About the job

Job summary

This campaign is for one half of a job-share role, joining an existing Deputy Director who will also work at 0.6 FTE.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a job-share of a key Deputy Director role within our new department, sitting in the International Research and Innovation Directorate (IRID), and joining an existing Deputy Director in role, based in London, who will also work at 0.6 FTE. 

Together with your job-share partner, you will be responsible for a team leading vital work on the UK’s international R&D partnerships and fellowships. You will lead the team with energy and conviction. You will build and maintain fruitful relationships with Ministers, colleagues in HMT, FCDO, Home Office, No 10 and Cabinet Office, as well as across DSIT, other government departments and partners (including the National Academies and UK Research and Innovation), through an open and engaging style of working. This will extend to international counterparts across the world, particularly in Brussels.

You will work closely with Ministers to translate their ambitions into clear outcome-focused plans and then deliver them. You will be adept at operating within a complex and wide-ranging political context. You will seek to continually improve our ways of delivering our objectives, embracing innovation and diversity to strengthen our decision making and influencing capabilities.

Job description

Lead a team of c. 30 FTE to:

• Deliver a successful period of association with Horizon Europe following the UK’s recent association, including through the formal governance and liaising with UK and European stakeholders.
• Lead on broader research talent policy and programmes, including the People & Culture Strategy actions and engagement with the talent and skills workstream on the Science and Technology Framework, with the aim being to ensure we attract the best and the brightest scientists and researchers to the UK, including through a compelling government-wide fellowship offer.
• Oversee the government’s relationship with the National Academies, including through the upcoming Spending Review, and lead work on the establishment of a National Academy focused on the mathematical sciences.
• Further build and maintain key relationships with HMT, FCDO, Home Office and Cabinet Office officials, and external bodies including the National Academies and European Commission.
• Represent the UK where appropriate at discussions with the European Commission and other international partners.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following essential skills and experience:

• A proven track record of leading and developing international policy initiatives, and related programme and / or fund design and delivery experience.
• Empowering and inclusive leadership of high-performing and diverse teams to drive real change. 
• Proven experience of providing strategic advice to senior stakeholders (e.g. Ministers and senior officials, including in HM Treasury and No 10), demonstrating acute awareness of the political context. 
• Evidenced ability to collaborate, build and maintain a broad set of domestic and international stakeholder relationships while remaining credible across a range of business, academic and stakeholder groups.

Desirable elements:

• Undertaking occasional international and domestic travel.
• Knowledge of the research and innovation sector.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology 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: 

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55 Sunday 4th February. As part of the application process you are asked to complete the following:

1.A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.

2.A Statement of Suitability (no more than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference clearly linked to the essential criteria in the person specification.

3.Assessments: Staff Engagement exercise (SEE) 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 mark, but outcome and feedback from these will reported to the panel ahead of the panel interview.

4.Informal conversation with the current job share post-holder.

5.Final Interview.

For further information on the application process and an overview on what to expect, please visit the Civil Service Careers website. 

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.