About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a high-performing candidate to join our central Corporate Support team for the EU, Services and Trade Directorate. This is a great opportunity to work with senior leaders, build strong working relationships across policy teams, support development of plans for priority projects, track/report progress on behalf of the Director, and hone your financial and HR knowledge.  

The Corporate Support team plays a pivotal and cross-cutting role to ensure our directorate can deliver a complex portfolio of work. Our directorate acts as voice for UK business interests in the UK-EU economic relationship, including work to boost UK-EU Services trade and investment.  Our global responsibilities include recognition arrangements for professional qualifications and services trade sanctions against Russia. While domestically we redraw and uphold regulatory frameworks for services, professions and the UK Internal Market while promoting the OECD’s responsible business conduct standards.   

This stretching role sits at the heart of enabling the Directorate to deliver. You will work closely with the Director and the Senior Management Team, spotting and dealing with priorities and taking a strategic view.  

You will drive forward our governance, reporting, and risk management approach, ensuring that teams have the required reporting cycles in place to manage the Directorate’s performance. You will work closely with the finance business partners on financial forecasting and reporting, and with the HR business partners to support recruitment and retention in the directorate, ensuring we have the grip on our resources to deliver our objectives.  

Our directorate is a great place to work. We have an active corporate life, championed by our leadership team, and led by our staff to create a supportive, inclusive and fun hybrid-working environment for us all to thrive.  

Job description

Your key responsibilities are likely to include:  

• Providing strategic advice to the Director and Senior Management Team, highlighting risks and opportunities relating to policy delivery and corporate matters. This requires collaboration with multiple teams and an ability to track several workstrands simultaneously.  
• Running our directorate’s reporting cycle, working closely with the leadership team to identify progress, priorities and risks across finance, resourcing, and delivery. You will analyse information and reports to identify common themes and issues, presenting these to senior management.  
• Working with policy teams to ensure they have the capability and capacity to identify and manage risks at team level. Where needed, you will support the creation of risk management systems and delivery plans within teams.  
• Working with the finance team to keep on top of budgets and targets, ensuring accurate reporting to senior management and mitigating financial risks.  
• Working closely with the HR business partner, you will monitor and assist recruitment activity, keep our staff lists accurate, and act as a source of expertise within the directorate to support recruitment and retention. 
• Leading on directorate reporting into group-wide governance forums such as the Director General’s Delivery Board, and department-wide reporting.

There is scope to take on additional responsibilities dependent on personal development goals and organisational requirements.  

Person specification

Essential criteria 

• Ability to build excellent relationships and work across teams at all grades, particularly with seniors. 
• A strong communicator, you can analyse complex information and translate it into clear and well-presented messages. 
• Diligent, you are detail-focused, you ensure everything is accurate and error free. 
• Well-organised with demonstrated resilience and self-motivation. You are great at prioritising multiple demands on your time. 

Desirable criteria  

• Knowledge and experience of project or risk management desirable but not essential. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,633 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. 

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. 

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 personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.   

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the CV. 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 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  

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.  

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback   

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.