About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) oversees the domestic business environment, breaks down international barriers to trade and investment, and helps boost economic growth by ensuring the UK is a country where businesses can thrive. 

Climate change is driving the biggest and fastest global industrial transformation ever seen - a change that will impact the business environment and international trade for decades. We need to help ensure UK businesses are well-placed to take advantage of the commercial opportunities from the global green transition and that DBT’s wider work is aligned with the Government’s climate policy ambitions. 

At the centre of the department sits the Global Futures Group – an internal thinktank and strategy team focused on driving positive change on long-term issues affecting the UK and global economy. For this group, we are recruiting a Green Strategy Advisor to join the Green Strategy Team, to support our work aligning the Department’s business and trade policy with the Government’s climate goals.  

You will play a multi-functional role in the Green Strategy Team, including:

• Leading DBT’s internal green governance arrangements– coordinating work across all business and trade Director General areas and acting as Secretariat for the Director-level Green Strategy Board.
• Liaising across Whitehall– helping the Department to deliver its aims through a co-ordinated, collaborative approach across a complex landscape of stakeholders, particularly with colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – to ensure policy alignment.
• Supporting the development and implementation of the Department’s strategic objectives around climate change - developing long-term policy thinking, as well as day to day work with policy teams to monitor and report delivery against the Department’s objectives, identifying opportunities and risks for discussion at the Green Strategy Board.
• Developing strategic communication on climate issues across Whitehall and externally - drafting and advising on briefings for Ministers and senior officials, preparing, checking and advising on correspondence, PQs, Freedom of Information requests, and responses to other ad-hoc requests to help deliver Ministerial communications and ensure DBT has a strong external narrative.

You will be exposed to a range of different topics and demands which makes for an exciting job but can at times be fast-paced and demanding.

Job description

• Collaborating and influencing within DBT and across Whitehall- You will help the Department to deliver its aims through a co-ordinated, collaborative approach across a complex landscape of internal and external stakeholders. You will develop close working relationships with DBT’s cadre of strategy, policy and analytical teams to join up activity across the Department on climate change. This will include leading on DBT’s internal green governance structures and providing secretariat duties for the Director-level Green Strategy Board. You also will develop and maintain the team’s network of contacts across Whitehall and with experts outside government to shape the Department’s thinking and identify issues and opportunities to deliver our objectives.
  
  
• Strategy development and implementation – You will support work to develop and implement the Department’s green strategic objectives. This will include developing long-term policy thinking, as well as day to day work with policy teams to monitor and report delivery against the Department’s objectives.
  
  
• Clear communication– You will be an articulate communicator, both on the page and in person, and be able to tailor your work and adapt your messaging to be relevant to a range of audiences. 

The role will be based in either Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, and Salford. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.

If your office location is London, you will be eligible to receive London weighting.

Appointments will be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences.

Support in applying for our vacancies is available by joining a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Interest in climate and economic policy making.
  
  
• Stakeholder engagement – ability to build strong professional relationships with a range of different stakeholders, especially across Whitehall.
  
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  
  
• Flexibility and the ability to deliver at pace in a fast-moving environment.
  
  
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in climate policy.
  
  
• Experience in trade policy, business policy or international macroeconomic policy. 
  
  
• Experience in strategy development and implementation.

• Experience in supporting or conducting research projects.

Person Specification

• You will be able to develop strong working relationships to facilitate effective cross-cutting communication and policy input across multiple teams, and be able to deliver in a challenging, high-impact environment. 
  
  
• You will be a highly organised individual, with an interest in improving the Department’s green governance processes ensuring a strategic and proactive approach to deliver strategic objectives.
  
  
• You will be able to coordinate and produce high quality cross cutting briefing material for senior officials and Ministers who will attend high priority meetings and key stakeholder events.

• You will be comfortable working to tight deadlines and high standards to ensure to seniors and Ministers are presented with the right advice at the right time.  
  
  
• You will be keen to upskill yourself on new policy areas, look for gaps or flaws in existing policy, and be eager to come up with innovative solutions to help solve them.

• You will also be comfortable using analysis to make compelling evidence-based arguments.  As a team player, you will be ready to adapt and support your team, and equally draw on your team’s support when producing joint outputs.
  
  
• You will support a positive team culture, treating others on the team with kindness and respect.

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 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 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.

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 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

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.