About the job

Job summary

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is based in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and combines operational and policy expertise from DBT with advisory teams from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO). 

We regulate military and other sensitive exports such as dual-use items (goods, software, technology, documents and diagrams which can be used for both civil and military applications). This is done through a licensing system, ensuring UK exports are consistent with our national and international obligations and standards. 

This is a key role for ECJU, delivering a new online export licencing system called Licensing for International Trade and Enterprise (LITE). 

As Project Support Officer, your primary role will be to assist the LITE Team and colleagues from other functions, to ensure that the project is delivered successfully at pace.

The role will report to the Project Manager and together you will combine waterfall and Agile delivery techniques as you collaborate with business and digital colleagues.

You will support a number of PPM processes including project planning, reporting, risk management, governance and secretariat. In addition, there will be opportunities to expand into change management and communications, including leading presentations and collaborating across the department. 

You will need to be well organised, work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders and deliver at pace in a high-profile team. It is a challenging role that offers a high degree of stretch and opportunity to learn new skills.

IT delivery experience isn’t essential but Project Management experience across all fundamentals would be advantageous. 

Job description

Responsibilities include:

• Risk management – coordinating commissions for timely returns, ensuring action owners provide quality updates. Ensure returns undergo the clearance process so senior managers can review returns.   
• Planning and scheduling – providing planning support to the project on a broader basis, identifying dependencies. Maintain planning processes to review progress and communicate progress/slippages to relevant stakeholders at working level via reporting processes. Support Project Manager with planning workshops.  
• Comms – provide support to the Communications work-stream, through leading the communications plan and building into the LITE project plan, including drafting of products, support with external and internal events to engage the stakeholder community. 
• Change management – support the Change Manager with stakeholder analysis workshops, capturing outputs of these forums and supporting on the development of change products/activities.   
• Governance – provide support to LITE Project Board – proposing agendas, commissioning content, quality checking papers, managing stakeholders, managing logistics, delivering quality outputs. Provide project support for LITE Senior Leadership Team. Ensure actions and decisions of this governance forum are communicated in a timely manner.
• Admin – ensure organisational tasks are carried out efficiently. 
• Project support - with focus on tech delivery strand – coordinating proposals, attending key decision meetings and providing outputs, project management of issues to sound resolutions. 

Person specification

Skills and Experiences:

Personal Attributes & Skills 

• Well organised, self-starter, capable of using their project delivery experience towards the success of the project.  
• Ability to work independently and confident working in ambiguous, complex, and uncertain environments. 
• Good communicator, that can problem solve and think critically.  
• Good collaborator that can get consensus quickly.  
• Quick learner of complex policy areas – good attention to detail.

Essential Criteria

• Knowledge and experience of Project Delivery and key fundamentals such as planning, reporting, governance, risk etc.
• Experience using Microsoft Office 365 software (e.g. PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Word). 
• Close attention to detail, good organisational skills, and the ability to develop and implement effective administrative processes. 
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to form well thought out conclusions and recommendations. 
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with an understanding of the use of different channels and formats for different audiences. 
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment with a certain level of uncertainty and ambiguity. 
• Understanding of the clearance process to help coordinate high quality returns amongst senior/project stakeholders. 
• Ability to be proactive, managing their own time and priorities effectively. 

Desirable Criteria  

• An understanding of IT delivery or digital roll-out project. 
• A recognised Project Delivery Qualification or be willing to work towards one.

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:   

• 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 (in no more than 500 words) explaining your motivation for applying for this role and the extent to which you satisfy the essential and desirable requirements of the role. 

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.  

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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.

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

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

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.