- Senior Strategic Advisor Darlington
- Department for Business and Trade in Darlington, , United Kingdom
- jobs
- 1 month ago
jobs description
Location
Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
About The Job
Job summary
The Department for Business and Trade supports businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. This is an exciting opportunity to lead important policy and strategic project delivery at the centre of the department in the Strategy and Private Office Directorate.
We are recruiting for a Senior Strategic Advisor in our newly formed Strategic Consultancy Unit (SCU). The team has been formed under the Permanent Secretary’s guidance for a renewed focus on growth and economic policy making. We deliver high quality, time-limited, strategy and policy projects which address Secretary of State, Ministerial, Permanent Secretary and DG priorities – focused on cross-cutting policy and strategy development.
The role will focus on leading work that cuts across the department’s responsibilities and support decision-making at the highest levels of the department with robust strategic, policy and analytical insights.
You will have responsibility for leading strategy and policy development activity, working with policy, strategy, analytical and delivery teams across the department and across government to develop solutions to complex policy challenges, build consensus on ways forward, address tensions and advise on trade-offs.
Throughout, you will ensure join up across the department and with other government departments, conduct horizon scanning and strategic planning, and support the senior engagement with the centre and our strategic partners. This will include working with the Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary Private Offices where needed to ensure the department is delivering against their top priorities.
In addition to driving this fast paced and engaging portfolio, you will be responsible for maintaining a strong, dynamic and supportive team culture. The role also includes line management of an S/HEO.
Job Description
Your responsibilities will include:
• Leading high-profile and cross-cutting policy and strategy activities, with line management and matrix management responsibilities.
• Driving forward DBT's contribution to the Growth Mission, including supporting Ministers and the Permanent Secretary in their engagement across government.
• Developing and embedding strategic join-up across multi-disciplinary teams within the department and across government.
• Effectively managing and coordinating projects in line with the team’s remit, including the management of others, effective working with key stakeholders and senior colleagues.
• Taking an active role in the wider management of the team and contributing to our proactive, collaborative and supportive culture.
Person specification
Skills And Experience
Essential Criteria
• Proven experience of seeing the bigger picture, being politically aware, with the ability to understand and respond to a fast-changing landscape.
• Able to set direction and define your own work and the work of those you manage in often ambiguous circumstances.
• Able to deliver at pace, with evidence of managing a number of workstreams to deliver stretching outcomes.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to develop and maintain constructive and positive working relationships with colleagues, including at a senior level.
• Excellent written, and oral communication skills and attention to detail.
Desirable Criteria
• Experience of effectively managing policy and strategy projects.
Personal Skills And Attributes
You will have a big-vision mentality coupled with an ability to capture the detail and steer your work towards success. You are resilient and people-focused, with know how to get the best out of people.
You will be able to build strong relationships and grasp technical policy areas at pace. You will be confident in working with uncertainty and driving progress across multiple areas of work.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £55,836, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,175 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. 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 we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
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 750 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.
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.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.
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
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
• Name : Alex Parker
• Email : alex.parker2@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
• Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.
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: Resourcing@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.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints
Darlington United Kingdom