About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to use your research and analysis skills to work across varied projects of national importance while making a difference to millions of people’s lives.

Join the CMA’s Office for the Internal Market (OIM) and play a key role in supporting the effective operation of the UK internal market.

About the 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 OIM supports the effective operation of the UK’s internal market by providing economic and technical reporting and monitoring. The OIM also provides independent advice to Governments throughout the UK on the impacts of regulations on the internal market.

About the role

The Internal Market Adviser for the Office for the Internal Market (OIM) plays a key role in supporting the effective operation of the UK internal market. We do this through a number of ways including by providing independent advice to Governments throughout the UK on the impacts of regulations on the internal market and through working to improve the evidence base on how the market is functioning post-Brexit. Our work is wide-ranging, analytically challenging, and can be high-profile. The role offers an exciting opportunity to undertake a variety of work across the OIM’s activities.

You will undertake a variety of work across the OIM’s activities, working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.

You will focus on gathering intelligence from businesses, consumers, professional bodies, and other relevant stakeholders in support of the OIM’s advice and monitoring work. The role also provides the opportunity to lead on stakeholder engagement to help shape the OIM’s work and includes regular engagement with the UK Government and the Devolved Governments on policy issues.

You will also be expected to contribute to the OIM’s projects and wider work as appropriate, supporting the work of the OIM’s Senior Leadership Team and the OIM Panel.

About you

Strong research and analysis skills with experience of gathering, analysing, summarising and presenting information to senior managers is essential.

Proven stakeholder management skills, with demonstrable experience of working collaboratively with others and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders are equally important.

You will also need the ability to acquire detailed knowledge of new policy areas, including developing an understanding of regulatory developments across the UK.

Job description

Supporting the OIM Pipeline function

• Research legislative developments in each of the four nations of the UK, including stakeholder engagement to gain insights on emerging proposals;
• Identify and monitor those developments that are potentially relevant for the OIM;
• Develop effective processes for triaging information to the appropriate decision-makers to ensure that the OIM’s work takes account of stakeholder experience of the internal market;
• Draft papers to support decision-making about the OIM pipeline of potential new projects, in accordance with relevant criteria.

Management of OIM’s webform

• Manage interaction with the OIM’s stakeholders (including businesses, consumers, professional bodies, and other relevant stakeholders) via the OIM’s online webform;
• Communicate and correspond with stakeholders, in line with the OIM’s wider stakeholder engagement strategy and in accordance with relevant CMA and OIM policies and procedures;
• Analyse stakeholder submissions and monitor emerging trends to inform pipeline reporting;
• Day-to-day management of the online webform, liaising with end-users and the CMA IT team to resolve any access or technical issues;
• Develop proposals to promote use of the webform by stakeholders, including by capturing user experience;
• Monitor the effectiveness of the webform in facilitating effective stakeholder interaction, making proposals for improvement and leading project work where appropriate.

Delivering OIM projects

• Provide leadership and support to OIM projects, including through provision of stakeholder insight and intelligence, so that they are delivered in an effective way and produce high quality, evidence-based and robust findings;
• Undertake research to build and analyse an evidence-base, ensuring that outputs (reports, advice) are clear, accurate and well-reasoned;
• Ensure that documents are drafted to a high standard so that they are clear and persuasive, recognising the often exacting standards of scrutiny the OIM’s work receives, as well as ensuring compliance with OIM quality assurance processes;
• Identify, assess and manage potential areas of risk, taking action where necessary and escalating as appropriate.

Operational development of the OIM

• Contribute to the OIM’s development within the CMA, ensuring arrangements are in place for effective and efficient project delivery, focused on continuous improvement within projects, and by sharing know-how;
• Support capability development in the wider OIM team by leading on knowledge management, to involve ongoing research on internal market issues and managing a repository of information on regulatory developments.

Effective communication and close partnership working

• Develop and maintain fair, open, professional and proactive communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Managing staff and building capability

• Effectively manage and develop staff and contribute to wider leadership and capacity building in the OIM, including building staff capability through recruitment, coaching, learning and development, mentoring, and effective performance management.

Opportunity to contribute to the CMA’s wider work

While this role is based in the OIM, the successful candidate may have opportunities to be involved in other areas of the CMA. In particular, it is possible that the postholder will be asked to work on subsidy control matters (as part of the CMA’s Subsidy Advice Unit) as well as OIM matters. Over time, there may be opportunities to move to other areas of the CMA on a more permanent basis.

Person specification

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

• Strong research and analysis skills with experience of gathering, analysing, summarising and presenting information to senior managers. (Lead Criteria)
• Proven stakeholder management skills, with demonstrable experience of working collaboratively with others and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience in developing effective processes for organising and managing work.
• Ability to acquire detailed knowledge of new policy areas, including developing an understanding of regulatory developments across the UK.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,000, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £12,420 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 either conducted either virtually, by Microsoft Teams, or in-person at a CMA office. 

An initial sift based on criteria 1 and 2 (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 candidate pack) will then be considered.

• Strong research and analysis skills with experience of gathering, analysing, summarising and presenting information to senior managers. (Lead Criteria)
• Proven stakeholder management skills, with demonstrable experience of working collaboratively with others and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders. (Lead Criteria)
• Experience in developing effective processes for organising and managing work.
• Ability to acquire detailed knowledge of new policy areas, including developing an understanding of regulatory developments across the UK.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.

The sift will take place week commencing 1st April 2024

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 week commencing 15th April 2024.

The interview will be a 45-60 minute panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours and Experience 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.