About the job

Job summary

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to play a key leadership role within the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) and to drive improvements to business to business payment practices across the UK.  

Late payments and extended contractual payment terms are amongst the most important issues facing UK businesses. When a business is not paid quickly it has severe negative impacts, often leading to the failure of that business. The OSBC was set up to tackle this challenge, through resolving late payment disputes and changing the payment culture that enables extended payment terms. The Government recently published The Prompt Payment and Cash Flow Review (November 2023) including a plan of action for improvement across the UK. 

As Chief of Staff to the Small Business Commissioner, you will lead a dedicated team to tackle poor payment practices across the UK. Your team will undertake investigations into poor payment practices, take forward complaints from affected businesses and signpost affected businesses to further support. You will be the Small Business Commissioner’s right-hand person in driving a cultural change in payment practices so that UK businesses can thrive

The successful candidate will be seconded from DBT to OSBC for the duration of this role. This role will require regular (e.g. weekly) travel to the OSBC office in Birmingham

Job description

As Chief of Staff your primary responsibility is to ensure the Small Business Commissioner is 100% supported and empowered in their role of driving improvement to payment practices across the UK. 

You will ensure the OSBC is a well-oiled machine that delivers impact every day for UK businesses. For this you will have full leadership and operational responsibility for a team of approx. 10 FTE. You will set priorities and strategy, oversee engagement with senior stakeholders and media, ensure strong governance arrangements, implement clear financial processes & controls, and recruit & develop a high-performing team that meets KPIs each quarter. 

This role is an exceptional development opportunity for a candidate aspiring to senior leadership. You will work with the Small Business Commissioner to shape the OSBC as it continues to evolve within this high priority & highly visible area of policy. You will work closely with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to implement actions from the 2023 Prompt Payment and Cash Flow Review, and you will rapidly drive forward the changes UK businesses urgently need. 

Person specification

Essential criteria:  

• An ability to provide high-quality, trusted advice to senior leadership and to tackle a range of issues with diplomacy, discretion and a can-do attitude. 
• A strategic awareness of wider organisational, departmental, political and economic contexts, including being able to recognise how these could impact your area of work and bring this to bear on how work is planned and delivered. 
• An ability to lead and drive organisation-wide change and to ensure ongoing continuous organisation-wide improvement.  
• An ability to build and maintain a strong and collaborative working relationship with the DBT Prompt Payment & OSBC Sponsorship team.  
• An ability to recruit, build and lead a team in an inclusive & supportive way that builds capability, encourages personal & skills development, and delivers results. 
• An eye for detail and the ability to work at pace to ensure effective delivery even during the busiest times, thinking on your feet to deal with unexpected events while also maintaining momentum on longer term priorities. 
• Highly developed written and communication skills with confidence engaging senior stakeholders in a range of settings, including a proven ability to prepare high quality reports / briefings / advice. 
• An ability to make decisions, communicate these clearly across a team and implement and embed change. 
• An ability to identify and manage potential, emerging and existing risks, knowing when to tackle issues directly and when to escalate. 
• An ability to establish & oversee robust organisational processes including performance management, governance, risk management, evaluation and reporting / audits, and finance, including oversight of producing the OSBC’s Annual Report & Accounts. 
• An ability to manage resource, budgets, staff and procurement. 

Desirable criteria:  

• Some knowledge of UK business policy, especially relating to SMEs

Personal Attributes & Skills 

• A trusted advisor who builds a close working relationship with the Small Business Commissioner, acts with their delegated authority, and provides sound advice to them on a range of issues. 
• A skilled communicator who represents the views of the Small Business Commissioner with confidence and conviction to internal and external stakeholders, and who is comfortable working & engaging at all levels. 
• An exceptional leader who can drive organisational-wide change, ensure strong performance from their team and oversee a wide range of high-quality delivery. 
• An operational thinker who can establish clear processes, performance measures, evaluation and ways of working. 
• A problem-solver who can tackle complex issues.  
• A supportive manager who sets high expectations and develops their team. 
• A relationship builder who establishes mutual respect and trust. 
• Flexible, driven, self-motivated, highly organised, and able to deliver at pace.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,432, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,396 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 in-person, with the choice of attending interview in either London or Birmingham. The interview will consist of a task-based exercise and questions based upon the behaviours listed above

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 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 /Disclosure Scotland/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

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.