Service Owner
Department for Business and Trade
About the job
Job summary
The newly created Department for Business and Trade brings together the business focused functions of the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for International Trade (DIT). Our joint expertise in trade and business provides us with a unique opportunity to unleash the power of UK businesses, reform regulation to reduce burdens and unlock post-Brexit freedoms.
Job Description
We are looking for a Service Owner to join our team to ensure our platforms and services are successfully used across the department and delivering their intended benefits. You’ll look after one or more data, tech or digital platform or service and act as a critical point of connection between the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, the wider Department, and stakeholders across HMG. You’ll report into a Deputy Director with responsibility for a portfolio that your work forms part of, and you will manage deputy service owner(s) looking after a part of your portfolio. You’ll work as part of the teams delivering the platforms or services you’re working on, bringing a perspective on the wider context the team is delivering against, to help them succeed. You will also work as part of the rest of the service ownership team to shape, communicate and deliver against a vision. A big part of the role will involve helping stakeholders understand how the platforms and services you’re working on can support them to deliver the best outcomes for the UK economy, and making sure that the platforms and services continue to deliver against the department’s top priorities.
This role is available in seven UK locations and can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. Most DBT employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Changes to these working arrangements are available in certain circumstances but must be agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role and can only be discussed with successful candidates. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
Find out about life at DBT, our benefits and meet the team by watching our recruitment video, visiting our website or reading our blog!
Job description
Responsibilities
As a Service Owner, you will be responsible for:
- Acting as the first strategic point of contact to represent platforms and services with business areas. This includes:
- Acting as a trusted partner to SCS and working level leads to advise on how DDaT can support the department’s work
- Leading pre-discovery, understanding if new ideas should be progressed
- Acting as a steward, driving solutions forward, informed by multidisciplinary colleagues
- Understanding the user needs for the platforms/services you look after to identify opportunities to optimise our offer, working hand in hand with other professions including policy, operations and other DDaT roles such as technical and data architecture, business analysis, user research and service design
- Providing strategic direction for DDaT’s services to the delivery team and to the wider department, working particularly closely with the product profession
- Ensuring take up of the services to realise their benefits, working with DDaT’s engagement and strategic adoption team & monitoring and evaluation teams as well as the wider department’s communications and marketing team
- Managing risks, dependencies, and budget within your portfolio, working with the delivery profession
- Leading on business planning and Spending Reviews for your area, including reporting to the wider department through established governance
Person specification
Essential Skills and Experience
You will need to have demonstrable skills and experience of:
- Being an expert collaborator, able to navigate complex organisations where ownership and decision-making is distributed, bringing others along with you
- Developing a long-term vision and objectives in a DDaT context, focusing on what is most important, relevant, and impactful while developing a pipeline of customer adoption
- Drawing on user-centred design and data to inform the high-quality products and services that can have the biggest impact on users while maximising opportunities offered by digital technology.
- An understanding of technology and data service provision, including security and lifecycle considerations
- Managing a portfolio of work and budget in line with priorities, managing the expectations of senior stakeholders with conflicting needs and demands
- High quality written skills, with a view to producing ministerial/official submissions, meeting papers, commissions, business cases, etc.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £62,555, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,889 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
How to Apply
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Technical Skills and Behaviours.
Unless otherwise specified, all interviews are currently being held online. Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
Sift will take place on Tuesday 9th January 2024
Interviews will take place week commencing 15th January 2024
Please notes these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.
As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a CV and a Cover Letter.
At the sift stage for this role, we will assess your CV and Cover letter against the essential skills and experience listed above, so please ensure your CV has evidence of these. Your Cover letter must be a maximum of 1 page of A4 and you CV no more than 2 sides of A4. You can use bullet points and subheadings if you prefer.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct a ‘short sift’ and read one element of your application. For this campaign a short sift would be conducted based on: CV ONLY
How We Interview
At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant Technical Skills and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework. A role-specific list of these can be found below.
There will be a technical element within the interview where you will be asked questions about your specific professional skills and knowledge relating directly to the job role.
We will assess you against these Technical Skills during this process:
- Agile Working
- Business Partnering
- DDaT Standards outside your discipline
- Experience of working within constraints
- Financial management
- Insight led.
- Life cycle perspective
- Portfolio ownership
- Problem ownership
Detailed explanations of each Technical Skill can be found on the DDaT Framework.
We will also assess you against the following Behaviours:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
Reserve List
Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences. Candidates who pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring will be held on a 12-month reserve list for future appointments. Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised.
Security Clearance Details
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
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.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
- Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records).
- UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records.
- Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency.
- Security Services record.
- Location Details
Further Information
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
The Department for Business and Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation.
Harmonised 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.
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. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact the DDaT Recruitment team before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Our recruitment process is underpinned by appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: ddat.recruitment@trade.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. Click here to download a PDF about the Civil Service Commission/Complaints.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
For further information and to apply please click the link to direct you to the advertisers website.
The Department for Business and Trade embraces and values diversity in all forms. We welcome and pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has on the work we do, and we promote equality of opportunity throughout the organisation. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. Click through to apply and find out more.
Our recruitment process is underpinned by appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. Click here to download a PDF about the Civil Service Commission/Complaints.
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
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.