Policy Advisor – (EPD Band 4/HEO)

Diverse Perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application. 

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the independent regulator for work-related health and safety.

Our mission is to protect people and places – and our vision for working better as one, changing and innovating, and valuing our people. In order to achieve this, we have responsibility for setting the strategy, policy and legal framework for health and safety in Great Britain.

Engagement and Policy Division (EPD) is at the heart of how HSE reduces risk and protects people and places – it leads on HSE’s communications and business insight interventions and helps shape our policy and frontline inspection interventions. 

The strength of EPD is our ability to bring to bear our collective capability on policy, operational strategy, insight and communications, to support HSE’s prevention mission on such important issues as promoting proportionality in health and safety management and our better regulation work.

To achieve success, HSE is committed to its people. Our leaders are visible and accountable, we provide various Learning and development opportunities and possibility of experience in different policy topics. We provide an environment where our colleagues can learn and thrive to ensure we can meet current and future needs around H&S in Great Britain.

With a world-class reputation for safeguarding the health and safety of people at work, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is adapting and evolving to meet the new challenges ahead. A crucial part of our mission to protect people and places is through our regulatory responsibility for chemicals, where we have an exciting policy opportunity working in the Chemicals Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Policy Team, a busy policy team embedding and developing chemicals regulation following EU Exit.

The CLP team is responsible for UK Government policy on Regulation (EU) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (‘the CLP Regulation’).  The CLP Regulation adopts the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System of the classification and labelling of chemicals, which aims to help protect people and the environment, and to facilitate trade. It does this by requiring suppliers of chemicals to classify (identify the hazards) of chemicals they place on the market, before labelling them with safety information, and packaging them safely.

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, HSE set up new standalone regulatory frameworks for Great Britain in these areas.  Developing and operating these new frameworks is now giving rise to a range of complex policy challenges, including:

• Responding to the opportunities of leaving the EU to improve and reform the way chemicals are regulated in Great Britain
• Developing new policy on how HSE should engage with chemicals regulatory schemes and developments internationally – in the EU, international organisations and elsewhere in the world
• Managing domestic policy on chemicals regulation, taking into account the complex mix of devolved responsibilities across the four UK nations

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a friendly, collegiate and supportive team at the heart of addressing these policy challenges in the years to come.  This is a fascinating time to work in chemicals regulation with many key questions about the future shape of the regulatory system still to be determined.  The roles offer excellent development through working across a complex and challenging policy portfolio, opportunities for cross-government working and exposure to HSE senior leaders in a high priority area for HSE.

Responsibilities

As a Policy Advisor you will support the Policy Team Leader by providing policy advice and guidance on Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (as amended).

You will work with the team to develop a long-term strategy for the future development of regulation in these areas whilst:

• working with government lawyers, economists and social scientists, and chemicals regulatory scientists
• obtaining and using credible evidence to develop policy recommendations
• drafting ministerial submissions and briefings and contributing to responses to official correspondence, MPs letters, and parliamentary questions.
• maintaining an awareness of the wider policy context and developing HSE’s response to wider government policy initiatives where required
• developing collaborative relationships with stakeholders in other government departments, the devolved nations and industry to deliver policy priorities
• working flexibly to support colleagues in other policy teams when the need arises

This role is advertised nationally and is offered as a hybrid role, linked to a local office with regular travel to one of the main HSE offices (typically Bootle or London). 

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

The role requires the ability to understand and apply the UK’s Health and Safety legislative framework and underpinning principles alongside the framework and principles behind chemicals legislation.

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience of policy delivery, including parliamentary correspondence, development of policy options and producing briefing papers.
• The ability to balance competing priorities and contribute to policy development at pace.
• The ability to proactively engage and build trust with key stakeholders, often in complex contexts.
• Experience working effectively as part of a team and working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, drawing on their expertise as required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, producing concise and accurate drafts of briefings, reports and submissions etc.
• Experience of, or ability to engage with, scientific and technical experts and material in developing policy recommendations

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Making Effective Decisions

We invest in our people with;

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 27.1% far more than in the private sector.
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
• Parental leave benefits

This post is eligible for Excess Fares Allowance. A successful internal candidate currently based at another office may be entitled to Excess Fares Allowance in line with HSE policy (http://intranet/finance/expenses/excess-fares-allowance-policy.htm).

Job contact :

• Name : Luke Pollard
• Email : luke.pollard@hse.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07765046551

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk