About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) as it grows its team in Northern Ireland. We are looking for an Events Manager to work as part of the DBT Northern Ireland team to deliver a range of activity to support Northern Ireland businesses as they increase international exports, boost inward investment, and take advantage of new global opportunities arising from Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).  

The DBT Northern Ireland team is undergoing a period of exciting transformation, expanding its business services to include one to one business support. The team is growing to reflect this change. This is a new role and therefore the successful candidate will have the opportunity to put their stamp on the role and make a difference. 

We value our colleagues finding the ways of working that suit them best. There will be a package of learning and development support to help you get the most out of this role. 

Job description

Working closely with colleagues, you will help support an events and visits programme for Ministers and senior officials and produce timely and detailed briefing documents. You will also support the delivery of the team’s wider business engagement strategy and communications plan and maintain high quality databases to support these.  

The successful candidate will work across the team, particularly with Sector Specialists and International Trade Advisors to support the delivery of specific marketing material, and events for Northern Ireland businesses. 
 
You will be a member of the DBT Northern Ireland team, reporting to the Senior Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Manager and will work with them to promote export services such as the Northern Ireland Export Champions and the UK Export Academy. You will also work closely with colleagues in DBT’s central Communications and Marketing Directorate based in London. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Experience of planning and delivering business focused events, high profile visits and related communications. 
• Confident engaging with senior stakeholders such as Ministers, senior officials and trade bodies. 
• Experience preparing high quality briefing materials for senior officials. 

Desirable Criteria 

• Demonstrable organisational and project management skills, including management of budgets and ability to manage conflicting priorities. 
• An understanding of working with central or local government including government ministers.  
• An understanding of the Northern Ireland political and/or business environment.  
• An understanding of media and digital communications. 
• Excellent written communication skills and ability to present to audiences at all levels. 

Personal Attributes & Skills

The successful candidate will have events, marketing, communication and organisational skills. You will be a driven, open and collaborative person with the ability to remain calm while working at pace and under pressure. You will have a natural curiosity for the workings of international trade and of government more broadly. You can swiftly build and maintain priority relationships and proactively solve problems. The successful candidate will be an organised and detail driven person. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,858, Department for Business and Trade contributes £8,871 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, Strengths and Experience.

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 750 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

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 of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview

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 Access NI on your behalf.

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 

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.    

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.