About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade is the department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export around the world and support economic growth in the UK. The Digital Trade and Telecoms team is at the cutting edge of the department’s international trade agenda. As the global economy increasingly shifts towards digital, goods, services and information (including data) are moving between countries more frequently, and easily, than ever before. Firms selling goods or providing services digitally have taken local and national markets to a global scale.  

The team’s vision is for the UK to be a global leader in digital trade, with a network of international agreements that drive investment, productivity and economic growth across the country. We deliver that vision through:  

Negotiating and implementing modern digital and telecoms provisions in Free Trade Agreements and Digital Trade Agreements that support UK businesses and consumers.  

Working with forward-leaning partners at the World Trade Organization.  

Promoting digital trade and telecoms through multilateral fora, including the G7, G20, OECD, and UN bodies.   

Pioneering innovative solutions to digital trade and telecoms through UK thought leadership, engaging with business and wider communities. 

We are recruiting Senior Policy Advisors to join our team and help advance the UK’s digital trade and telecoms interests domestically and internationally.   

The postholders will work closely with a network of contacts across the department, across Whitehall and in industry, to drive this agenda forward. It will involve strong stakeholder engagement skills, including, on occasion, engaging with Ministers. The postholders will have the opportunity to develop the core skills of a government policy professional, including drafting briefings and developing policy. This is a fast-moving area and the postholders will be expected to flex their work to deliver against departmental priorities.  

Whilst knowledge of trade policy or domestic or international digital and telecoms policy would be beneficial, the team places a high value on learning and development with considerable training opportunities made available to the successful candidate. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to further their experience as a policy professional and/or develop expertise in digital and telecoms international trade policy. 

We are a friendly, supportive, and inclusive group, committed to generating a positive team culture.  We are committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive team and achieving the Civil Service’s ambition to be an inclusive employer.

Job description

We are recruiting to a number of posts in the Digital Trade and Telecoms team.

The roles involve a mixture of technical policy development and broad strategic thinking. The successful candidates will lead policy development of areas within digital trade and telecoms. You will also support areas of ongoing trade negotiations on digital trade and telecoms. The postholders will work with a network of colleagues and stakeholders across the department, Whitehall and in industry.  The roles are stretching and require the postholders to be comfortable with technical detail and have the ability to develop robust and persuasive arguments.   

You will be expected to work flexibly, across teams and tasks, as business priorities evolve. 

Your work may include: 

• Leading policy development on priority digital trade and telecoms policy areas, developing an expertise and driving forward innovative policy solutions, and working with domestic and international stakeholders; 
• Undertaking negotiation preparation. This could include scoping of negotiation partners’ positions, developing briefs for negotiation rounds, working with lawyers on legal text and devising strategies. You may also be required to represent UK digital and telecoms interests in negotiations with international partners; 
• Managing a complex and diverse stakeholder network, including businesses and government departments, taking account of their views in policy development; 
• Advising and briefing senior officials and ministers on policy issues related to digital trade and telecoms policy; 
• Providing analysis and input for reviews and amendments to UK trade agreements; 
• Providing policy support for resolving market access barriers faced by UK businesses; 
• Supporting the department’s involvement in cross-Whitehall forums. 

You may be required to travel internationally to fulfil your role. 

Person specification

Essential criteria

We are looking for candidates with: 

• Ability to work collaboratively in and across teams, building and maintaining long-lasting working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, sometimes in challenging circumstances;  
• Ability to persuade and influence others. Confident, and clear written and spoken communication skills; 
• Strong analytical skills that drive evidence-based decision making. Experience of analysing information from a range of sources and making recommendations; 
• Ability to work under pressure, balance competing priorities and deliver to tight deadlines. 

Desirable criteria

We would particularly like to hear from you if you also have any of the following: 

• Experience of, or interest in, trade or digital and telecoms policy;  
• An interest in the digital technology and telecoms industries;  
• Experience of policy development; 
• Experience of working in an international context or international trade negotiations; 
• Experience of working with or within government departments;  
• Experience of working with legal text. 

Personal Attributes and Skills

• Ability to pick up and understand new topics and material quickly. 
• Comfortable working flexibly and independently, responding positively to new work and other changes as they arise. 
• Team player, willing to support colleagues across the team to deliver our work. 

The Digital Trade and Telecoms Team is a collaborative, friendly and diverse team and we particularly welcome applications from diverse groups. 

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.

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 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.

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 we are recruiting for more than one role, we will run two candidate information sessions to provide more information about the roles. These will take place on:

Tuesday 30 July 2024, 15:00 - 15:30 which you can join here

Thursday 2 August 2024, 10:30 - 11:00 AM which you can join here

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.

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. 

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.