About the job

Job summary

DSIT 

The responsibilities for the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology for 2023 are as follows: 

• Positioning the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement 
• Driving innovations that change lives and sustain economic growth 
• Delivering talent programmes, physical and digital infrastructure and regulation to support our economy, security and public services 
• R&D funding 

For 2023, our priorities are: 

• Optimise public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world. 
• Promote a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs – including by delivering world-class physical and digital infrastructure (such as gigabit broadband), making the UK the best place to start and grow a technology business and developing and attracting top talent. 
• Put our public services – including the NHS and schools – at the forefront of innovation, championing new ways of working and the development of in-house STEM capability to improve outcomes for people. 
• Strengthen international collaboration on science and technology in line with the Integrated Review, and ensure our researchers are able to continue to work with leading scientists in Europe and around the world. 
• Deliver key legislative and regulatory reforms to drive competition and promote innovation, including the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill and our pro-innovation approach to regulating AI. 
• Pass the remaining stages of the reformed Online Safety Bill to keep British people, especially children, safe online. 

Our Inclusive Environment 

We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.  

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive. 

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process. 

Find Out More 

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforsciencetechnologyandinnovation? 

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/ 

Job description

Thank you for your interest in DSIT. There has never been a better time to join HR as we start to set up the new department. Whether you are at the start of your career, returning from a break or looking for a change of direction, DSIT is where you want to be. We have teams based at our regional hubs – Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Manchester, Edinburgh and coming soon in 2024 is Bristol. We have a really exciting agenda - harnessing the power of data, and technological transformation – and the HR team’s expertise and services are critical in enabling the new department to function and deliver its mission. We need brilliant people to make DSIT a great place to work and want our team to lead by example. Within the team we believe that L&D is critical to grow our capability, development and stretch ourselves. You will be joining a welcoming and inspiring working environment in which colleagues look out for and support one another. I really hope you can join us to play a part in DSIT as we enter an exciting chapter of our creation and in making the department the best in the Civil Service.

Helen Mills - DSIT HR Director.

We are recruiting for an Executive Officer to join the Talent, Capability and Learning team as our Learning & Talent Advisor. You will play a vital role in supporting the planning, coordination and implementation of various learning activities and talent schemes across the department. If you are passionate about learning and development, possess excellent organisation skills and thrive in collaborative environment, we invite you to apply and contribute to the success of our team.

We are a friendly and dynamic team who take pride in fostering a culture of continuous learning. Our team thrives on collaboration and camaraderie. We believe that a friendly and supportive atmosphere enhances the growth and learning experience for everyone.

Key Responsibilities

As an integral member of the team, the Executive Officer will:

- Be our first point of contact for giving advice and guidance across the organisation.

- Oversee the administrative aspects of the Talent, Capability and Learning team, ensuring seamless coordination among team members.

- Foster collaboration with stakeholders to align with our goals.

- Contribute to the development of our long-term vision for L&D, ensuring alignment with the department’s missions and values.

- Effectively communicate the value and impact of the team’s initiatives to key stakeholders via various means including our intranet shop window.

- Demonstrate adaptability in responding to changing priorities.

We are looking for a self-motivated and engaging person with highly effective organisations skills with passion for developing people.  Perhaps the individual is looking for their first HR role and has a willingness to study for their CIPD.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Strong administration and organisational skills.

Strong customer focus

Desirable criteria

HR-related admin experience

Benefits

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to tell us about your interest in the role, as well as any key relevent experience and skills you may have.

Applications will be sifted on CV and personal statement

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement.

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

The interview will consist of behaviour and strength based questions.  

Sift and interview dates

Expected Timeline subject to change

Sift dates: w/c 01/01/2024

Interview dates: w/c 15/01/2024

Interview Location: MS Teams.

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

We fully support adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

We do not have an exhaustive list of adjustments that we support but just some examples include additional time to complete your application form, behaviour questions up to 72 hours prior to interview and having extra time at interview.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home). 

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to (Select as applicable from: Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland 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 

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 had their employment continued. Any applicant’s 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.

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.