About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. The Company Law and Governance directorate maintains world class standards of company law, corporate governance and corporate reporting that support the growth of sustainable UK businesses. Our work helps support investment in the UK and protects investors and creditors and promotes responsible and transparent corporate conduct.  

The Company Law and Governance Directorate are hiring a Grade 7 Economist to lead on analysis covering company law and corporate transparency: 

• Do you want to make a difference by promoting corporate transparency and tackling economic crime - a key priority for the Department for Business and Trade? 
• Are you looking to lead on high-profile analysis with cross Parliament interest? 
• Are you looking for an analytical role directly supporting and shaping policy development? 
• Do you want the opportunity to work with a wide variety of stakeholders, including policy, lawyers, analysts in DBT and in other Government Departments/Agencies? 

Companies House registers five million companies in the UK. The company register is accessed over fourteen billion times a year, informing many business and lending decisions. However, recent years have seen misuse, particularly in the use of anonymous or fraudulent ‘shell’ companies. These provide criminals with a veneer of legitimacy to help commit a range of crimes, from corruption and money laundering to fraud and identity theft. 

To tackle this, the Government introduced the biggest reforms to Companies House in the organisation’s history. These include: 

• Introducing identity verification for all company directors, People with Significant Control, and those delivering documents to the Registrar.  
• Increasing the Companies House Registrar’s powers enabling them to become a more active gatekeeper over company creation. 
• Improving financial information on the register so that it is more reliable, complete and accurate, enabling better business decisions. 

These changes build upon reforms introduced in 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These prevent and combat the use of land in the UK for money laundering purposes by increasing the transparency of who owns properties relating to overseas companies in the UK. 

Job description

This post will provide analytical advice on the impact of the Register and reforms to it. The post involves line management of at least one junior analyst. The analytical team is led by a Grade 6 and supports the whole of the Directorate, which also covers areas such as non-financial reporting, corporate governance, and boardroom diversity.

As the Corporate Transparency Economic Adviser, you will: 

• Deliver analysis for the secondary legislation following the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, with over fifty Statutory instruments due to be laid.
• Lead on monitoring the reforms to Companies House. This includes regularly updating seniors and Ministers on progress and working closely with analytical counterparts at Companies House.
• Develop analytical products to support policy making, such as Post Implementation Reviews and ad hoc policy/ministerial requests. This can involve working with large datasets e.g. FAME, Companies House data.
• Engage with Companies House analysts on longer term research projects, including evaluating the effectiveness of the reforms to Companies House.
• Team lead for the Economic Crime Plan 2 – working both with the public and private sectors to continue to transform the UK’s response to economic crime.
• Promote corporate transparency analysis and within the Department, across government and externally.
• Provide ongoing analytical support for the policy changes following the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, introducing the Register of Overseas Entities.
• Manage and help to develop at least one junior analyst.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria 

• Used analysis, research or other insights to make an impact on policy narrative.
• Successfully worked with others to deliver relevant and influential analysis.
• Communicated complex analytical ideas and concepts to a non-specialist audience with impact. 

Personal Attributes & Skills 

We are looking for an enthusiastic, self-starting analyst willing to lead the analysis for this policy area.  

In this role communication skills are essential, where you will need to work collaboratively and build strong working relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, including policy colleagues and analytical counterparts at Companies House. 

You will be expected to build and demonstrate expert knowledge of HMT Green Book appraisal analysis, applied within the company law framework. 

You will build a wider understanding of the policy landscape in order to identify analytical needs to support policy development and evaluation of the reforms currently being implemented. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 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, Experience and Technical skills.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception. 

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way. 

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:    

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages. 
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your technical skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

After the closing date It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.  

In the event that there is a high volume of applicants, a short sift will be conducted based on CV only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

In the interview, we will also assess your technical economic skills by asking you to present on a pre-prepared topic which will be given to you in advance, for up to 10 minutes. Additional technical economic questions will also be asked as part of the interview. All technical questions will be based on the grade specific skills and knowledge required for the GES profession set out in the GES Technical Framework – a copy which can be obtained from the link below:  

• Government Economics Service: Application of economics knowledge Click Here

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  
• Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.   
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk 

Feedback

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.