About the job

Job summary

At DSIT, we’re all about cementing the UK’s position as a Science and Tech superpower. Our mission is driving stronger growth, better jobs and bold discoveries. We’re the Department investing in today to secure future economic growth. 

To help us get there, our Science and Technology Framework lays out the roadmap for everything we do, giving us a clear plan up to 2030. Together with stakeholders from across government and the SciTech sector we are:   

• Backing UK science, technology and innovation, boosting investment in our most exciting technologies and sectors of the future, to grow the economy and create high paid-jobs.  
• Tackling global challenges through international influence and partnerships to secure our future and security. 
• Improving lives by championing responsible innovation in the digital economy and public services  

We want DSIT to be the best place to work in government and central to this is our set of core values – think big, value people, create connections, cultivate curiosity. We created these together in our first months as a department and they guide how we work: helping us make decisions, informing our behaviour and interactions.    

From delivering the Online Safety Act 2023 and hosting the world’s first inaugural AI Safety Summit to boosting investment in R&D and Life Sciences, we have already achieved so much since we were created. But this is only the beginning and being a department for innovation, we’re excited to see what the future holds.  

Our Inclusive Environment  

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.  

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy. 

Find Out More 

You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/    

Job description

The International & Economic Security Directorate in DSIT has four Deputy Director teams responsible for international policy and strategy, national and economic security, semiconductors policy, and (this role) global engagement on digital trade, internet governance and digital standards. We work closely with No 10, Cabinet Office, FCDO, HMT, DBT and UKIC.

Specifically, our Directorate leads on:

• International policy, driving DSIT's international digital agenda through our bilateral and multilateral relationships, and leading on international Ministerial engagement.
• HMG engagement on digital technical standards through the global standards development eco-system, engagement on global internet governance, and negotiating digital chapters of trade agreements.
• National and economic security, leading the development of economic security policy in critical and emerging technologies, and responding to global technology-related threats impacting UK national security.
• UK semiconductors strategy in a global context.

Our Digital Standards Team leads UK policy on digital technical standards. It owns our UK cross-government strategy and coordinates our engagement with global standards development organisations (SDOs). Digital standards ensure that tech is interoperable worldwide. Small design decisions cumulatively have geo-political economic, security and human rights implications too. We seek to protect UK interests and support the industry-led, multi-stakeholder basis of the global digital standards eco-system.

We have an established UK policy approach to digital standards. We engage with industry and with global SDOs (e.g. ITU, IETF, ETSI, 3GPP). We focus in particular on standards for priority technologies (e.g. telecoms, internet, cyber, AI, quantum). We drive UK initiatives, such as the AI Standards Hub with the Alan Turing Institute, British Standards Institution and National Physical Laboratory. We build relationships not only with like-minded partners but also with middle-ground and developing countries.  

International engagement is key, both bilaterally (e.g. Five Eyes, EU) and multilaterally (e.g. G7, UN bodies, Commonwealth). As well as leading digital standards strategy and policy, this role helps ensure coherence across our wider internet policy. We ensure joined-up approaches across internet standards and internet governance, working in lock-step with other teams.

Person specification

Key responsibilities:

• Providing positive leadership, including corporate leadership, to the Digital Standards Team and across the Directorate more widely, and supporting the team through an ongoing period of change.
• Leading UK strategy and policy on digital standards, and engaging closely with other teams in DSIT and Whitehall working in SDOs to ensure effective coordination of UK approaches.
• Leading delivery of our refreshed UK digital standards policy approach, including proactively communicating and influencing international partners and domestic stakeholders to promote UK thought leadership.
• Promoting our standards agenda and close team working across the wider Directorate, DSIT and wider Government, engaging policy teams to ensure digital standards are mainstreamed into wider tech policy.
• Guiding, with partners, initiatives such as the AI Standards Hub, the Quantum Standards Network and our Knowledge Sharing Programme with the Republic of Korea.
• Ensuring coherence across wider internet policy and our international engagement, working closely with other teams to join up our approaches to internet standards and internet governance.

Skills and experiences:

We would love to hear from you if you have / are:

• A background in digital technical standards and experience of engagement with industry (highly desirable).
• International experience on tech issues, influencing skills and the ability to build relationships and networks.
• A track record positive and inclusive leadership and a One Team collaborative ethos.
• Strong corporate leadership skills and experience of leading teams through change.
• A self-starter who drives work proactively and delivers policy outcomes through teams.
• Communication skills to make complex technical issues easily understandable (both written and oral)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,660, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £17,458 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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, behavioural statements and a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to explain how you meet the skills and experience for this role.

Candidates will be sifted on behavioural statements, CV, and personal statement. 

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV. 

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour questions.

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time. 

A reserve list of candidates may be kept for up to 12 months.

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Expected week of sift (w/c): 12/08/2024
Expected week of interview (w/c): 02/09/2024
Interview location: MS Teams

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview.

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

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland 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

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 had their employment continued. Any applicant’s 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.

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 developed vetting (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.