About the job

Job summary

The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) directorate. It is made up of teams embedded in each English region and a Regeneration Delivery Unit working on place-specific transformation programmes, as well as a small local growth policy team.  DLUHC and DBT rely on area teams to work with people and places across the UK to develop and deliver policies to deliver Ministers’ objectives. We support economic development and growth in places across England. Each area team engages across their areas to understand politics, plans, opportunities and threats, and work to support places to deliver their ambitions; ensure United Kingdom Government (UKG) funding is used appropriately seeking to join it up; and provide essential local intelligence on economic and levelling up issues.  

We are looking for an adaptable and flexible individual for a new role that will provide support to priority projects across the Unit. This role will offer the opportunity to work on different, interesting and fast-moving policy propositions from their inception.  

The job will provide policy and project management support to: 

• Develop an agreed understanding of what problems and issues look like early on in the design stage. 
• Drive forward progress to an agreed timetable, managing delivery of milestones and management of risks.  
• Manage the secretariat for cross-government and external working groups.  
• Develop and set out options for what might be done to improve things, in papers you both contribute to or commission or through feedback from a wider working group. 
• Manage external consultation process.

Job description

• Support a range of engagement by their team, including developing agendas and arrangements for meetings inside and outside of His Majesty's Government (HMG). 
• Work with delivery, policy and area team colleagues and partners to spot opportunities, risks, and tackle issues as they arise, leading on corrective actions, drawing on support from others. 
• Represent Government at meetings. 
• Deliver quality advice on complex issues to Senior Civil Servants and Ministers.  
• Provide advice on key local challenges and opportunities for the team.  
• Use knowledge and awareness of policy to draft well written pieces of advice.  

Person specification

Essential criteria 

Good writing, communication and project management skills. 

Desirable criteria  

Experience of policy development and options appraisal.

Personal attributes & skills 

The ideal candidate will be curious and willing to learn. You should be comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment, working with senior people (within and outside of government) and happy to challenge thinking.  

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 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 500 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 CV only. 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.

Feedback

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.