About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) helps businesses in all parts of the UK to grow domestically and internationally, creating higher paying jobs and strengthening communities.  

We have teams across the UK and around the globe to provide a service to businesses, giving them the knowledge and connections they need to trade and grow. 

Our aim is to create thriving places of opportunity around the UK and to expand and develop markets–to help businesses grow and export; increase their global market value; and diversify their market risk. We will both attract new investment and support overseas direct investment.  

Scottish businesses have competitive advantage in several sectors that are key to delivering the UK’s ‘race to a trillion’ export ambition. These include energy transition & decarbonisation, renewables, financial and professional business services, healthcare and life sciences, space, tech and food and drink. DBT Scotland also seeks to maximise related cross-sectoral opportunities, such as those around artificial intelligence. 

This role represents an exciting opportunity to lead the team behind DBT’s strategic sectoral export support and investment.  You will lead a team of six. This includes five senior colleagues responsible for developing strategies for DBT support in key sectors including life sciences, technology, energy, financial and professional business services and food and drink. You will also be responsible for the management of DBT Scotland’s investment lead - ensuring UK Government support is most effectively deployed to maximise delivery of successful inward investment in Scotland.  

You will work closely with colleagues across DBT and in other UK Government Departments. In addition, you will liaise closely with Scottish Development International (SDI), the other enterprise agencies in Scotland, the Scottish Government and business representative organisations to ensure DBT’s delivery of export support and investment is effective. You will provide Ministers and senior leaders in UK Government with advice on complex trade and investment issues.  

As part of the Senior Leadership team in the UK Nations directorate you will be jointly responsible for the corporate management of a complex directorate based in all four UK nations. Within DBT Scotland, you will work closely with the Deputy Director and Head of Export Delivery, who leads our International Trade Advisor service and engagement, ensuring coherence between our trade and investment strategy and our delivery and engagement.

Job description

This is an excellent opportunity to play an integral role providing leadership and day-to-day management for a team covering vital sectors to help maximise DBT’s impact in growing Scottish businesses. This is a fast-paced, innovative, and exciting portfolio of work, offering excellent opportunities for senior development in a leading government department on a Ministerial priority. 

Strategic Leadership  

You will support the Deputy Director for Scotland in articulating the strategic direction for DBT export and investment activity in key business sectors to ensure UK Government resources are effectively deployed to increase exports and export value and maximise delivery of successful inward investment. As part of this, you will employ a thorough understanding of the Scottish exports and investment strategic landscape, including as set out in Scottish Government strategies, in addition to UK Government.  The role will require you to consider a range of data and evidence to contribute to articulating and informing strategic objectives and measuring and evaluating performance.   

Relationship Management  

You will build and maintain strong strategic relationships with strategy leads in DBT sector teams and senior level contacts in SDI, Scotland’s other enterprise agencies and Scottish Government and other key stakeholders in Scotland (e. g. Business Representation Organisations). You will support DBT’s existing work to build relationships with high priority businesses in each nation by acting as a first point of contact.  

Team Management  

You will develop and lead a high-quality team comprising of five sector leads and the investment lead. You will empower the team to think creatively and develop innovative approaches that support them to deliver an effective service, working alongside the DBT nations teams in Belfast and Cardiff, as well as their sector teams. With the Deputy Director and Head of Export Delivery, you will develop DBT Scotland as a high-performing export and investment team ensuring strategic coherence and effective delivery.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

Experience of a successful leadership role in a complex organisation, providing strategic prioritisation and clear evidence of empowering others to achieve organisational goals.  

The ability to manage conflicting and complex demands and priorities, work at pace, flexibly and under pressure, and make effective decisions. 

Experience of using data, evidence and new technologies, to make clear, practical and manageable plans for service delivery and to proactively manage risks/ identify solutions. 

Experience in building team strategies and innovative problem solving at pace.   

Interpersonal effectiveness and a strategic approach to communication in managing staff.  

Desirable Criteria  

Strong knowledge of the Scottish economy and a strong network within the Scottish trade and investment landscape. 

Experience of engaging with investors, business or other commercial stakeholders. 

Personal Attributes & Skills

Ability to work as part of a matrix and in multi-disciplinary diverse teams. Ability to understand own role along with strengths in the team and to empower others to support delivery of the overall ambition. 

The ability to plan ahead, think strategically, and ensure that service provision is developed to meet changing business needs.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,432, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,397 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 Only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to 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 Scotland on your behalf.

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 

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission. 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.