About the job

Job summary

The Oxford-Cambridge and East Anglia Team (OCAEA) Area Team in the Cities and Local Growth Unit covers the ceremonial counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. It is a diverse region, with unspoilt coastlines and rural expanses, co-existing with a range of towns and cities and is home to 5.5 million people. It is a leader in life sciences, information and communications technology, aerospace and advanced manufacturing and is home to two of the world’s most renowned universities. However, it also contains communities with significant deprivation and long-standing challenges.

This is an opportunity to get involved with policy and project delivery working across two government departments, the Department for Business and Trade and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.  As Area Lead you will be responsible for one part of this region, but you will also have the opportunity to work with the wider team on a range of policies across the whole of this high growth region. The team works with partners to drive growth, devolve powers and funding, and to regenerate towns and high streets. We also make sure the voice of our region is heard clearly when decisions are taken by Government so that national policy takes account of our area’s particular needs and opportunities.

Job description

As a place-based joint unit between Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Cities and Local Growth Unit is the champion of place in Government. We drive local growth in and oversee devolution across England, delivering policy on the ground and holding local partners who do this on our behalf to account. We work across Whitehall to inform policy, deliver consensus and drive growth. As Area Lead, you will already have, or will rapidly develop, an in-depth knowledge of a sub-set of the region’s politics, economy, challenges and opportunities, and use this to help local partners – and the Unit itself – realise their ambitions for the local area.

You will use this knowledge to deliver a range of responsibilities including:

• Being known and trusted point of contact for local growth and devolution, developing mutually productive working relationships with local government, businesses and intermediaries, HE/FE and other institutions in area.
• Working with local partners on the development of their local growth strategies and ambitions, informing and seeking alignment with Government’s wider aspirations for the local area.
• Identifying and championing key growth opportunities and risks within the local area, working with local partners and Whitehall to progress them.
• Supporting local partners on, and oversee the delivery of, key funding and policy programmes within the local area.
• Sourcing and providing economic intelligence your area, including coordinating the local response to economic shocks, where appropriate.
• Advising and supporting Ministers and senior officials on their work in the local area, providing insightful advice and high-quality briefing and advice, as well as overseeing visits to the local area.
• Being a supportive line manager of the team’s Deputy Area Lead and Area Coordinator, ensuring high standards and getting the best out of people.

The Area Team works across a wide range of policy agendas and there will be scope for this post to lead the team’s input into selected areas of national policy development and delivery.

CLGU is committed to the welfare of all our people. We take mental health and work-life balance seriously. We would love to see applications from a diverse range of candidates to join our inclusive team. The post will be based in Cambridge, but we support hybrid and flexible working and actively promote a blend of home, office and external working to suit the needs of the team and post holder. Whilst the post will include time spent out and about in the region and may, very occasionally, involve out of hours working to accommodate travel and meetings, we work as a team to balance our diaries and our lives appropriately. Travel and subsistence will not be paid for travel to a base office location.

Person specification

We are looking for someone who:

• Can get their head round a diverse range of policy areas. The job is more about breadth and making connections than deep technical understanding.
• Able to get the best out of a team, getting the basics done, while creating headroom for development and support people's wellbeing.
• Has strong written skills. You will often need to present complex subjects on paper crisply and clearly, at pace, as well as communicating sensitively within and without Government.
• Has excellent verbal communication and personal confidence - hold your own in meetings where you may be the sole central government representative, or represent a regional perspective in central policy discussions.
• Is capable of coping with political ambiguity and with rapid changes in priorities thrown up by the external environment.
• Is a strong leader and team player, able to share and learn from best practice, and give and receive support from colleagues in a small and demand-responsive team.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

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.
• Four 250 word behaviour statements.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the lead behaviour - 'Seeing the Big Picture'. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

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.

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

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 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.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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. 

Vetting

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). 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 Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.