About the job

Job summary

The post is based in the Consumer and Competition Policy (CCP) Directorate and the Competition, Markets and Regulatory Reform Group. We play a role in the Department’s vision by ensuring businesses improve their service offer and consumers get good deals. It drives business to invest and innovate and improves living standards through lower prices. This is an exciting time to be working in CCP! We are working on a number of high-profile, fast-paced policy areas. CCP is sociable and encouraging - our BETTER CCP programme strives to inspire everyone to ask questions and put forward ideas in a safe environment.  We also are strongly committed to personal development of everyone across the team. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious colleague to develop their policy skills in a captivating and wide-ranging policy area. The UK postal service is highly valued by business, the public and politicians. It therefore attracts significant Ministerial and parliamentary attention. Royal Mail, fully privatised in 2015, serves a meaningful role for rural and vulnerable postal consumers, and for Government’s all-public communications. Post is important to the UK economy as an enabler of trade. Royal Mail is designated as the Universal Service Provider (USP) and is the only UK postal operator that has the network capability to deliver to all 30 million addresses in the UK. The service is regulated by The Office of Communications (Ofcom) under the Universal Service Obligation (USO). The postal service and Royal Mail’s network, by virtue of its delivery of a critical public service, is designated under the Government’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) regime.  

We aim to deliver a world-leading regulatory framework that:  

• Maintains a universal postal service serving users' needs, now and in the future 
• Encourages competition and better user outcomes; and
• Minimises the regulatory burden on business

Job description

As a policy adviser you will:  

• collect and review information and data, including that provided by colleagues, Royal Mail, Ofcom and others to inform advice and support to colleagues to make accurate decisions and recommendations.  
• communicate effectively and authoritatively with colleagues, Ministers’ offices and wider collaborators.
• supervise progress against goals and targets and keep work on track. This will help develop your project management skills.  
• develop your own networks across government and industry to ensure you are kept aware of important developments and inform briefing.  

Key activities: 

• preparing briefings, speaking notes, PQs and returns to Ministerial correspondence and scrutinising them to ensure they are of consistently high quality.  
• supporting the SEO leads on policy projects including Critical National Infrastructure and international postal policy.  
• developing relationships with key collaborators including Royal Mail, Ofcom, other mail operators, The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), The Royal Household (Lord Chamberlain’s Office), and the Universal Postal Union.  
• supporting work on options for future development of domestic postal policy, as appropriate, engaging with the sector’s stakeholders.  
• maintaining a timely flow of information to senior managers, prioritising your and team activities and mitigating against delivery risks.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

1. Good written and verbal communication skills.
2. Interpersonal skills and ability to engage with a range of stakeholders.
3. Planning and organisational skills, including the ability to manage several competing priorities.
4. Attention to detail.

Desirable Criteria  

This is an opportunity to develop your policy skills. Experience of having worked in policy is desirable but not essential as we will support you in developing these skills. 

Personal Attributes & Skills 

Information about what the ideal candidate would be like in their character and what they would bring to your team.

• You will be highly organised, flexible and resilient, able to plan, organise and work well under pressure – managing conflicting demands and the multi-faceted elements of this role effectively.
• You will have effective and confident communication skills – an ability to liaise with staff and stakeholders at all levels effectively and communicate with clarity and confidence. 
• You are also able to learn quickly and take the initiative.  
• You have a strong interest in and focus on continuous learning for yourself and others, and be open to learning, keeping your knowledge and skills set current and evolving. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,329, Department for Business and Trade contributes £7,379 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. 

After the closing date 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. 

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

1. 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.
2. 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.  

A sift will be conducted against essential criteria based on your CV and Personal Statement. In the event of a large number of applicants, the sift will be conducted against first Essential Criteria (Communication Skills). Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to 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.