About the job

Job summary

About OPSS  

Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!  

We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.  

Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.  

Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.  

Further information can be found on our website here  

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.  

We are Inclusive  

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.  

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. 

Job description

​​The Role and Our Team  

​The Head of Intelligence is a key functional team leader role within the Targeting branch of the Evidence Impact Area. 

​The Intelligence Team is responsible for collecting, collating and analysing information to produce and disseminate products which help shape and support OPSS regulatory decision-making at all levels. 
 
We are seeking a regulatory information and intelligence leader who can add to the diversity and scope of the team to lead our intelligence capability, delivering  operational, tactical and strategic regulatory information and Intelligence. 
 
As the Head of Intelligence, you will be a confident, collaborative leader, driving the team to build processes and engage across the Office to develop and embed an information and intelligence led culture, as well as forging links and maintaining relationships with the wider regulatory intelligence community. 
 
This is a great opportunity for an experienced leader who wants to take a step forward into a role that comes with a range of management and leadership responsibilities. Someone who can add to the diversity and scope of the team by using their acquired skills and abilities to develop and lead our information and intelligence function. 

​Applications are welcome from results-oriented individuals who have the energy to make positive change happen and are passionate about outcomes.  

​Key Responsibilities: 

​​As the Head of the Regulatory Information and Intelligence Team, you will: 

• ​Use effective visible leadership to translate OPSS strategy into clear and meaningful objectives, building a team environment in which everyone can and does contribute effectively. 
• ​Lead OPSS’s intelligence capability and the preparation of intelligence assessments at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. 
• ​Provide visible leadership to the team and across the Office to ensure information and intelligence driven insight is being used to drive operational policy making and regulatory activity and decision making. 
• ​Engage with intelligence and data partners to ensure we have access to and can analyse all relevant intelligence and data sources to provide the most accurate analysis. 
• ​Lead the delivery of high profile and complex information and intelligence reports that meet the needs of our customers. 
• ​Own the development of the Product Safety Database, building internal and external relationships to understand user needs. 
• ​Develop the capability of the regulatory information and intelligence team through coaching and professional development. 
• ​Be flexible - our work covers a broad range of regulatory areas, so you will need to quickly understand the differing needs of customers, hazards and risks relevant to each area of activity, and ensure that products are tailored to meet those needs. 
• ​Build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and tailor your communication to their needs. 
• ​Develop a OPSS regulatory intelligence model working with other product safety regulators in this area. 
• ​Line Management of two G7 workstream leads. 

​The role will require some travel throughout the UK for which Travel and Subsistence allowances will be available.

Person specification

Skills & Experience 

We would love to hear from you if you can demonstrate the following essential attributes. 

Essential 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to develop and manage professional relationships across organisational boundaries working collaboratively to achieve outcomes. 
• Be an excellent people manager, able to build capability and develop a successful and motivated team. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to develop and manage professional relationships across organisational boundaries working collaboratively to achieve outcomes. 
• Experience of delivering and managing operational activity and the production of information or intelligence assessments. 
• Strong analytics skills with proven ability to convey analytical outputs to both technical and non-technical audiences.  

Desirable 

• Accredited intelligence training (either GIAT, NIAT, DIAM, IPP) or experience of working in analytical system and environments. 
• Previous experience of working in a regulatory environment. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,432, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,396 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 Disclosure and Barring Service 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.

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 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.