About the job

Job summary

As our Deputy Director for Targeting, you will lead on our approach to risk and the use of intelligence and how we use this to drive our regulatory interventions, including our work with local authorities at the UK Border. You will also lead our work on the management of product safety incidents and the Product Safety Recalls website, working with stakeholders across the UK and internationally.  ​

OPSS teams work other UK national regulators (such as the Health & Safety Executive, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, Food Standards Agency) and local authorities such as Trading Standards to deliver evidence and risk-based interventions that protect people and places from product related harm. ​

You will lead a team based across the three OPSS sites, Birmingham, Teddington and London. You will be part of the Evidence Impact Area, reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive for Evidence  and will have direct line management responsibility for several Grade 6 Functional Team Leads.   

Job description

• Leadership of OPSS’s intelligence capability and the preparation of intelligence assessments at strategic level for OPSS local authorities and integration across market surveillance authorities to priorities interventions ​
• Responsible for delivery of tactical and operational risk assessments to support enforcement activities and incident management ​
• Development and deployment of the UK’s product regulation risk tools- PRISM and PRORIN ​
• Leadership of the border operations programme, including the local authority grant funding programme ​
• Leadership of our border profiling and targeting activities– working with HMRC and local authorities to prepare data and intelligence and supplying targeting information for market surveillance authorities working at the UK Border  ​
• Development and deployment of the Product Regulation National Incident Management Plan used by OPSS, other National Regulators and local authorities, including regular review and updating, developing training and exercises  ​
• Leading OPSS product incidents using the incident management plan, (nationally significant, novel and contentious product regulation issues) working alongside senior officers and stakeholders​
• Responsible for the management of the Product Safety Database including public access, secure data transfer to other regulators and official bodies (UK and international) and UK partners (NHS, police, fire) ​

Person specification

Essential Criteria​

• Extensive experience of providing inclusive, visible leadership to support long term strategies, with a proven ability to develop a motivated, engaged and high performing workforce and demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion   ​
• Experience of managing a large team in Operational Delivery within a compliance environment, with a developed understanding of systems level regulation and a commitment to efficiency and continuous improvement ​
• The interpersonal ability to build and maintain successful relationships internally and externally at board level, winning the trust of those who may have differing or conflicting views; and earning the respect and support of your staff, colleagues and counterparts in other organisations  ​
• The confidence, presence and impact to operate within a complex, highly regulated environment, garnering the respect and support of your staff, colleagues and counterparts in other organisations   ​
• The ability to network and work collaboratively across a large number of internal and external teams, communicating complex information and concepts to a non-technical audience   ​

Desirable Criteria​

Recognised qualification in Project and/or Programme Management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £20,250 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

How to apply​

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role.  Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 15/01/2024.  You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below. It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.  Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​
2. A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​

If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk  in the first instance​.

For further information, please see the Candidate Pack attached.

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.