Location

Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

About The Job

Job summary

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and contribute to the Government's mission to kickstart economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the United Kingdom.

The International Strategy and Trade Relations (ISTR) directorate is a centre of country, regional and trade policy expertise in DBT. Our mission is to work across the whole department to improve the market access enjoyed by UK businesses, champion open and fair global trading, grow exports, boost investment and advance the UK’s wider trade policy objectives. We do this through our bilateral relationships with partner countries and extensive network of concluded Free Trade Agreements, as well as engagement in multilateral fora.

This vacancy is a key role within DBT, leading the UK's trade policy relationship with Japan - a strategically important market. We are looking for a talented individual who can drive forward our work with Japan and align activity with strategic objectives.

Job Description

DBT Japan Strategy: play a leadership role for the department in developing and articulating the objectives across the range of departmental interests, ensuring alignment with Government priorities, and designing clear strategies to achieve them. Responding to geopolitical and economic shifts, as well as prioritisation considerations. Lead on the implementation and management of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), including planning and delivery of committees, and improving utilisation. Manage a significant programme of activities and events, requiring excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Trade Policy Development and Delivery: develop an in-depth understanding of the trade policy issues for the market and advance bespoke trade policy for use in committees, Ministerial dialogues, and for multilateral engagement - translating vision into reality. Provide updates on trade policy in the region, including advice on what this means for the UK's future trading relationship with Japan. Advise and update Ministers on policy objectives, and work closely with senior officials to drive and monitor delivery.

Market Access Barriers and Market Shaping: delivery of strategies to identify and address market access barriers, including by developing expertise on the issues, working with analysts to prioritise and quantify barriers. Investigate opportunities to shape regulatory reform in Japan in key and emerging sectors, in support of UK businesses.

External and Whitehall Engagement: cultivate a strong network of relevant contacts in London embassies, the Government of Japan, and amongst relevant UK business and trade associations. Build close relationships with the overseas network, ministerial offices and with colleagues working in other departments to ensure the UK approach is aligned with wider Government objectives, as well as to harness skills and expertise from across Whitehall.

Leadership and Line Management: play an important leadership role across the Indo-Pacific team, including through active corporate contributions to support the teams growth and betterment. The role will include direct line management responsibilities, and the opportunity to task manage across the wider team. Demonstrate resilience and flexibility, revising remits and objectives when necessary, and being comfortable with uncertainty.

Occasional international travel is likely and some early starts are a necessity given the time difference with Japan. If based in another DBT location, travel to London will occasionally be required for meetings.

Person specification

Skills And Experience

Essential Criteria:

An engaging leader, with the ability to set direction and deliver through the wider team.
Strong strategic thinker, with the ability to understand Ministerial, wider Government and partner country priorities, as well as global developments, in order to evolve objectives and align with the policy programme.
Experience of working in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities and working through uncertainty to project grip.
Sound judgement, using evidence from a range of sources, and the credibility to present clear and concise recommendations to decision makers on complex issues.
A track record of building relationships and delivering through collaboration, where there are multiple interests and potentially competing viewpoints.
A strong background in policy development and delivery, with experience working on issues relating to international trade or economic diplomacy.

Desirable Criteria:

Experience of working internationally, including with Japan and/or the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Trade policy expertise.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Making Effective Decisions
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing

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 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.

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.
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

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback

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.

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 : James Deri
Email : james.deri2@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

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