About the job

Job summary

Do you want to work in one of the most interesting, varied and fast-paced departments in Whitehall, coordinating Government announcements that communicate some of the highest profile issues facing the country? 

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is looking for a Senior News planner to join its mission to bring together business experts and world-class trade negotiators to support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.  

DBT’s news planning team sits at the heart of press office, working with colleagues across the department and beyond, to coordinate media strategies.  

This is a chance to join a newly restructured team responsible for processing a range of announcements each week, liaising closely with communications teams, parliamentary colleagues, policy officials, Private Offices, arm’s-length bodies and stakeholders, to ensure the smooth running of Government business, placing news planning at the heart of Departmental decisions. 

With a strategic lens, we bring the information together, and liaise with teams to ensure items are sequenced and coordinated to maximise their prominence. We lead on producing the weekly departmental grid and forward looks to spot opportunities and risks, to ensure that plans are aligned with the department’s and Prime Minister’s priorities.  

We discuss our upcoming announcements on a daily basis with No10 and meet with them each week, together with our cross-Whitehall colleagues, to pitch our items, help shape the news agenda, and align with the government’s top priorities and themes each week. 

The Senior News planner is an exciting revamped strategic role similar to an Editor of a magazine – we want someone who will think creatively about the stories we want to tell on each given week while plotting key moments for the department over the next six months. 

This role will at the heart of DBT’s forward planning and horizon scanning function, working with colleagues to strategically ensure they receive the right level of exposure, while managing a News planner who is responsible for the weekly grid. 

This is a chance to join a department breaking new ground as it tackles issues and takes opportunities all around the world. 

Job description

Key accountabilities of the role include: 

• Lead on weekly brainstorming sessions and horizon scanning helping to generate creative ideas with colleagues to ensure that there is a strong strategic drumbeat of announcements communicating the DBT story. 
• Responsible for the department’s forward look by working with colleagues across DBT, Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) and external organisations to discuss announcements and external activities to understand how they align with our forward planner, and strategically shape these stories and effectively pitch to No10’s planning team. 
• Act as one of the main point of contacts with No10’s planning team and ensuring that our announcements are reflected and prominent within wider Government plans. Support the News planner who represents DBT at the weekly cross-Whitehall meeting at No10. 
• Manage the News planner to ensure that the departmental two-week grid is accurate and of high-quality, reflecting DBT’s priorities and includes parliamentary business, cross-Whitehall activity, upcoming statistics, and ALB and external activity. 

Person specification

Essential criteria 

• You are a proactive, confident, creative thinker with excellent organisational skills with a strong news sense by horizon scanning to strategically generate, edit and communicate DBT’s story and priorities.  
• You have exceptional communication skills and previous experience working in the Civil Service or an external agency working in planning or campaigns, with the ability to build strong relationships to be seen as a trusted advisor and influence stakeholders at all levels.  
• You can strategically group together announcements and working with colleagues across DBT, ALBs and external organisations to pull together creative communications plans for milestones, anniversaries and PR moments like International Women’s Day. 
• You will lead brainstorming sessions, but also our grid meetings, and playing an integral role in news planning meetings with Ministers, Spads and No10. 
• You will have previous line manager experience and will oversee the HEO news planner to ensure they are delivering on the above objectives when pitching grid slots to maximise DBT coverage. 

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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.  

After the closing date 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. 

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. 

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

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.  

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.   

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

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.