About the job

Job summary

About OPSS  

Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge, and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!  

We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy).

We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.  

Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, recently with the addition of construction products regulation.  

Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.  

Further information can be found on our website here  

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity.

We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.  

We are Inclusive  

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.  

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. 

Job description

The Team 

The Metrology Policy team within OPSS leads on the of policy of legal metrology legislation to ensure that goods are sold by accurate weights and measures and deliver consumer confidence in our daily purchases of products such as food, drink and fuel.  It is a wide, high impact area with UK consumers spending around £300 billion each year on goods sold by weight or measure. 

The team develops and formulate policy, delivering evidence-based solutions and robust advice for Ministers, whilst supporting business to meet their obligations and ultimately protecting consumers and ensuring they have confidence in the products they buy.  

We deliver our policy through legislative and non-legislative means, and through engagement and collaboration across Whitehall and wider to make sure we are joined up and working in line with Government’s overarching aims. We are outward facing, seeking to use our expertise and knowledge to lead and influence on both the domestic and global stage. 

We are looking at re-shaping the metrology framework now we have left the EU to develop a regime that is agile and responsive.  This will enable us to meet challenges arising from advances in technology and novel products so that our metrology regulation is fit for the future and embraces the opportunities of innovation, new technologies and new trading partners.   

SEO Metrology Policy - Retained EU Law Legislation 

This post will support the Metrology policy team’s work on Retained EU Law (REUL) and also on the development of a new metrology strategy. OPSS has one of the largest suites of REUL and the first step in this REUL reform programme forms a significant part of this role. 

You will take forward the laying of a piece of legislation (a statutory instrument). The legislation will amend some of the quantities in which alcohol (specifically prepacked wine) can be sold.

The proposal has been announced publicly and has received significant media coverage.   

This work will include: 

• Preparing to lay the legislation in parliament - producing key documents and liaising closely with analysts, lawyers and parliamentary teams during this process.  
• Managing queries about the proposed changes from a wide range of stakeholders from UK trade bodies to the world trade organisation.  
• Informally consulting with key members of the wine sector, Devolved Administrations and Trading Standards. 
• Contributing to the wider Metrology Retained EU Law review 
• Monitoring wider government programmes around Retained EU Law, Windsor Framework, and Smarter Regulation. 
• Collaborating with Devolved Administrations (DAs) and other Government departments (OGDs), about developments in metrology policy, and exploring intersections with other policy areas. 

SEO Metrology Policy – Strategy input 

The role will provide the opportunity to build close working relationships with other government departments and OPSS colleagues on the development of policy and legislation for a multitude of metrology issues within OPSS and across Whitehall.   You will also support the development of a new legal metrology strategy for OPSS, bringing a coherent approach to legal metrology and ensuring OPSS priorities are considered by other partners and OGDs.   

This work will include: 

• Supporting Net Zero government policies on metering and alternative fuels, developing policy options 
• Building relationships with DESNZ to deliver measuring instrument principles which meet both DBT and DESNZ priorities 
• Supporting work taking a strategic look at our international legal metrology commitments to OIML and WELMEC 
• Agenda setting and providing secretariat support to a revamped cross OPSS legal metrology working group to ensure a meaningful dialogue plus escalation/resolution of any identified issues 
• Briefing senior colleagues and Ministers, prepare ministerial submissions and briefing documents, seeking views from colleagues.   
• Prepare and deliver presentations about policy options. 
• Management of correspondence, Freedom of Information Requests and PQs. 

Person specification

Essential criteria 

• Ability to provide high quality advice to Ministers and building relationships with Ministerial Offices, Parliamentary Unit etc, being a trusted advisor and being able to present evidence, analysis and options in a clear and structured way. 
• The ability to grasp complex issues and identify implications to develop options for problems identified by stakeholders or Ministers. 
• Excellent all-round communication skills with the ability to engage and energise a range of partners, even when views on priorities or approaches may conflict. 
• An ability to work collaboratively, making important connections across OPSS, DBT, Whitehall and with the Devolved Administrations. 
• An ability to work autonomously and take responsibility for a specific policy area. 
• An ability to navigate changing/uncertain policy environments. 

Desirable criteria 

• Experience of working in regulatory policy or the wider regulatory environment. 
• Experience of taking legislation through parliament 
• Experience or knowledge of Retained EU Law and the Smarter Regulation programme 

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 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 that there is a high volume of applicants, a short sift will be conducted based on Personal statement only.

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

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.

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 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. 

Feedback

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.