to join a high performing team working to develop and implement long-term strategies to cement the UKs position as a global leader in digital trade.
The Strategy and Engagement team is responsible for developing the UKs strategic approach to digital trade, and driving coherence in trade policy across the services, digital and investment cluster. Given the important role that digital trade plays in the delivery of both goods and services, this is an exciting, dynamic, and growing area of trade policy and one where the UK is well placed to play a leading role in shaping international rules and norms.
The work of the team is cross-cutting, fast-paced and can evolve quickly. We work across a number of Department for Business and Trade’s (DBTs) policy directorates and liaise closely with responsible Chief Negotiators as a result, you can expect a significant amount of senior exposure. You can expect a diverse portfolio – working across DBT and Whitehall on high-profile trade priorities. This has previously included leading on the digital trade aspects of the UKs Presidency of the G7 and successfully delivering the UK-Ukraine Digital Trade Agreement.
Job description
We are advertising for one Grade 7 to support the development of DBTs services, investment, and digital trade strategies. The successful candidate will play a central role in our small, friendly, and high-performing team. This role will require working closely with and influencing a wide range of policy officials, including negotiation teams, colleagues that are responsible multilateral trade discussions, cross-Whitehall trade officials, and external stakeholders.
You will need to be flexible and able to respond to the emerging priorities of the team and department. The role will have responsibility for:
- Working with trade negotiators and policy teams to further develop the strategic narrative supporting our services and digital trade negotiations. This includes our bilateral free trade agreement programme and our approach to multilateral issues such as at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
- Working to identify and develop the role services, investment and digital trade can play in supporting wider DBT and cross-Government objectives, such as economic growth, the UKs climate goals, and levelling-up. This includes contributing perspectives on services, investment and digital trade issues to wider DBT strategic processes and ensuring that policy is represented in departmental strategy.
- Working with analysts to identify, scope and deliver projects on innovative aspects of digital, investment and services trade to help continue to build our evidence base.
- Working with communications and press colleagues to ensure DBTs external messaging is credible, persuasive, and tangible.
- Develop high-quality briefing for Ministers and senior officials for meeting, speeches, announcements, and press appearances.
There is scope for line management responsibility under this role.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- An excellent communicator, able to clearly articulate and justify strategic positions and translate highly technical policy positions or research findings into plain language suitable for external messaging.
- An effective strategic thinker, able to work with others to develop policy recommendations that deliver on the department and governments priorities. Able to drive join-up between different policy teams and prioritise objectives where they compete or are in tension with one another.
- A self-starter, able to rapidly understand new policy areas and work flexibly as part of a small team whose priorities and structure may shift over time.
- Attentive to detail and organised, ideally with experience of planning out workstreams and meeting milestones.
Desirable Criteria
- Previous experience of, or a background in, international trade, especially digital trade, trade in services, or investment.
- Experience of developing and implementing strategy in a complex policy area.
- Experience working with press and/or communications teams to develop external messaging.
Personal Attributes & Skills
We are a small, relatively informal team with a varied workload and broad responsibilities. The ideal candidate would be flexible and equally comfortable in a technical discussion with analysts or a broad strategic discussion with senior officials.
We work with many teams across the department and Whitehall, both in developing strategy and in promoting it. A proactive networker skilled both at listening and persuasion will thrive in this role.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Benefits
£14,040 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.
Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
- A Personal Statement explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.
It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the CV only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:
Complete the Assistance required section on the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.
Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.
Further Information:
- A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
- Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
- The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
- New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
- Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
- A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
- Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Security and vetting
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC. All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
Please note the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Jasmine Simpson
- Email : Jasmine.Simpson@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: Resourcing@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints
