About the job

Job summary

The Public Bodies, Appointments, Honours and Awards team comprises three A(U) branches:

Public Bodies Reviews and Strategy

• Setting the strategic framework for working with the Department’s Public Bodies;
• Ensuring strong engagement with / drive for effectiveness and efficiency across our Public Bodies, including through the delivery of our ALB review programme.

Public Bodies Governance and Performance

• Implementing standards / frameworks to drive public bodies’ performance and effective partnership working
• Offering support on complex governance issues and overseeing public body performance and risk.

Appointments, Honours and Awards

• Overseeing and delivering the end to end appointments process for all regulated non executive board appointments to DCMS public bodies;
• Leading and Delivering the NY and BD honours lists for DCMS across three honours committees
• Ensuring the annual Kings Awards for Voluntary Service (KAVS) are delivered successfully.

Job description

As Deputy Director for Public Bodies, Appointments, Honours and Awards you will:

• Lead a highly motivated team of 36 FTE, supporting individuals to develop and grow in their roles. Ensure the Public Bodies, Appointments, Honours and Awards team is a happy, inclusive and collaborative working environment and that the team works effectively with the department to deliver for Ministers;
• Develop strategy and policy for working with DCMS Public Bodies, working with sponsor teams to build strong relationships, high standards of governance, shared understanding of priorities, sharing of best practice and adherence to the Cabinet Office Sponsorship Code;
• Oversee the Public Bodies Review programme, reviewing our highest profile Public Bodies and working with lead reviewers to ensure that Public Bodies are effective, efficient and well-governed, and that our sponsorship of them enables that.
• Provide advice to Ministers on cross cutting Public Bodies issues;
• Ensure strong relationships with a wide and varied set of stakeholders, including CEOs and Chairs of Public Bodies, the Royal Household, Cabinet Office, Lord Lieutenants and No10;
• Oversee the DCMS regulated public appointments processes - making c100 appointments per annum, ensuring a robust, transparent process and exceptional outreach, attracting the best talent to these roles;
• Oversee the significant DCMS role in the Honours System celebrating the individuals within our sectors; including providing support to three independent honours Committees which collectively make up a significant proportion of all nominations, and managing the Kings Award for Voluntary Service - awarding c250 voluntary groups annually.
• Active participation in leadership of wider Corporate Strategy Directorate (c.150 FTE) through participation in the senior leadership team and leadership of cross Directorate people engagement activity.

Person specification

Essential Requirements:

• Leadership - A track record of driving delivery and providing visible leadership, with a proven ability to develop a motivated, engaged, diverse and high-performing team. A track record of corporate leadership contributing to wider priorities;
• Seeing the big picture - Excellent evidence-based strategic and analytical skills combined with political sensitivity and understanding, including a broader understanding of how to operate outside of the immediate business area or organisation, and credibility to be seen as a trusted adviser to ministers and senior officials and stakeholders;
• Working together - Outstanding ability to forge excellent relationships and adept at successfully influencing, challenging and negotiating, to gain the confidence of key customers and senior stakeholders;
• Delivering at pace - A proactive approach to solving problems and with experience of formulating, leading and implementing strategies, policies and programmes, including when under pressure, and a proven understanding of delivering value for money; and
• Communicating and influencing - Highly effective communications skills, with the ability to convey complex ideas and options in both written and verbal form coupled with the ability to quickly secure the confidence of senior stakeholders, and highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills with experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships whilst successfully influencing, challenging and negotiating.

Desirable Skills:

• Previous experience of working with Public Bodies and/or a familiarity with the public appointments and honours processes would be helpful.
• Previous experience of working with very senior stakeholders e.g. Chairs, CEOs, Ministers etc.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Culture, Media and Sport 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

To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than time on date (add closing time and date) via the CS Jobs portal:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 3 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

If shortlisted, you will be invited to undertake two assessments as part of this recruitment prior to a final interview panel:

• A staff engagement exercise: a structured exercise which involves shortlisted candidates facilitating a discussion with a selection of staff from the Department on a given topic.

These assessments will not result in a “pass” or “fail” decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

If you are shortlisted, you will be offered an informal conversation with Laura Smith and/or Louise Jackson, ahead of the final panel interview. This does not form part of the assessment process and is merely an opportunity for you to find out more about the role.

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 counter-terrorist 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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.