About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) sits at the heart of the United Kingdom’s post-EU future and is responsible for securing UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. Advocating the rules-based multilateral trading system is a strategic objective for DBT.

We are recruiting for a SEO position in the Multilateral Trade Policy & WTO team which sits within DBT’s Economic Security and Trade Relations Group and is responsible for influencing global trade rules and managing the UK's relationship with the WTO and other multilateral fora. The position sits within the International Engagement branch of the team. The branch leads engagement at the highest level of multilateral fora; across G7, G20, Commonwealth and Davos. In addition, the branch delivers senior bilateral engagement with priority partner countries delivering UK multilateral trade objectives through strategic dialogue.  

As the G20 Senior Policy Officer, you will be responsible for delivering the Department’s policy priorities through the G20. You will need to work with colleagues across the Department and Whitehall to identify and develop the UK’s multilateral trade policy priorities, ensuring our work at the G20 delivers upon our wider multilateral trade vision and objectives. This will require working closely with colleagues across the WTO and Multilateral team to ensure a coordinated approach in how the Department delivers its objectives through different multilateral institutions and dialogues. You will support the UK’s attendance (senior official and ministerial) at high profile meetings of the G20, ensuring that the UK is well positioned to deliver its trade policy objectives. In this role, you will engage regularly with colleagues across Whitehall, our diplomatic network and officials in other WTO Members’ administrations. The team works flexibly around the busy periods when these meetings occur – you will therefore have the opportunity to gain experience across the broader portfolio of the team, and work on delivering our priorities through other multilateral institutions.

Job description

• Lead the Department’s engagement with the G20 across the Trade Track. 
• Shape the development of UK multilateral trade policy objectives, working closely with colleagues within the Department and across Whitehall. Provide constructive challenge to policy teams to ensure policy work is progressed effectively via the G20. 
• Lead preparations for senior officials’ and ministers’ attendance at high profile meetings of the G20 to deliver UK multilateral trade policy objectives.  
• Build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues within DBT and across Whitehall, in particular FCDO, DSIT, DEFRA, HMT, Cabinet Office and UKMis Geneva to coordinate and independently deliver the UK’s policy priorities through the G20. 
• Draft briefings, replies to Parliamentary Questions and other materials related to the Department’s engagement with the G20. 
• Develop engagement plans with G20 member countries in line with multilateral trade policy priorities, working to understand and influence trading partners around the world on the UK’s priorities.  
• Work with Communications and Press Office colleagues to develop and implement communications plans around key moments. 
• Deliver the UK’s attendance at high profile multilateral meetings, including working with colleagues at post on logistics. 

Person specification

Essential criteria 

• Ability to work at pace to successfully deliver policy priorities in an international setting. 
• Ability to work independently and take the initiative to drive forward work, in an area where the political landscape is constantly evolving 
• Ability to understand a wider government perspective on developments to ensure activity is relevant and ensure plans reflect wider strategic priorities. 
• Strong ability to work collaboratively within and across teams, the ability to build and maintain relationships across the Department and Whitehall. 
• Strong written and presentational skills, able to present complex issues clearly and succinctly to ministers and senior stakeholders 

Desirable criteria  

• Experience of working on international summits or conferences
• Experience of working on issues relating to international trade, economic diplomacy and/or related sectoral or international work (e.g. Industrial Strategy, foreign policy etc.).

Personal attributes & skills 

As the ideal candidate for one of these roles: 

• You will be comfortable working independently to drive forward the Department’s approach to engaging with the G20. 
•  You will be able to build strong interpersonal relationships with others across the Department and Whitehall to develop the UK’s multilateral policy priorities and to contextualise your work within DBT and HMG’s wider priorities.
• You will have strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to draft at pace to a high standard. You will have excellent project management skills.
• You will need to plan carefully to deliver many complex and competing tasks and be flexible and innovative to make sure that they are delivered in the right way at the right time.
• You will make a valuable contribution to the life of the Directorate, through engagement with wider corporate activities. 

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 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.

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 

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.