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. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

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

We are recruiting for a stretching and rewarding Grade 7 role working in our Product Safety Policy Impact area.  We are seeking candidates with the passion and ability to make a real difference to our work and team culture. 

The role sits in the Legislation, Powers and Reform team which works to ensure we have the right legislation in place to implement the UK’s product safety framework, from marking to conformity assessment processes, to assessing that the framework remains fit for the modern and digital age.  This includes an extensive programme of communications, engagement, and policy development internally, externally and across a range of other Government Departments.

The role will report to the Grade 6 Head of Team, working closely with the wider Grade 7 cohort across product safety policy and other OPSS teams. You will also have line management responsibility.  

We are looking for an enthusiastic, flexible and resilient candidate to lead delivery of all OPSS’s legislation activity, working closely with the Policy Impact Area and central DBT legislation colleagues to manage and deliver OPSS’s programme of (largely) secondary legislation proactively identifying changes needed and supporting OPSS teams on delivery of Statutory Instruments (SIs), from training on process and procedures to supporting on documentation and debates, coordinating engagement with the Devolved Administrations and having oversight of our assimilated law interests. You will work closely with a range of teams across OPSS, cross-Whitehall Departments, DBT colleagues and Legal. There will be a need to understand their policy deliverables and the potential to develop policy of a cross-cutting nature and where a consistent legislative approach is needed. In addition, the Team has responsibility for ensuring we have the right primary powers in place and will be undertaking a bill bid as soon as possible, which could result in being part of a wider team delivering a Bill in the future. However, the role will initially be involved in supporting the primary legislation bidding process and considering how policy proposals can be implemented legislatively. As such, experience of primary legislation processes would be useful.

Specifically in the role you will lead on:

• Proactive engagement with policy officials across OPSS to coordinate OPSS policy requirements into the OPSS legislative programme and in particular with the policy teams developing proposals for a new regulatory framework;
• Support in our bid for primary legislation and potentially becoming part of a Bill Delivery Team, and considering mitigating options if there is no immediate opportunity for primary legislation 
• Lead on delivery of all OPSS SIs;
• Manage OPSS’s assimilated law programme with the DBT Smarter Regulation Team;
• Working with other Government departments to ensure legislative planning and delivery aligns;
• Developing policy on cross-cutting areas and where a consistent approach to legislating is required;
• Line management of an HEO

Please note that this role is open to candidates working in either our London or Teddington office. When you are required to give a preference, Twickenham will appear rather than Teddington, so please be aware that you should choose this option if you wish to be based in Teddington. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria

We are keen to hear from people with:

• Experience of working in a past paced environment;
• Experience of developing policy;
• Problem solving skills and a creative approach to delivery;
• An understanding of legislation and how Parliamentary processes work 

Desirable Criteria 

• Knowledge of manufactured goods or regulation policy. 
• Experience working on EU Exit, trade or international engagement. 
• Understanding the interests of UK businesses and experience managing stakeholders.  
• Experience of working on primary legislation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,026, Department for Business and Trade contributes £15,397 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.

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:

•  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.

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.

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a short oral presentation, details will be provided prior to your 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.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.

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

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.