About the job

Job summary

In the Project Delivery and Change Directorate (PD&C) we are maturing our processes and building capability to provide a platform for success. We need people who are motivated, highly skilled and who are passionate about supporting the Department to achieve key Government priorities and deliver better outcomes for citizens and value for taxpayer money. 

The Directorate oversees DBT’s major change portfolio, ensuring our most complex change programmes are set up to deliver against our strategic priorities. We are looking for a Benefits Framework Lead who can successfully drive forward and implement long-lasting culture change in how we measure impact of our major change initiatives in the newly established Department for Business and Trade. The Benefits Framework Lead will sit with within the Portfolio Governance and Assurance team. 

We recognise that better benefits management is at the heart of driving change in the way the Department makes and assures high-value investment decisions, supporting our mission critical projects deliver value for money and achieve our ambition to bring the benefits of free trade to people across the UK and the world.  

The Benefits Framework lead will support our exciting vision by helping us improve how we define the outcomes we want to achieve and measure the impact of our work.  

The Benefits Framework lead will be responsible for embedding a robust and consistent approach to benefits management, ensuring investments in transformation help deliver the Departments strategic objectives.  

They will develop a coherent change delivery plan to implement and sustain long lasting culture change in how the Department manages benefits. 

They will work collaboratively with policy and programmes teams to raise benefits maturity and help identify, measure and track the impact of major change initiatives.  

The Benefits Framework lead will champion benefits management best practice and provide support, challenge and advice to senior leadership to promote the value of benefits led delivery. 

 The benefits lead will also provide a critical friend role to improve the quality of business cases and benefits realisation plans, integrating benefits management into the Department’s business case approvals process to support value for money decisions. 

The role will work closely with the Business Case Lead and provide critical friend support to improve the quality of business cases and work with our Assurance Lead to ensure benefits are captured through the lifecycle of the programme and beyond. 

We really value people who have a highly collaborative approach, understand the bigger picture, drive forward improvement, and see the value of challenge. 

Job description

We need someone that can enthuse, engage, and inspire change by improving systems, processes, capability and culture. 

You will develop a clear vision and strategy for benefits management across our mission critical programmes. 

You will embed a new benefits management framework (based on Government Infrastructure Project Authority best practice and HMT guidelines), ensuring investments in transformation help deliver DBT’s priority outcomes. 

To do this you will work collaboratively with policy and programmes teams to help identify, measure and track the impact of activities. 

You will build stakeholder engagement, providing advice to senior stakeholders to shift mindsets on the value of benefits led delivery. 

You will support value for money decisions by embedding benefits into DBT’s business case approvals process. 

You will establish benefits reporting to monitor the success of our mission critical projects to ensure value for money is delivered over the lifecycle of the project and beyond. 

You will develop and improve the end-to-end benefits framework, ensuring benefits are captured beyond project closure and lessons are learned to improve future policy, planning and delivery. 

You will build capability across the organisation and provide critical friend support and guidance to improve the quality of business cases and benefits realisation plans, helping the Department understand the cost/benefits of our transformation programmes. 

You will role model Civil Service leadership values and promote an inclusive environment where colleagues can thrive, building a culture where staff are empowered and coached to success. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Demonstrate expertise and experience in benefits management across a complex portfolio. 
• Build stakeholder engagement across all levels, command the confidence of senior leaders, and shift mindsets on the value of benefits led delivery. 
• Communicate effectively using a variety of methods to a range of stakeholders. 
• Drive sustaining culture change and provide constructive challenge to secure a better outcome. 
• Improve organisational capability and champion benefits best practice.
• Analyse and provide constructive challenge on benefits plans/ business cases to drive value for money decisions. 
• Demonstrate consideration of the bigger picture and potential impacts. 
• Plan and prioritise effectively, whilst having the ability to adapt and be resilient to changing priorities. 

Desirable Criteria:  

• APMG Managing Benefits or equivalent experience.
• APMG Better Business Cases foundation certificate. 
• A recognised PD qualification including PRINCE2, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), or APM Project Fundamentals, Management of Portfolios. 
• Experience of assurance of HMT Five Case Model compliant business cases.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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. 

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a short oral presentation, details will be provided prior to your 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.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

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 

Vetting

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.

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 security 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.