About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. 

This role is based in the Market Distorting Practices and Economic Coercion Team, part of the Trade Defence directorate, within DBT’s Economic Security and Trade Relations (ESTR) Group. The Trade Defence directorate works to ensure the UK is defended from unfair trade, market distortions and emerging threats to protect our economic prosperity and security.

The Market Distorting Practices and Economic Coercion Team is recruiting for at least one stretching policy Grade 7 role. The Market Distorting Practice team is responsible for the underlying policy and international engagement on the UK’s trade approach with respect to harmful subsidies, unfair behaviour by state-owned enterprises and unfair competition. We work to ensure open and fair competition for UK businesses through trade channels such as multilateral fora, trade agreements, bilateral engagement and through helping to address bilateral market access issues on these areas.

This role will require the successful candidate to proactively lead on all trade agreement implementation, including any ongoing market distorting practice elements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership General Review, as well as lead on relevant bilateral engagement (including on market access issues), and contribute to the development of market distorting practice policy. The role may require international engagement, particularly through relevant free trade agreement implementation committees.

This is an exciting area of policy. You will need to be proactive, dynamic, able to balance competing priorities and problem-solve. While you do not need specific knowledge of trade policy, you will need to become an expert quickly. You will also need to be able to express technical arguments in a manner that is easy for non-experts to understand. You will need to confidently collaborate with Government departments and businesses to identify UK interests, leverage support for policy positions, and help formulate UK policy for international engagement and responding to market distorting practices. 

We are actively seeking applications from every part of the community. We are especially interested to hear from candidates from underrepresented backgrounds (including BAME, LGBTQ+ and those with hidden and unhidden disabilities) and our recruitment process is specifically crafted to be fair and accessible for all applicants.

Job description

The role will lead and manage a small sub-team responsible for implementation of the UK’s trade agreements and bilateral market access issues on subsidies, state-owned enterprises and competition.

They will be supported by their G6 line manager, colleagues in our expert and specialised team as well as by country, analytical, legal and sectoral experts in the wider Department.

Key responsibilities for this role include: 

• Oversee planning and leadership for implementation of the relevant aspects of the UK’s trade agreements, including participation in relevant international meetings and leading policy and engagement for any ongoing market distorting practice elements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership General Review.
• Policy development and case handling on bilateral market access issues related to subsidies, state-owned enterprises and competition.
• Where relevant, lead policy development and engagement related to market distorting practices in non-binding trade agreements.
• Lead responses to briefings and commissions across government for bilateral engagement on market distorting practices.
• Contribute and lead on development of elements of the wider market distorting practices trade policy, including adapting to emerging and new priorities of the government.
• Stakeholder engagement with relevant business and government holders, including engaging cross-Whitehall and with the Devolved Governments on market distorting practice matters.

You will need to be flexible and prepared to support work across the team, and wider Directorate, as required and to adapt to new priorities.  We work in an emergent policy area and this role will suit a self-starter and leader who is comfortable with shifting priorities. We pride ourselves on investing in our peoples’ skills, knowledge and career development.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Experience of planning, briefing for and supporting delivery of successful international engagements.
• Excellent communication skills including drafting and briefing skills, and ability to influence effectively. You will be someone who can distil complex strategic or diplomatic factors into clear advice or communications for decision-makers and stakeholders.
• Ability to adopt a cooperative and collegiate approach within your team and with stakeholders, and experience of working closely with or coordinating other government departments at pace.  You will be someone who seeks out shared objectives across departmental boundaries and builds communities of interest that draw on the strengths of teams across HMG.
• Ability to operate with technical detail and uncertainty, adept at finding a way through ambiguity before identifying considered, evidenced-based solutions. You will be someone able to develop evidence-based proposals or strategies, confidently engaging stakeholders to unite behind an agreed vision.

Desirable Criteria  

• Experience of working on market distorting practice issues such as subsidies and state-owned enterprises and/or trade policy would be considered desirable.
• Experience working in an international context engaging with foreign officials.

Personal Attributes & Skills

The ideal candidate should be proactive, enthusiastic and a team player. Whilst the successful candidate will have defined responsibilities they should be willing to work flexibly across the team, to support key work as necessary and adapt to new priorities.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 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 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 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.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.

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

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.