About the job

Job summary

There are 2 roles available,

• Policy Advisor Public Bodies Governance and Assurance role - is offered on a Permanent contract.
  
  
• Public Appointments Campaign and Programme Manager role - is offered on a 2 year FTA: Loan (for existing civil servants applying from an OGD), or Fixed-Term Appointment (for external candidates) Please note: Existing Civil Servants applying from an OGD will require prior permission from their line managers to be released on loan should they be successful in securing this role.

Public Bodies Team:

DCMS works with 42 Public Bodies funded to carry out work of a public nature on behalf of the Government. Often referred to as Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs), they include all of the national museums, Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Gambling Commission and UK Sport.

The Public Bodies team (part of the Public Bodies, Appointments, Honours and Awards team) works with teams across the Department, setting the framework for how DCMS oversees and partners with its Public Bodies. 

Its major work streams include:  

• Strategic communications with all 42 Public Bodies; their DCMS sponsorship teams and the Functional teams such as Finance and HR; 
• Delivering continuous improvements to governance arrangements; and
• Strengthening the Department’s Public Body sponsorship model.

Appointments Team:

DCMS is responsible for 42 Public Bodies - organisations set up to deliver government functions at arm’s-length, with independent boards. These are high profile organisations, ranging from Museums & Galleries such as the V&A, Tate and the British Museum to media and creative industries such as the BBC and the BFI, and sports organisations including UK Sport and Sport England. We’re also responsible for regulators including the Gambling Commission and the Charity Commission and advisory bodies including the Treasure Valuation Committee.

Please see candidate pack attached below for further information about the roles.

Job description

The Policy Advisor Public Bodies Governance and Assurance role will support on governance policies such as:

• The DCMS Framework Document refresh exercise for 42 Public Bodies, in accordance with HMT guidance and the principles of Managing Public Money. Activities include providing advice and upskilling to Sponsor teams, developing and maintaining tracking systems for reporting progress, resolving ad hoc queries and supporting regular engagement with HMT. In addition, undertake a lessons learned exercise in order to identify recommendations and best practice in advance of the next tranche of Framework Document reviews. 
• Coordinating and implementing the Chair Appraisals process by proactively supporting Sponsors and Public Bodies to ensure compliance with guidance; providing advice and guidance to Sponsors and other stakeholders, including upskilling.
• Monitoring of Public Body Partnership Meetings to ensure Sponsors and Public Bodies are compliant with relevant guidance and codes. Undertake analysis of meeting readouts to identify any individual or cross-cutting issues requiring further discussion, communication or escalation.
• Advising on and monitoring of Chair Appraisals and Board Effectiveness Reviews, working collaboratively with Sponsor teams and their Public Bodies to capture accurate and up-to-date data and producing related management information.
• Ensuring there is broad awareness of of the Sponsorship Code issued by the Cabinet Office and DCMS compliance.
• Advising on the Public Bodies Complaints and Whistleblowing guidance.

The Public Appointments Campaign and Programme Manager role will support on:

• Effective and efficient management of all Chair and Trustee appointments in a portfolio of DCMS public bodies;
• Building and maintaining effective relationships with our key stakeholders;
• Managing the regular timetable of SCS, Ministerial, Special Adviser and No10 meetings and preparing briefings and responses to cross government commissions and ad hoc requests from Ministers, No10 or senior officials;
• Continuous reviews of internal processes, implementing improvements in line with Cabinet Office, DCMS & Minister expectations and working across government;
• Supporting the team’s external comms, including Freedom Of Information requests and press enquiries as well as ensuring broader compliance with the Governance Code and Cabinet Office expectations, including record keeping, data management and the annual OCPA Audit.

Person specification

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:

Essential requirements:

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan, manage and deliver competing priorities to a high standard as part of a team and individually;
• The ability to work flexibly and overcome challenges, develop processes and manage through change;
• Strong stakeholder management experience and the ability to build trusted relationships within DCMS, across government, and with senior external stakeholders;
• Proven drafting skills, with the ability to draft guidelines and regular official written communications including submissions and;
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to pull together different sources to draw conclusions at pace and implement changes.

Desirable skills:

• Experience of working with public bodies or supporting a Board or Committee;
• An understanding of governance and assurance practices;
• Project management expertise and intermediate knowledge of using spreadsheets and other digital tools.

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Maria Mourin and Phil Hodges, and will take place on: Tuesday 9th July from 11:15am to 12:00pm 

The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.

Please register your interest by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation. 

Please note that the session will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,095, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £8,935 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.

To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than Tuesday 16th July 2024 at 23:55 via the CS Jobs portal:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable 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 and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 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 requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the ‘Application and Interview Guidance’ document attached to the job advert.

The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths and potentially include a presentation. 

The behaviours to be tested at interview are:

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Prior to the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance. Please note that this is not a DCMS policy, it is exclusively for this campaign. 

You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview. 

As part of your interview, you may be asked to deliver a short oral presentation. Full details of this, including the topic, and whether or not you will need to use visual aids, will be sent to you prior to your interview. 

Your interview will take place remotely via GoogleMeets.

For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.

Further Information

If the vacancy is offered as FTA/Loan, existing Civil Servants must join on a Loan basis only., Prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk   

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Information for Applicants’ document.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

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. 

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 had their employment continued. Any applicant’s 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.

Reasonable Adjustment

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, please:

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. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one. 

Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via dcmsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.

Feedback

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 counter-terrorist 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.