About the job

Job summary

The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) was established by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. Fiona Dickie was appointed to the role of the Pubs Code Adjudicator in May 2020, having previously acted as Deputy from November 2017.

The role of the PCA is to enforce the statutory Pubs Code (the Code) which came into force in July 2016. The Code regulates the relationship between large pub-owning businesses and their tied tenants (a tied tenant is someone who is obliged to buy at least some of their alcohol from their landlord, sometimes with other products or services, usually in return for a reduced rent). The PCA is independent, with powers to arbitrate individual Code disputes and investigate suspected breaches of the Code. You can find out more about the PCA’s first investigation here. The Code applies to pub-owning businesses who own 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales. 

Further information on PCA can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/pubs-code-adjudicator

Please see the candidate pack at the bottom of this advert for further information.

Job description

About the Role

This is a fascinating time to take up a role in the office of the PCA’s (OPCA) regulatory team. This role is designed to deliver a balance of correspondence management and project management for regulation. This is an important role to deliver a challenging regulatory agenda as part of the PCA’s 3-year strategy, published in August 2022. 

The key disciplines for this post include stakeholder engagement, correspondence development, project management and identification of regulatory risks.

This role requires you to be a motivated, self-starter. In this role, you will work collaboratively with the PCA team to engage and communicate with stakeholders, gather and analyse information, monitor compliance and improvements in the sector, and consider appropriate levers to ensure effective and proportionate regulation.

Specific role activities include:

• Lead development of the correspondence function including developing clear lines to take for frequent questions and ensuring quality control in responses;
• Play a key role in developing and monitoring internal performance measures for correspondence management;
• Draft briefings for senior managers to inform them of key developments and recommendations, including providing supporting evidence;
• Manage enquiries and intelligence work, in particular the link between identifying emerging topics and developing into regulatory workstreams; and
• Project manage discrete regulatory workstreams, ensuring actions are delivered on time and to a high quality.

You will receive training on the Pubs Code to enable you to lead the correspondence function and support the Regulatory Policy Leads in assisting with project and policy development. You will also be considering intelligence, monitoring compliance and identifying areas requiring further action. You will be making regulatory recommendations to the PCA and senior managers, presenting your conclusions and identifying options for regulatory action. 

Other areas of work will be to respond sensitively to enquiries from tied tenants and to support the Regulatory Policy Leads with effective Code communications.

The PCA is a small friendly team that requires a flexible approach to roles for successful delivery. Training relating to the industry and the Pubs Code is regularly available and the PCA offers the opportunity to develop new skills and experience by working across different areas. There are also opportunities to represent the PCA at trade events and develop broader skills and secure qualifications.  

Person specification

What we are looking for  

Essential Criteria:

You will:

• Be experienced in managing and developing an effective correspondence function and ensuring high quality and timely responses;
• Have experience of communicating complex topics with authority to a diverse set of external stakeholders in a clear, accessible way, that also takes account of wider objectives and policy;
• Have strong project and programme management skills to ensure key milestones and targets are achieved;
• Be able to draft clear, high quality advice and recommendations to internal senior management;
• Have a keen eye for detail and experience of using critical thinking and analysis skills;
• Have experience of providing policy and analytical support;
• Be a self-starter who is able to identify and proactively address issues, work flexibly and adapt to changes quickly; and
• Be a team player able to establish credibility and a rapport quickly with internal and external stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

You will:

• Have the ability to adopt a structured, evidenced and pragmatic approach to problem solving;
• Have experience of working within a regulator or similar organisation.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• The PCA operates hybrid working arrangement blending home and office with an expectation of 4-8 days in the office each month. 

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.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:   

1. A CV for information purposes only.
2. A Personal statement (up to 500 words) setting out how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role.
3. Two Behaviours (up to 250 words each): Seeing the Big Picture and Managing a Quality Service.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The sift will be based on the Personal Statement and Behaviour questions.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will consist of behaviour-based questions on all of the behaviours listed above.

Sift and interview dates subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 22nd April 2024

Interview dates w/c 6th May 2024

Interview Location: MS Teams.

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Appointment Term

One of the following options will apply to the successful candidate:

• Secondment directly from their home department/organisation to the PCA for up to two years with a possible option to extend by agreement. This will be subject to agreement of the home department/organisation; or
• Two year fixed term appointment or loan (subject to agreement of the home department/organisation) to the Department for Business and Trade and secondment for two years from there to the PCA.

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 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.