About the job

Job summary

The UKSV Public Affairs Manager will provide oversight and support to the Public Affairs team, ensuring that all internal and external responsibilities are met. 

The role will involve liaising with internal and external stakeholders, supporting with the creation of new policy, ministerial submissions and overseeing the work of the wider team in fulfilling UKSV's statutory duties.

Job description

The key roles and responsibilities are:

• Lead the day-to-day management of the work within the Public Affairs team, ensuring that all key deadlines are met and that work is fairly distributed across the team.
• Oversight of all drafting, ensuring briefings are well-prepared, thorough and clear before passing for sign-off at relevant level.
• Ensure compliance with relevant delegations is maintained at all times.
• Liaison with teams across UKSV and wider HMG stakeholders.
• Support in legal-based queries and challenges, working closely with Cabinet Office Legal Advisers.
• Represent the team at various forums including, but not limited to, the Policy Council and complaints forum.
• Train, mentor and coach team members to support development of the whole team skill set.
• Line management responsibility for 2 x Higher Executive Officers.

Person specification

As a Public Affairs Manager within UK Security Vetting, we are looking for people who have the following expertise and attributes:

• Be a clear and strong communicator with the ability to understand and analyse complex issues and be able to communicate that through policy creation, submissions or verbally to stakeholders.
• Have the ability to work to tight deadlines to meet Ministerial expectations and statutory requirements.
• Have strong leadership skills to enable them to support and lead the team providing mentoring, coaching, and training opportunities where required.

Essential:

• Leadership experience.
• Experience of drafting, for example, policy, ministerial submissions, Treat Official, Ministerial Correspondence, Freedom of Information and/or Parliamentary Questions.
• The ability to understand and analyse data and evidence to make informed decisions.
• Experience of working collaboratively, both internally and with external partners to deliver outcomes.
• Clear Communicator both in oral and written form with the ability to adapt to different audiences such as Ministers or the general public.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of National Security Vetting.
• Understanding of Data Protection Legislation.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,850, Cabinet Office contributes £11,030 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 and Experience.

Application process

To assess experience, you will be asked to provide a 250-word personal statement and a name-blind (anonymous) CV as part of the application process.

You will also be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the Behaviours Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, and  Leadership.

At the sift stage you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Experience.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead behaviour of Delivering at Pace, and the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

At interview, you will be assessed on the Behaviours & Experience elements of the Success Profiles. 

The Behaviours being assessed are Delivering at Pace, Communicating & Influencing, Leadership and  Managing a Quality Service. 

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – 22/04/2024
Expected interview date/s - w/c 06/05/2024
Interview location - Google Meets Video Conference

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office 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

Reasonable adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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 /Disclosure Scotland 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

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 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.

Further information

Please note that this role requires DV clearance, which would normally need 10 years UK residency in the past 10 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

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

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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 developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.