About the job

Job summary

We are recruiting to fill two exciting and stretching roles to sit within the Portfolio Governance and Assurance (PGA) team, one supporting Business Cases and Benefits, and the other supporting Assurance.

You will be the visible lead for PGA, helping to ensure our approach to portfolio governance and assurance is proportionate, adds value, and supports effective delivery of our mission critical programmes.

As a PGA Manager, you will support our vision by ensuring effective processes are in place to drive improvements to the quality of Business Cases, Benefits plans, and assurance activities across the Department.

You will provide critical friend support and advice to our major change initiatives to ensure they are set up for success to achieve their benefits, and you will deliver targeted training where required.

Both positions will play an important role in ensuring the Department makes, and assures, high-value investment decisions to deliver value for money and achieve our ambition to bring the benefits of free trade to people across the UK and the world.

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

Job description

The Business Case and Benefits Manager and Assurance Manager roles offer an exciting and interesting opportunity for highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals to join our team.

Responsibilities include:

• Coordinating governance and assurance activities to ensure our major change initiatives are set up for success.
• Provide critical friend support and advice to secure a better outcome (delivering targeted training where required).
• Drive better data decision making, preparing and delivering reports as required.
• Gather and analyse a wide range of evidence, draw conclusions, and make recommendations to drive improvements.
• Review management cases and make recommendations to improve the quality of business cases and inform decisions at a senior level to drive value for money.
• Work collaboratively across a range of stakeholders and Partner Organisations, including Treasury, the Government Infrastructure Project Authority, and the Government Internal Audit Agency.
• Identify opportunities to continuously improve, ensuring our governance and assurance processes are efficient and continue to add value.

Assurance Manager specifics:

• Manage the assurance review process from beginning to end, engaging with stakeholders to ensure a successful and efficient review is run at the appropriate point in the programme life-cycle, to ensure proportionate assurance activities take place to support successful delivery.
• Ensure independent assurance reviews are run in accordance with IPA Gateway Review guidance, whilst working within the parameters of the DBT integrated assurance strategy, to support the implementation of a holistic and pragmatic approach to assurance across the department.
• Coordinating assurance activities across several projects.
• Evaluate the outcomes of assurance activities and make recommendations to support our mission critical programmes.

Business Case and Benefits Manager specifics:

• Manage the assurance and approvals process to support the critical path of business cases through the Department’s Investment Committee (IC) to strengthen value for money decisions.
• Develop and improve our business case processes and templates in line with HMT Greenbook.
• Identify improvements and efficiencies, ensuring the appraisal of business cases continues to add value, can be applied proportionately, and informs value for money decisions.
• Work with the benefits framework lead to help programmes articulate their benefits, ensuring investments help to deliver DBT’s priority outcomes.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

We are looking for ambitious colleagues who can:

• Analyse a wide range of evidence and data to inform effective decisions and recommendations.
• Be confident in providing challenge when and where appropriate to secure a better outcome.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and an ability to clearly articulate complex information, both verbally and in writing, to a variety of audiences.
• Build relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• 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.
• Be self-motivated and able to work on own initiative.

Desirable Criteria

• APMG Better Business Cases or APMG Managing Benefits.
• A recognised PD qualification including PRINCE2, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP), or APM Project Fundamentals, Management of Portfolios.

If you see the value of constructive challenge, have good judgement, stakeholder management and the communication skills to influence positive change, this is an ideal opportunity for you. The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator and able to confidently engage with stakeholders at all levels to achieve better outcomes.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,633 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.
• 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 Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

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.

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.