About the job

Job summary

The Labour Market Directorate is responsible for the framework of employment laws and rights which underpin the UK labour market. This includes analysing the labour market, developing the strategy, policies and legislation which govern it, and enforcing the law, working with partners across government.

Our overarching objective is to ensure the framework makes the UK labour market flexible and fair. For workers, we protect and enhance the employment rights which allow everyone to participate in the workforce, prevent discrimination and exploitation, and encourage employers to provide quality jobs. For businesses, we support good employers to thrive, including by ensuring laws are easy to comply with and that they are not ignored by an unscrupulous minority. 

The Labour Market Directorate is a friendly, supportive and inclusive place to work. The Directorate leads on a range of complex and fascinating policy areas. The policies that we lead on have a direct impact on the working lives of millions of people and the businesses that they work for.

Job description

We are recruiting for a Policy Adviser role in the Dismissal Team. Our work has real world impact, protecting people from unscrupulous employers and promoting fair treatment of employees in the workplace. Individual employment rights, particularly dismissal and wider employment contractual rights attracts significant parliamentary and stakeholder interest. You will work across a range of different policies covered by the team, including the implementation of the statutory Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement. You will also manage and lead on briefing requests and correspondence cases for the team. 

Your responsibilities in this role will be: 

• Managing, drafting and keeping track of all correspondence within the team’s policy areas.  
• Managing and drafting high-quality briefings for ministerial meetings, Parliamentary debates and public events. 
• Providing and contributing to the production of high-quality written advice to senior leaders and/or ministers. 
• Supporting and collaborating with team members to deliver the team’s wider objectives. 

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment. 
• Experience of drafting high-quality correspondence and briefings for senior leaders. 
• Experience of working collaboratively with a range of teams or stakeholders. 
• An interest in labour market policy. 

Personal Attributes & Skills 

• You must have strong and accurate drafting skills with the ability to write concisely and compellingly for a number of different audiences. This will include drafting letters to MPs and briefing packs for parliamentary debates.
• You will be able to learn quickly and get to grips with a technical policy area. You should be able to distil technical information into plain English for briefings and other communications.
• You will have great organisational skills and ability to work at a fast pace, whilst continuously maintaining high standards and attention to detail.
• You will be proactive and comfortable working independently, using your initiative when required, as well as demonstrating good teamwork and support for colleagues. 

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 of up to 750 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 that there is a high volume of applicants, a short sift will be conducted based on 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 

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 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.