About the job

Job summary

UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE) is the part of the Department for Business and Trade responsible for maximising defence, security & cyber security and maritime exports and foreign direct investment into the UK economy.  

We support companies to export their products, by maintaining relationships with overseas governments to promote British defence and security products and services, working in partnership with the MOD and industry to ensure defence and security products and services have export potential as well as providing UK defence and security companies with specialist support to sell their goods overseas. We work with overseas owned companies to maximise their investment and presence in the UK, as well as attracting the world’s leading investors and businesses to invest and grow in the UK’s dynamic domestic business environment.  

UKDSE is part of the DBT’s Business Sectors group. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.  

Job description

Your role is to build and maintain the critical deep and credible relationships with those key industry players and other parts of government, that are vital to making that vision a reality, to deliver investment, exports, and wider UKDSE, DBT and HMG objectives.   

You will manage a portfolio of company accounts to coordinate support for their further growth in and from the UK. You will build close, productive relationships and develop a rich knowledge of each company. You will work with teams across DBT to deliver strategic objectives, including working closely with colleagues across UKDSE, other sector team colleagues, DBT’s global network, senior officials, Ministers, and other government departments to provide a more joined up conversation between the department, HMG, and the company.  
 
Your management of these accounts will drive trade (export) and investment wins, support engagement at major set piece events, and also provide a strategic overview of the company, their priorities, and how HMG, and DBT in particular, can effectively engage with them across a number of HMG objectives – primarily, but not exclusively, economic growth and job creation. 

Beyond your work with the companies, you will also promote effective account management within UKDSE. Primarily this comprises: 

1. Supporting the UKDSE’s work to prioritise our company engagement to ensure we are developing the most productive relationships whilst also working on our one-to-many communication with smaller UK companies and global investors. 

1. Be a centre of expertise on account management, sharing your skills, knowledge and tools generously with directorate colleagues to drive up standards of account management and company engagement across the directorate. 

You will achieve all this in partnership with the rest of the UKDSE Strategic Relationship Management (SRM) team. 

Person specification

You will: 

• Manage a portfolio of high-profile defence and security businesses, helping to maximise impact against UKDSE- DBT priorities.  

• Build and maintain strong relationships at different levels within each account, developing in-depth understanding of their objectives and concerns, and how these align to UKDSE-DBT and government priorities.  

• Maintain strategic account/engagement plans to support DSE’s investment, export, and policy objectives in collaboration with colleagues in other parts of the department.  

• Develop and manage a strong network across DBT, including the overseas network, MOD and other relevant departments, building and developing a ‘virtual team’ approach to delivering objectives.  

• Maintain a strong understanding of defence priorities, industry developments, and DBT priorities.  

• Contributing to the wider team (Policy, Ecosystems, Programmes and Strategy) and UKDSE objectives, helping to make both great places to work. 

Skills required:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.  

• Stakeholder management and influencing skills. Collegiate in nature, advocating a ‘one team’ approach.  

• Strong customer focus.  

• Able to engage credibly with business and cross-Whitehall colleagues.  

• Outcome focused.  

• Able to work at pace, flexibly and under pressure.  

• Well organised, effective ability to develop, maintain and deliver company engagement plans. 

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of managing relationships with companies or other bodies to deliver on departmental objectives.   

• Able to build effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and work collaboratively across government.  

• Strong communication and influencing ability, able to influence policy making and speak credibly to businesses. 

Desirable Criteria:

• An understanding of the UK defence and security sector and priorities. This could be via experience in the private sector, an academic institution, Government or the wider public sector. Equally you may have a demonstrable interest in a specific subsector or cluster via your own personal interests.  

• Experience of working effectively with Ministers and senior officials  

• Experience of working with international businesses on commercial projects or public policy.  

• Collaborative working style able to operate across directorate, departmental and organisation boundaries to deliver results. 

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:    

1. 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. 

1. 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.  

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.  

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. 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.