About the job

Job summary

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, and Trade. 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 2019 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of the regulation of construction products planned for 2022.

Our mission: To be a trusted product regulator for the UK.

Our goal: To be a leader of good regulatory practice and a champion of local regulation.

Further information can be found on our website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-product-safety-and-standards

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 (GIS) 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 to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Job description

The Role and Our Team

The Strategic Risk Lead is a key, multifaceted role which requires a similarly wide-ranging suite of skills and competences. The successful candidates will play a meaningful role in shaping and delivering the strategic objectives of the Risk Team to build and maintain risk capability across the organisation.

The Risk Team ensure OPSS has the methodologies, tools, expertise, and support to deliver effective risk-based regulation of non-compliant products, which are often novel and/or complex in nature. Externally, we ensure that the UK’s system for identifying, assessing, and managing consumer product risks is working effectively, acting when needed to improve the system. We are a scientific and evidenced led team and if you have a keen interest in product safety, construction products, connected products or environmental harms and enjoy problem solving, this role will be particularly attractive.

As a Strategic Risk Lead, you will be responsible for the delivery of significant work streams and projects. You will work closely with a wide variety of teams across OPSS and be involved in some of our most high-profile activities and challenges. As required, you will deputise for the functional team leader, as well as providing resilience across the Risk Team by supporting the activities of the other Strategic Risk Leads.

You will use your expertise and critical thinking skills to deliver robust, creative, and effective strategies and solutions to problems. You will be part of a dynamic, energetic, and professional team and will benefit from opportunities for future formal training and development opportunities.

We are an ambitious team that strives for excellence in all that we do, and the strength and success of the Risk Team lies in our diverse backgrounds. If risk and protecting people and places is your passion but you don’t entirely meet the essential criteria, please do consider applying, setting out how your unique skills relate to the objectives of the Risk Team.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

• Leading the delivery of key risk work streams and projects, including acting as the principal lead for sector related activity, and designing and implementing risk-based capability within this area.
• Acting as a lead source of expertise within OPSS on product risk, including the assessment of such risks using established methodologies such as PRISM, and leading the development of new methodologies as required.
• Delivering a programme of activity for OPSS in effective risk-based approaches across the range of its responsibilities, including design and oversight of training programmes and developing cross-Office expertise in risk.
• Ensuring oversight of the information and knowledge needs of OPSS to deliver effective risk-based outcomes, including identifying evidence gaps and research needs and working with the relevant Teams to meet these needs, including the commissioning of research and coordinating expert elicitation as required.
• Ensuring necessary quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation principles are adhered to in relation to Risk Team activity, including implementing processes and making sure they are achieving the right outcomes.
• Leading activity on behalf of OPSS as regulatory leader in relation to delivery and implementation of effective risk-based approaches and best practice for other product safety regulators including Local Authority Trading Standards.
• Identifying and maintaining OPSS key stakeholder relationships including within industry, oversea Regulators, other regulators, OGDs etc in support of the delivery of Team and OPSS objectives.
• Liaising closely with and supporting internal colleagues, particularly those in the Targeting, and Enforcement Directorates, and to assess emerging issues and advise on their seriousness.
• Undertaking a lead role on behalf of the Risk Team in relation to reactive work as it arises, including acting as the principal risk lead during incidents.
• Line and/or matrix management responsibilities.

Skills & Experience

Essential criteria

• A good understanding of product risk and corresponding risk assessment methodologies.
• Excellent research and report writing skills, being able to identify and critically analyse relevant datasets and to make recommendations in the context of uncertainty and ambiguity on complex issues.
• Ability to understand and apply technical information in diverse sectors and business types in order to solve complex issues, including in relation to novel or emerging issues.
• ​Strong leadership skills, unafraid to challenge, adept at influencing and eager to take ownership.
• Ability to work collaboratively and maintain positive and constructive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent communication, influencing, and interpersonal skills

Desirable criteria

• An interest in behavioural decision science, and/or risk and probability theory.
• Experience of working in a regulatory environment
• A good understanding of risk management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 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 of up to 1000 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.  

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a short oral presentation, details will be provided prior to your 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.
• 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 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.