About the job

Job summary

Trade sanctions is a high-profile area which sits at the heart of DBT’s business and trade agenda and across DBT’s domestic and international interests. DBT works with UK businesses and with domestic and international partners to support the UK’s global sanctions and economic deterrence objectives. Sanctions is a key priority for Ministers across several Government departments, with whom we work in close partnership on shared policy and implementation objectives.

In the aftermath of the illegal attack on Ukraine by the Russian government, Ministers announced the creation of a new unit in DBT, called the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI). OTSI’s objective is to enhance the impact of the UK’s trade sanctions regimes by helping businesses to understand and comply with trade sanctions and it will have a new civil enforcement toolkit to help it take agile and proportionate action against sanctions breaches, including issuing civil monetary penalties. 

OTSI is located in the Trade Defence Directorate. We are a small but growing team, currently in the set-up phase and expect it to become operational in the first half of 2024, subject to the necessary legislation.

As part of a newly forming team, you will have the opportunity to help shape its remit and culture, ensuring that the team delivers on this high-profile area of trade policy.

Job description

This is an exciting time to join OTSI, you will be helping to set up and run a team responsible for delivering trade sanctions licensing.  

• The initial phase of the role will involve leading on project set up tasks, which will include implementing documentation and processes and establish best.
• The role will also involve developing a very good understanding of UK trade sanctions legislation combined with practical problem solving. 
• You will manage, supervise, support and develop a small team of two HEO Licensing caseworkers and one EO Licensing officer. 
• You will be responsible for managing your team’s performance to ensure that processing of and decisions on casework are accurate, consistent, and timely.This includes making decisions on complex cases escalated to you and determining whether further escalation is required and making recommendations to senior decision makers. You will require good attention to detail and be able to analyse information quickly and efficiently.
• You will lead on the most novel and complex casework issues, working with the Head of the Licensing Team. 
• You will work closely with teams across the department including Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), as well as with multiple government departments to seek advice to inform timely licence application decisions. 
• You will help develop new intelligence and information flows for your team, and own and deliver projects that assist in developing the team’s capability to enable it to support OTSI licensing objectives.
• You will need to communicate effectively with a variety of stakeholders in different ways depending on the situation including handling difficult or sensitive situations. You will need excellent and accurate written skills.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Making effective decisions: proven ability to confidently make robust decisions and support your team to do so. This will include weighing up complex evidence and ensuring decisions are in line with legal and procedural requirements. 
• Managing a Quality Service: proven ability to lead and motivate a successful team to deliver a service that meets targets and expectations.
• Delivering at Pace: excellent attention to detail is a must, along with evidence of prioritising skills, flexibility, managing risks and excellent organisation.
• Communicating and Influencing: evidence of communicating effectively with a range of stakeholders from government colleagues to businesses to international counterparts. 
• Owing to the nature of OTSI’s licensing work, successful candidates must be willing to undergo Security Check (SC) security clearance before starting and Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance once in post if these clearances are not already held.

Personal Attributes & Skills

We would like to hear from candidates who: 

• Are comfortable and confident working with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and an excellent team player. 
• Have experience of working in an operational team or customer service environment. 
• Able to think in an objective and analytical manner – you will be able to assess complex information from a variety of sources to draw conclusions. 
• Are equally comfortable and adept in dealing with the big strategic issues and the technical details of a specific case. 
• Able to make confident, high-quality recommendations based on the available evidence and in line with guidance and the law. 
• Are motivated by building and leading a high performing team to deliver an effective and responsive service, underpinned by efficient processes and systems, and helping to shape and role model the culture and values of the team.
• Are excited by the prospect of being part of the set-up phase of OTSI, are motivated by developing and refining the licensing function.

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 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 (500 words) explaining your motivation for applying for the role and 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 only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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.

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

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

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 security 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.