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. 

OPSS has grown significantly over the last few years to be an organisation of over 500 skilled, hardworking professionals and has been growing its portfolio of work and responsibilities. Since being established in 2018, the then Secretary of State committed publicly to a consultation on our future status. This post belongs to a team who are central in supporting this work and the accompanying transformation journey! 
 
The team is now looking for a new post to support it in driving forward important work to coordinate the organisational change required to take OPSS from being a new organisation to a mature organisation, working in our engagement and delivery team. 
 
The Team is supported by a Team Leader (G6) and Deputy Director (SCS) and will work very closely with the Director and wider Leadership Team.​ 

You will work with closely with colleagues across OPSS to deliver and support a programme of communications and engagement. Focussing on the organisational objectives, delivery, expertise and environment.  
 
This opportunity requires the successful candidate to work across the organisation. As part of the team, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the internal messaging, ensuring effective delivery.  

Job description

You will be an active member of the engagement and delivery team and a point of contact for the whole organisation. You will provide support to team leader and senior management in delivery of engagement activity by: 
 

• Acting as the first point of contact to ensuring effective cross-office messaging.

• Coordinating staff engagement groups.

• Taking responsibility for communications channels, including managing the publication process, conducting interviews, writing, editing, scheduling, and allocating work within the team. 

• Working with teams across OPSS to create and quality assure intranet content.

• Managing engagement programmes and focus groups – calendars, rooms, liaison with individuals and teams, trackers.

• Supporting delivery of the communications and engagement strategy through tracking and reporting on activity, how they deliver their objectives and making recommendations for improvement. 

• Planning and delivery of campaigns and content to meet organisational objectives. 
• Building strong relationships with stakeholders across OPSS and wider BEIS & Government networks, as an advocate for the work of OPSS across the Civil Service. 
• Proactively identifying news stories that add benefit for staff and ensure they are kept engaged and informed on all matters relating to OPSS, Market Frameworks and BEIS.
• Planning, writing and delivering proactive promotional materials to effectively promote internal events and corporate achievements and notices. Ensuring key stakeholders have timely access to relevant information and resources.

• Supporting the delivery and analysis of the annual People survey and supporting the team in delivering against the outcomes of the survey. 

• Providing administrative support to manage engagement channels, and events calendar.  

• Supporting the wider team in delivery of engagement plan. 

• Analysing, monitoring and evaluating information, using insights to improve activity. 

• Keeping up to date with changes in legislation, standards and best practice in own area of work.

Person specification

Essential:

We are interested in hearing from applicants who feel that they can demonstrate the following attributes: 

​• Confident using digital platforms and Microsoft Office tools including PowerPoint.  

• Ability to work to deadlines and manage a busy workload and to understand the importance of timely escalation when deadlines are in jeopardy. 

​• Ability to manage events and tasks independently. 
 
• A good team player with the ability to work with, and maintain, positive relationships with colleagues at all levels across the organisation. 
 
• Strong administration/project management skills. 
 
• Good oral and written communication skills with the ability to adapt in style and presentation depending on the target audience. 
 
• A proven ability to work with ambiguity and change of priorities at short notice.  

​• An ability to identify creative solutions to problems and seek out opportunities to create effective change.   
 
• Experience of delivering service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking into account of diverse customer needs. 
 
• Take ownership for delivering timely and quality results for multiple tasks with focus and energy.

​• Solve problems through collection, organisation and analysis of information. 
 
• Attention to detail. 
 
• Effective time management skills. 
 

​Desirable: 
 
• Ability to translate complex information in a visual way. 

​• Ability to plan, support, promote, and coordinate the delivery of in person, virtual and hybrid events and engagement programme to deliver on our communications and engagement strategy and ensure consistency of branding. 
 
• Experience of providing advice to colleagues seeking to arrange internal events and assisting with event proposals to ensure they meet objectives and are effective for the right target audience. 
 
• Experience of planning the content and managing the process of a weekly high profile organisational communication production.

​• Strong understanding of both engagement and event management.

​• Track record of event management and engagement. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,858, Department for Business and Trade contributes £8,871 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:    

1. 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.
2. 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. 
• 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.

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.