CMA1963 Principal Digital Markets Adviser

Are you excited about the potential of tech, but concerned how it may affect society? Join us and shape how digital markets develop and make a real difference for people and businesses online.

About Us

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a world-leading government body, established to make sure competition works in people’s favour and businesses treat their customers fairly. We are expanding our presence in Manchester and the city will be an important hub for our growing Digital Markets Unit (DMU). The DMU will focus on some of the most important online markets used by consumers and businesses in the UK, including search, social media, app stores and online marketplaces.

It is an exciting time to join the CMA’s Digital Markets Unit – we are passionate about what we do and offer a supportive environment, with opportunities to be involved in a wide range of interesting work.

The Roles

We are seeking two Advisers to play integral roles in preparing for the upcoming digital markets regime. Based on your interests and experience you will be selected for one of two positions:

Stakeholder Advocacy and Engagement Manager: You will be responsible for ensuring effective engagement with a wide array of stakeholders, including digital firms, industry groups, and consumer organisations. This role involves developing and managing strategic relationships, providing briefing materials to senior officials, and leading advocacy initiatives to promote the CMA’s stance on the Digital Markets Competition and Consumer Bill.

Principal Digital Markets Adviser – SMS Regime: You will focus on gaining a comprehensive understanding of key digital sectors and developing strategies to address market issues. This involves evaluating evidence to determine firms with ‘Strategic Market Status,’ shaping regulatory rules to enhance competition, overseeing compliance, and making recommendations for rule breaches. You will also lead the preparation for the new regulatory regime, including building expertise in critical digital sectors and monitoring emerging digital technologies’ impact.

About you

Previous experience studying or working in a digital-related field may be helpful but is not essential. We are looking from people from a range of backgrounds, with transferable skills.

This could include experience in one of the following fields: accountancy, advocacy, data analysis/science, economics, government, law, project management, regulation, research, teaching/academia, technology.

We are proud of our commitment to learning and development and will support you to upskill in new areas.

What We Can Offer you

The CMA is a hugely diverse, rewarding and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, and our extensive flexible working options.

We actively promote mental and physical wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme, a varied programme of wellbeing initiatives and a network of mental health first aiders.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

The Digital Markets Team (DMU) will host a drop-in session for prospective candidates interested in working for the CMA. Candidates are invited to join a virtual session where the team will explain the work of the DMU and you can hear from existing team members about their experiences. Recruiting managers will be on hand to ask any questions you may have about the vacancies in team.  

We will run the session over Microsoft Teams from 17.30 on 18.30 on 30th October, to register your interest please visit Live Q&A Event: working in the Digital Markets Unit (Manchester) Tickets, Mon 30 Oct 2023 at 17:30 , Eventbrite

CMA – Working for the CMA , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)

Or our LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/competition-and-markets-authority/

Closing date for applications: 11:55pm on Monday 6 November 2023.

We are hiring two Principal Digital Markets Advisers to lead work within the team to prepare for the new digital markets regime.  

Successful candidates will be assigned to one of two roles: 

Stakeholder Advocacy and Engagement Manager 

The purpose of this role is to make sure that the Digital Markets Unit engages with a wide range of stakeholders. This ensures we have up-to-date understanding of what is happening in digital markets and that we are effectively communicating what we might do about issues faced by businesses and consumers.  

The successful candidate will be responsible for: 

• Developing and managing the team’s strategic relationships and communications with stakeholders. This will include digital firms of all sizes, industry groups and consumer organisations.  
• Working with a small team to provide briefing materials to senior officials, including the senior leadership within the DMU and the CMA’s Chair and CEO, to support engagement with government, Parliament and stakeholders. 
• Leading on advocacy work to ensure that the CMA’s position on the Digital Markets Competition and Consumer Bill is understood by a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Collaborating with teams across the CMA to support cross-cutting events and the publication of key reports. 

Principal Digital Markets Adviser: SMS Regime  

As the Digital Markets Unit continues to prepare for the new regime we are building our understanding and evidence base in key digital sectors, as well as considering what action we may need to take in order to address issues in these markets.  

The successful candidate will work closely with economists, legal and business and finance advisers in multidisciplinary teams to: 

• Review a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence to assess which digital firms have ‘Strategic Market Status’ and therefore fall within scope of the new regime.  
• Develop rules to be placed on these large firms to address market power and promote competition. 
• Monitor firms’ behaviour to check that they are complying with the new rules and recommend action to address any rule breaches.  
• Lead work to prepare for the new regulatory regime, developing expertise in important digital sectors and supporting horizon-scanning activities to understand the impact of new digital technologies.  

Allocation of roles will be based on internal resource requirements, and will consider candidate’s interest and experience, where possible. If you are invited to interview you will have the opportunity to express a preference for one or either of the roles. 

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your personal statement.  

If you do not meet the lead selection criteria in your application, the panel will not be required to score your application against the remaining essential criteria of the role. 

Essential: 

• Experience working within multi-disciplinary teams to successfully deliver results, working to challenging timescales (lead criteria) 
• Experience building relationships with stakeholders, both internal and external, including those from other professional backgrounds (lead criteria).  
• Demonstrable experience of developing and drafting recommendations, drawing on analysis of a wide range of information and identifying and communicating key risks. 
• Proven experience in communicating effectively (both verbally and in writing) with a range of audiences, tailoring communications appropriately and securing buy-in to ideas. 

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

As well as the interesting and varied work you’ll do to contribute to effective competition in the UK, and to ensure consumers get a good deal when buying goods and services, you’ll also benefit from:

• An exceptionally generous pension scheme with a significant employer contribution and range of options, including a tax-free lump sum at the point of retirement and injury, ill-health and life assurance benefits
• 25 days leave (increasing to 30 days over five years), plus 8 public holidays and an additional day off for the King’s birthday. In addition, you’ll be able to access a wide range of other types of leave as and when you need it, including generous maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption options, as well as paid special leave for volunteering
• Season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, flu vaccinations and eye tests
• Access to the Civil Service Sports & Leisure, giving discounted gym membership, high street discounts, free access to UK wide attractions and a free Tastecard
• A range of wellbeing benefits, including an employee assistance programme, flexible working options and family friendly policies, regular networking events and professional learning opportunities at work

Any move to the CMA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Like many other organisations, we operate a hybrid working model with a mix of office and home working. We believe this supports us to deliver our best work while allowing the flexibility to maintain balanced and healthy lives. We work at least 40% of our time from our office locations across the UK.

If you’re already a civil servant being appointed on level transfer, you’ll retain your existing terms, including annual leave. If you are being promoted you’ll receive either a 10% pay increase or the new grade minimum, whichever is the greater. Applicants new to the civil service can be considered for appointment at a salary higher than the starting point indicated above, but not more than the advertised mid-point, depending on skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications.

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We want a diverse workforce that reflects the consumers we serve. We welcome applications from under-represented groups, including ethnically diverse people, people with a disability, people with diverse gender identities and from people of different ages. 

We are an accredited Disability Confident Employer and disabled applicants meeting the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.

Our Values

The CMA delivers impactful outcomes for people, business and the UK economy.​ We are Ambitious and Evidence-based, and always strive for Excellence.​ We treat everyone with Respect, and are Collaborative and Inclusive.​

Everything we do is underpinned by the Civil Service values: Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity.

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@cma.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment@cma.gov.uk
• Telephone : 020 3738 6808

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@cma.gov.uk