Senior Bill Officer

Department for Business and Trade

Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 4th October 2024

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Details

Reference number

370242

Salary

£39,384 - £46,715

National: £39,384 - £43,169 London: £43,007 - £46,715

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DBT DGSI - Ministerial Strategy Directorate - Parliamentary Policy and Primary Legislation Team

Type of role

Policy

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Location

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

About the job

Job summary

The Parliamentary Policy and Strategy Team sits within the Ministerial Strategy Directorate. We aim to provide a coherent and strategic approach across the Department to parliamentary procedure, policy and engagement, supporting Ministerial priorities. Our goal is to develop and deliver a robust strategy for engaging with Parliament, maximising support for the work of the Department and fulfilling our statutory duties.

The Parliamentary Strategy and Primary Legislation team is accountable for co-ordinating DBTs primary legislation portfolio – including the delivery of legislation to deliver the Department’s objectives. The team is also accountable for designing and delivering the Government’s transparency and scrutiny policy in relation to its ambitious trade agenda.

The Parliamentary Strategy and Primary Legislation team is seeking a talented and ambitious individual to be a Senior Parliamentary Officer at the heart of the dynamic and fast-paced Department for Business and Trade. Your work will contribute to the delivery of key legislation as well as implementation of an effective transparency and scrutiny process.

This role offers exposure to the top-level workings of a Government department and an excellent opportunity to develop and hone the skills required to progress further in the Civil Service.

DBT recognises and promotes an environment that welcomes and values diverse backgrounds, thinking, skills and experience. Having an inclusive organisation, where people are able to bring their ‘whole selves’ to work, enables everyone fulfil their potential and to produce their best work. We promote and encourage a range of flexible working patterns enabling staff to balance home and work responsibilities.

Job description

The post-holder will be responsible for providing support to the Deputy Bill Manager in the overall strategic oversight and project management of any bill(s), liaising with policy colleagues, legal advisers, Parliamentary Counsel, with Parliamentary Business and Legislation Secretariat in Cabinet Office and Whips’ offices to help ensure these measures are in place before the end of the Parliamentary session.

The post-holder will have the following responsibilities:

To assist in the project management each stage of the any bill(s) and ensure all officials know what is expected when and that all documents and products are delivered to time
Ensuring readiness for the legislative stages of any bill(s) in Parliament
Assist in maintaining and implementing a thorough and clear engagement and concessions/handling strategy, revising it to take account of political and policy developments as necessary
Briefing and supporting ministers in the lead up to and during debates in both Houses, ensuring they have confidence in you and the team
Liaising with all key stakeholders and officials with an interest in the measures to ensure everyone is clear on actions and risks when they arise
Provide strategic advice on the handling of the measures throughout its passage to Ministers and the centre.

There is a requirement to travel to the London office if you are based in another DBT office listed in the above locations.

Person specification

The role requires an individual with excellent stakeholder management qualities who can work with teams to comprehend needs and drive through plans for delivery. You will have excellent organisational abilities to keep track of a large number of tasks across a range of stakeholders.

This role involves working collaboratively to deliver through others. The ability to form strong, positive working relationships with a variety of contacts across the department, including senior colleagues and Ministerial Private Offices, is therefore also essential.

You will be comfortable using your initiative to address problems. You will need to react quickly to demands whilst ensuring that larger departmental priorities and commitments are adhered to.

You will also be comfortable working in sometimes ambiguous circumstances, adapting to challenging timetables to continue to drive forward and deliver objectives.

Essential Criteria

Excellent stakeholder management and organisational skills.
Experience of delivering at pace through others.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to make connections with multiple strands of work to improve overall outcomes.

Desirable Criteria

An understanding of how Parliament and legislation works – previous experience of working on a Bill is highly desirable.
An understanding of devolution is desirable, but not essential.
An appreciation of the political and stakeholder interest in the Government’s trade agenda.
A comprehension of the Government’s transparency and scrutiny commitments in relation to new free trade agreements is desirable, but not essential.

Behaviours

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

Communicating and Influencing
Making Effective Decisions
Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £11,409 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 the 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 2xA4 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.

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.

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 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 Copeland
Email : james.copeland@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