About the job

Job summary

Do you have the stakeholder management skills to maintain relationships across government, local authorities, and businesses in Scotland?

Do you have a proven track record of working in or engaging with public policy?

Join the Advocacy, Nations and External Relations team and play a key role engaging with key partners to influence policy across Scotland that will benefit the public good.

About the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)

We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging.

The Advocacy, Nations and External Relations team is the CMA’s centre for stakeholder engagement. A core part of our work is managing our relationships with stakeholders across the policy, business and consumer landscape in Scotland and how the CMA uses its voice.

What you will do

You will be responsible for leading the stakeholder engagement programme in Scotland and will be a key source of advice on how the CMA should engage in Scotland to influence policy debates to promote competition.

Alongside the wider Advocacy, Nations and External Relations team, you will facilitate the provision of advice and information to the government and local authorities, and lead our engagement with key stakeholders, such as consumer, business and third sector groups.

You will maintain relationships with government and elected representatives and the business, consumer and regulatory communities, extending the CMA’s influence and promoting the CMA’s work.

You will also identify opportunities to shape the policy agenda, ensuring policies, both at a national and local level, take account of market thinking and consumer interests.

What you will need

A proven track record of working in or engaging with public policy, with a working level understanding of how devolution, and how the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament work is essential.

You will also need extensive experience of working collaboratively, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers.

The ability to balance multiple competing and changing demands and experience of communicating and presenting complex material to a range of audiences is equally important.

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, our employee assistance programme, and our extensive flexible working options.

Closing date for applications: 11:55pm on Monday 22 January 2024.

 

Job description

The main responsibilities of the role are:

• Lead the CMA’s engagement in Scotland, representing the CMA in Scotland and Scotland in the CMA credibly and authoritatively.
• Build, manage and maintain honest and open relationships with external stakeholders and key partners across the policy landscape including government and elected representatives, and the business, consumer and regulatory communities.
• Extend the CMA’s reach and influence in Scotland by identifying and delivering external opportunities to promote and maintain understanding of the CMA and its work across the range of CMA functions
• Identify and deliver opportunities to shape the policy agenda, ensuring policies, both at a national and local level, take account of market thinking, consumer interest and competition through pro-active and reactive advocacy.
• Identify and deliver board level engagement opportunities for the CMA Board and senior officials in Scotland, supporting and advising them appropriately.
• Develop and consolidate the CMA’s internal awareness of devolution and nation-specific issues by providing high quality and timely intelligence, insight and briefing on policy issues in Scotland.
• Provide strategic and practical handling advice to CMA teams, including Office for the Internal Market and Subsidy Advice Unit functions, to manage associated opportunities and risk.
• Identify opportunities for nation-focused casework, and where appropriate, contribute to or lead this work.
• Management of Policy and Project Officer providing coaching and development, direction, and oversight of delivery.
• Support wider ANER work across the UK, the nations, and the English regions.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

• A proven track record of working in or engaging with public policy, with a working level understanding of how devolution, and how the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament work (Lead Criteria)
• Extensive experience of working collaboratively, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers, and delivering in partnership with other organisations or departments with related goals or responsibilities (Lead Criteria)
• Ability to confidently and appropriately use own initiative and make well-judged decisions
• Experience in communicating and presenting complex material to a range of audiences, from non-technical to specialist, both orally and in writing
• Excellent people management skills, with experience of leading, motivating and developing individuals to create an inclusive team
• Knowledge and understanding of regulatory, competition or consumer issues

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,364, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £14,408 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 and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.  Interviews will be conducted virtually. 

An initial sift based on the Lead Criteria may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification (above, below and in the attached role profile) will then be considered.

• A proven track record of working in or engaging with public policy, with a working level understanding of how devolution, and how the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament work (Lead Criteria)
• Extensive experience of working collaboratively, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers, and delivering in partnership with other organisations or departments with related goals or responsibilities (Lead Criteria)
• Ability to confidently and appropriately use own initiative and make well-judged decisions
• Experience in communicating and presenting complex material to a range of audiences, from non-technical to specialist, both orally and in writing
• Excellent people management skills, with experience of leading, motivating and developing individuals to create an inclusive team
• Knowledge and understanding of regulatory, competition or consumer issues 

The sift will take place week commencing w/c 22 January 2023.

If your application is successful you will be invited to attend an interview. You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account and book your interview slot. You will be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will be held from w/c 29 December 2023.

The first part of the interview will comprise a presentation.  More information will be forwarded to you with the interview invite. The second part of the interview will be a 45 minute - 1 hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours, and Experience as outlined in the role profile. 

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.