About the job

Job summary

About OPSS 

Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you! 
 
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.

Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.

Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence

Further information can be found on our website here.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. 

We are Inclusive

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. 

Job description

The Role and Our Team 

We are recruiting for three exciting SEO policy roles to drive forward some of OPSS’s key policy responsibilities relating to borders, accreditation, and standards. In any of these roles, you will be a key part of a strong team of policy professionals, with the opportunity to work in a fast-paced and supportive environment, with regular engagement with external stakeholders and senior officials.    

The roles (which may vary depending on business priorities upon commencement) are:

SEO Borders and Market Surveillance Policy: 

This post will support the development of ‘market surveillance’ policy that underpins effective guidance and coordination of UK border and inland market surveillance activities (the checking of products for safety and compliance). 

The role will help create and deliver key strategies for the UK, against a backdrop of change at GB and NI borders. This will involve using the full suite of policy skills, including developing and analysing policy and legislative proposals for their impacts, adopting evidence-based positions and briefing.

SEO Standards and Domestic Implication Policy and National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) strategy: 

The Standards and Domestic Implication team manages the relationship between government and the British Standards Institution (BSI). The team oversee cross-government standards policy and are responsible for designating standards across the OPSS portfolio. The team also provide technical advice on domestic implications of trade deals and lead on the domestic implementation of provisions within these trade deals which relate to the OPSS remit. 

A key focus of this post will be formulating and delivering our strategy on the NQI, of which standards is part. This will include considering the opportunities of digitalisation and emerging technologies for the NQI, and considering the domestic and international facets of the NQI. You will engage with colleagues across OPSS, DBT and elsewhere in government, and with the UK’s NQI institutions. In particular, you will work closely with the OPSS accreditation policy team, who jointly lead NQI strategy within OPSS. 

There may also be an opportunity to support a senior manager in their role as the chair of a United Nations expert committee, drafting speeches and briefing, coordinating input from colleagues. 

SEO Accreditation Policy and NQI strategy: 

Accreditation ensures that those who carry out conformity assessment, testing, certification and inspection are competent to do so. Accreditation and conformity assessment are core parts of the UK’s NQI. 

The primary focus for this post will be developing and driving forward our strategy on the NQI. There will be significant cross-departmental and cross-government engagement opportunities, and you will engage particularly closely with the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS), a key NQI institution who OPSS sponsor. You may also be involved in international engagement on NQI given the links between the UK’s NQI and NQI systems globally. You will work closely with the OPSS Standards and Domestic Implication team.

In addition to NQI strategy, you may also support on a range of accreditation policy issues, including Ministerial briefings, project management and casework. 

Application process:

You will apply through this generalised campaign, which includes all of the roles detailed above. Should you be successful in the application process, you will be required to give your preference for the role you wish to undertake and the location. This will then be taken into consideration based on a merit order determined during the application process. Please note that we may allocate outside of merit order to allow us to fulfil roles most efficiently. If we offer you a position that you do not wish to accept, you should not expect to be offered a further role in this case.  

Please also note, if you narrowly miss out on securing an offer for one of these positions, you may be eligible to be offered a position in another, similar role. However please bear in mind, there is no guarantee that this will be possible.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria 

• The ability to quickly grasp and navigate complex policy issues. 
• The ability to provide high quality advice to senior officials and/or Ministers, alongside demonstrating the ability to problem solve and present evidence, analysis and options in a clear, structured and planned way. 
• The ability to build and maintain positive working relationships at all levels and confidently manage relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent all-round written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence a range of partners, even when views on priorities or approaches may conflict. 

Desirable Criteria  

• Experience of working in regulatory policy or the wider regulatory environment, and/or trade policy. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,633 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 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.

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.