Communications and Engagement Advisor
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 26th September 2024
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International Trade
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About the job
Job summary
This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). As the department for economic growth, we aim to: redraw our rules to ensure businesses thrive, markets are competitive, and consumers are protected, secure investment from UK and international businesses, advise, support, and promote UK businesses to grow and export, open up new markets for businesses by removing barriers and striking trade deals, and promote free trade, economic security and resilient supply chains.
We are seeking a Comms and Engagement Advisor to join the Free Trade Agreement Utilisation (FTAU) team. FTAU aims to help ensure UK exporters are fully equipped to take advantage of new opportunities provided by FTAs, through a combination of trade policy expertise, deep knowledge of FTA markets, working with exporters and in partnership with DBT colleagues.
Our relationships are key to achieving our objectives and we collaborate with teams across DBT as well as other government departments. We also work closely with many external stakeholders such as Business Representative Organisations and directly with exporters, to ensure we are responding to the interests and needs of UK businesses looking to grow internationally.
The successful applicant will play a vital role within the FTAU team, helping support our business engagement across the UK to understand and access our FTAs. The role will require you to develop a network of UK businesses which trade internationally, as well as relationship manage some of the FTAU team’s strategic partners.
You will be required to develop knowledge on different global markets and a range of cross-cutting trade policy areas. The FTAU team is also involved in government-to-government collaboration with partner countries, which you will be expected to support on to ensure the needs of UK businesses are represented.
The role may occasionally require some periods of overseas travel, as well as some meetings outside of normal working hours to accommodate for time differences when needed.
FTAU is a friendly team with members from a wide variety of professions. As a team and department, we are committed to being an inclusive employer and building a culturally diverse workplace. We actively encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. The team is high-performing, ambitious and inclusive, and is the ideal place for existing or aspiring trade professionals to make a difference and develop their careers.
Job description
- Strategy: supporting the implementation of a business engagement strategy for FTAU, which ensures the team is targeting its engagement and business-facing activities in the most impactful areas.
- Communications: assist the team in designing and creating communication outputs to inform businesses of the benefits of the UK’s FTAs, working closely with the central comms teams in the UK and overseas. This will include the management of the team’s case study library.
- Stakeholder management: support the FTAU team’s engagement with businesses and Business Representative Organisations (BROs) by leading on stakeholder mapping. You will also be required to build and maintain relationships with our strategic partners.
- Coordination: providing logistical and administrative support to help deliver the external activity of the FTAU team with other external facing teams in DBT, such as international colleagues, External Affairs and Strategic Communications.
- Professional Development: commitment to continuous professional development to ensure up to date knowledge of FTAs, cross-cutting areas of trade policy, UK growth areas and international markets.
Person specification
Skills and Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable experience of working with businesses and Business Representative Organisations (BROs) in a communications, external affairs or relationship management capacity.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and comfortable communicating with a range of different stakeholders and audiences, including assisting with the preparation of presenting at roundtables and events.
- Strong organisational, planning and administrative skills, and comfortable managing and balancing competing priorities.
- Comfortable with developing and maintaining a network of external contacts, in support of the team’s engagement objectives.
- Team player who is flexible and proactive and can work across organisational boundaries.
- Ability to quickly alter your approach to delivery in a fast-paced environment.
Desirable criteria
- Experience and/or interest in supporting the implementation of engagement strategies for a range of different sectors, with measurable objectives.
- Knowledge of the trade policy environment, with an understanding of the broad range of policy areas that sit within a typical FTA.
- Experience and/or understanding of UK export policy and DBT’s export-facing activities.
- Experience of working with, and supporting, the running of campaigns for a range of different sectors.
- Experience of working in an international or internationally-facing team.
We seek dynamic, energised applicants who are comfortable working in client-facing and cross-organisational teams, delivering at pace and to a high quality, and who can demonstrate the following attributes:
- Self-starter who feels comfortable operating independently and can confidently represent DBT externally, whether with businesses, organisations, or counterpart governments.
- The ideal candidate will be a skilled collaborator, with strong written and oral communication skills, that enjoys working across the Department and engaging with internal and external stakeholders.
- You will be motivated and keen to deliver an important part of UK trade policy, while being able to adapt to changes, prioritise workloads and work at pace.
- You will be committed to your professional development. The FTAU team will invest in your L&D, which will be provided by a combination of external training, on the job experiences, and opportunities through the Trade Profession.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Benefits
- 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
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 to provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the Essential criteria.
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 interview.
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.
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 /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
Nationality requirements
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Tiffany Burrows
- Email : tiffany.burrows@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
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
