About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a motivated and collaborative person for the role of Senior Policy Adviser, Company Reporting. In this newly-created SEO-level role, you will be part of the Corporate Reporting, Audit, Business Leadership and Diversity team, in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

Company reporting is an important part of how companies do business in the UK, with significant implications for investment and economic growth. It provides a way for companies to communicate with their investors and share information about their businesses, and improves corporate transparency. Company reporting includes both financial reporting and reporting on non-financial matters, such as climate and environmental sustainability.

This role will give you the opportunity to help shape the future of company reporting in the UK. You will work on challenging and interesting policy areas, such as sustainability reporting and the future of anti-bribery regulations. You will support the work of the team as we consider how best to develop these reporting frameworks to help achieve the government’s objectives.

This role will also give you the opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including companies, investors, civil society organisations, and regulators. In this role, you will lead on stakeholder engagement for your policy areas, helping the team to engage and build relationships with these key external groups. This will be an opportunity to showcase and develop your stakeholder engagement skills and build your knowledge of the policy area.

You will also collaborate with other colleagues in DBT, such as analysts, policy colleagues, and ministerial teams; and with other Whitehall departments. The team works most closely with HM Treasury, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

You do not need to have a background in company law, accounting, sustainability, or any other specific background to be successful in this role. DBT will support you to develop your knowledge in these areas and to build your technical understanding of the company reporting framework. An interest in the policy area and willingness to learn is more important than prior technical knowledge.

Experience in a policy role, or similar experience, is helpful but is not essential, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Job description

This role covers Company Reporting policy in general, and may therefore evolve over time as new issues and ministerial priorities arise in this area. However, you can expect to prioritise the following areas of work in the next year:

• Considering the future of the anti-bribery regulations to support the Government’s objectives for regulatory reforms.
• Climate Transition Plans – developing our response to the upcoming public consultation on climate transition plans, helping to shape the government’s position on this important category of climate disclosures.
• Considering how the UK's accounting standards framework can be modified to support UK inward investment and growth.  
• Stakeholder engagement, helping the team to collectively build stronger relationships with interested stakeholders across different sectors – this will ensure that our policy work is informed by ongoing evidence from external experts.

There may also be scope for you to be involved with the wider work of the team, depending on your interests and resourcing within the team. For example, the wider work of the team includes the process to assess and endorse international sustainability disclosure standards for use in the UK; the development of the UK Green Taxonomy; and the Review of Non-Financial Reporting.

This role does not include line management responsibilities.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Ability to learn and develop technical knowledge to support your policy work.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues within DBT, across Government and within external organisations, to build strong working relationships and communicate DBT’s positions effectively.
• Ability to use evidence to take decisions in a structured way, or make recommendations to decision-makers such as ministers or senior officials.
• Ability to work independently and proactively to progress policy areas within your portfolio.

Desirable Criteria

• Prior experience in a policy role or similar role, particularly a business policy role.

Personal Attributes & Skills

• Ability to learn quickly and build policy knowledge in a technical or unfamiliar area.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to confidently build relationships with stakeholders and represent your team’s position, including providing challenge where appropriate and resolving disagreement.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Collaborative approach and ability to see the bigger picture for your work, including anticipating political risks and ministerial perspectives on your policy area.

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 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 of up to 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 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. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/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.

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 

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.