Senior Policy Advisor

DSIT 

The responsibilities for the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology for 2023 are as follows: 

 Positioning the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement 

• Driving innovations that change lives and sustain economic growth 
• Delivering talent programmes, physical and digital infrastructure and regulation to support our economy, security and public services 
• R&D funding 

For 2023, our priorities are: 

 Optimise public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world. 

• Promote a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs – including by delivering world-class physical and digital infrastructure (such as gigabit broadband), making the UK the best place to start and grow a technology business and developing and attracting top talent. 
• Put our public services – including the NHS and schools – at the forefront of innovation, championing new ways of working and the development of in-house STEM capability to improve outcomes for people. 
• Strengthen international collaboration on science and technology in line with the Integrated Review, and ensure our researchers are able to continue to work with leading scientists in Europe and around the world. 
• Deliver key legislative and regulatory reforms to drive competition and promote innovation, including the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill and our pro-innovation approach to regulating AI. 
• Pass the remaining stages of the reformed Online Safety Bill to keep British people, especially children, safe online. 

Our Inclusive Environment 

We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.  

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive. 

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process. 

Find Out More 

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforsciencetechnologyandinnovation? 

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/   

Are you interested in a stretching and fast-paced role helping to deliver on the government’s innovation priorities?

Would you like to play a key role in developing incentives and remove barriers within government, to support the effective management and use of valuable public sector assets and cultivate a more entrepreneurial culture? If so, this opportunity could be perfect for you!

The UK’s public sector is a thriving source of innovation and the Government Office for Tech Transfer (GOTT) has been set up to deliver a step change in the management and exploitation of public sector knowledge assets (KAs). KAs are intangible assets such as inventions, software, data and information, creative outputs, know-how and expertise.

These are key elements of a comprehensive 2021 report (“Getting Smarter: a strategy for knowledge and innovation assets in the public sector”), part of major HMG priorities: to support productivity (both public sector and industry) and drive a more innovative UK economy.

GOTT sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and we have a cross-government role. We are an innovative, fun, and inclusive team which values diversity. We comprise colleagues from industry, academia, charitable and public sector backgrounds based in DSIT offices across the UK. We are recruiting a Grade 7 Senior Policy Advisor on a fixed term basis maternity leave cover. This is an excellent opportunity to bring together your experience and further develop your skills in policy development and implementation, stakeholder engagement and innovation.

Our Policy Team

GOTT’s policy team develops incentives, removes barriers, and develops and delivers guidance that drives effective management of Knowledge Assets (KAs) across the public sector and cultivates a more entrepreneurial culture. This includes working with our clients to understand challenges, collaboratively developing policy interventions, and driving awareness and implementation across government.

Recent examples of our work include research on public sector spinouts, published guidance on Senior Responsible Owners and KA Management Strategies, and delivery of awareness building and strategy development workshops with clients.

GOTT’s diverse and high-profile group of clients includes all central government and arm’s length bodies including Met Office, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), UK Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA), Natural History Museum, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Our flagship guidance for managing and exploiting KAs is the Rose Book, which the team published in late 2021 and is available on GOV.UK.

Key responsibilities:

As the Grade 7 Senior Policy Advisor your role will be to expand this programme of work. You will:

• Work closely with our diverse teams of experts and clients to understand the systemic challenges to effective KA management and exploitation in the public sector, build the evidence base and collaboratively develop policy interventions to address them

• Lead projects to influence and incentivise organisations (both clients and x-government policy owners such as DSIT, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury) to engage with the KA and innovation agenda, GOTT guidance and support

• Support our clients to understand how to adopt KA management best practice within their organisation

• Represent GOTT at internal and external meetings and events, helping to build and broaden the unit’s reputation and impact

• Draft policy advice for ministers and senior officials including submissions and briefings

The exact portfolio for the role will continue to develop and there is some flexibility to adapt its scope to align with your interests and support your ongoing professional development.

Skills and experience

The essential criteria for this role are as follows:

• Be an enthusiastic and supportive team member able to actively contribute to developing a positive working culture

• Experience of working in a policy and/or tech transfer environment

• Policy analysis and development skills, using robust evidence and judgement to make effective decisions and recommendations

• All-round communication skills, including the ability to draft accurately, adapt your style to suit different audiences, and brief senior and external stakeholders (verbally and in writing) on complex issues

• Be collaborative and personable, with an ability to cultivate positive working relationships with a diverse range of clients and partners.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

Job contact :

• Name : Jacob Coker
• Email : jacob.coker@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk