Policy Advisor - Commercial London, England
Job description
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Loan
Secondment
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Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
Whilst DCMS is advertising this vacancy, the successful candidate(s) may ultimately be appointed to the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
Commercial is an agile and dynamic team with a positive culture. We embrace change and drive continuous improvement.
The Department has grown significantly in recent years, leading to greater demand and need for procurement and commercial support. The Commercial Team has embarked on a transformation journey and continue to improve our systems, processes and capabilities to meet the needs of the Department.
The Commercial team is made up of key pillars to provide cross-functional support to government programmes and policies: Assurance, Governance, Procurement, Policy and Supply Chains. This allows the team to successfully manage the commercial risk profile of the Department; deliver goods and services that demonstrate value for money; and implement government policy and initiatives to achieve social value.
We collaborate and engage with our Arm’s Length Bodies to support our key sectors.
Job description
- Work within the Commercial Projects & Policy Unit, a small, dynamic, and high-performing team, across DCMS’ varied portfolio and on high profile areas, from anti-slavery measures to cost of living pressures.
- Support DCMS work on Economic Impacts, including drafting advice on inflation and cost of living policy.
- Provide a secretariat role for key governance groups, including preparing the agenda, commissioning and collating papers, taking notes of meetings and ensuring actions are logged and completed.
- Deliver high quality and flexible support to Commercial projects and policy leads.
- Assist with the implementation and embedding of procurement and commercial policies, including updating policy and process document.
- Provide continuous support to the improvement of systems and processes.
- Support the Commercial ALB Engagement team on strategic stakeholder management of the DCMS ALB family as needed, including organising networking and collaboration opportunities.
Person specification
The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience:
Essential skills
- Have well developed interpersonal and communication skills.
- Have excellent attention to detail whilst understanding the bigger picture and how your work impacts the wider team and Department.
- Be able to demonstrate experience in planning and managing processes.
- Be able to demonstrate evidence of your commitment to personal development.
- Be able to collate, analyse and present a variety of different datasets in various formats, and demonstrate excellent IT skills including Microsoft and Google systems.
- Be highly organised and able to respond to the changing demands of the team over time. You must be proactive and able to work flexibly and with autonomy in a fast paced and exciting environment, ensuring activities are being delivered to the required timescales.
Desirable skills
- Have an interest in the role Commercial plays in delivering value for money.
- Have an interest in, and good understanding of, DCMS sectors.
- Has some interest in, or experience of, project management or delivery experience.
- Some experience in a policy setting, or equivalent.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:
- Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home.
- 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- 3 days of paid volunteering leave.
- Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave.
- Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year.
- Occupational sick pay.
- Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks.
- Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work.
- Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!
Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than Monday 20th February 2023 at 9am via the CS Jobs portal:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Please refer to the essential requirements.
- A Statement of Suitability (up to 1,000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.
For the shortlist, we will assess your experience and select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with: [email protected]
Interview
The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths and potentially include a presentation.
The behaviours to be tested at interview are:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview.
As part of your interview, you may be asked to deliver a short oral presentation. Full details of this, including the topic, and whether or not you will need to use visual aids, will be sent to you prior to your interview.
In most cases interviews will take place remotely via Google Meet video call. However please refer to the Candidate Information Pack to confirm the interview approach.
For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DCMS 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
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 [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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 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.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Information for Applicants’ document.
If you choose to join on a loan basis, prior agreement to be released on loan must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Location
This role can be based in London or Manchester. Not all hub locations have confirmed office space yet - successful applicants will be expected to work remotely until this becomes available.
Reasonable Adjustment
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, please:
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. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one.
Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact ([email protected]) in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/
