Product Safety Online Policy Advisor

About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade . We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, most recently with the addition of construction products regulation planned.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. We are proud to be Disability Confident Leaders., Join Our Team and Shape the Future of Product Safety!
Are you ready to make a significant impact and take your career to the next level? We are looking for a passionate and experienced professional to join our dynamic Online Supply Chains policy team in the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). In this role, you will have the opportunity to drive meaningful change and contribute to the development of innovative policies that ensure consumer safety and fair market competition.
About Us: The growth in e-commerce models has brought significant challenges to the product safety legal framework. Our team is at the forefront of addressing these challenges by developing and implementing policies that adapt to increasingly complex, online, and globalised supply chains. We are committed to promoting consumer safety and ensuring fair market competition through the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill.
About the Role: As a key member of our team, you will play a crucial role in aiding the delivery of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill through parliament. You will develop briefings, Q&A packs, and contribute to policy development for future legislative options and new requirements for online supply chain actors. Your work will have a direct impact on shaping the future of product safety and regulation., + Develop and contribute to briefings and Q&A packs for different audiences.
+ Respond to correspondence and provide accurate information.
+ Develop policy options for requirements on online marketplaces.
+ Collaborate across policy teams to gather evidence and inform policy options.
+ Adapt quickly to new requests, changes in policy, or new deadlines.
What We Offer:
+ A supportive and inclusive work environment where your contributions are valued.
+ Opportunities for professional growth and development.
+ The chance to work on impactful projects that make a difference in our community.
+ A collaborative team culture that encourages innovation and continuous improvement., This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
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 250 word Technical skills statement detailing your technical skills and experience in delivering briefs to senior leaders at pace. Highlight specific example(s) where you have successfully managed tight deadlines with clear milestones and effectively communicated complex information to seniors or stakeholders.
+ A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, to demonstrate how your skills, knowledge and experience match the requirements of the role detailed in the bullet points under the "key responsibilities" and the essential criteria detailed in the" skills and experience" sections of the job description.
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 applications an initial sift may 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.
At Interview we will assess you against your behaviours and strengths. Candidates will be asked to prepare a short presentation, further details will be provided to those successfully selected.
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 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.
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.

We are looking for a motivated individual, with the following essential skills and experience:
+ Adaptability: Ability to work efficiently and adapt quickly to new requests, policy changes, or deadlines.
+ Policy Coordination: Leading the delivery of projects by collaborating across teams or with multiple stakeholders to meet deadlines.
+ Policy Development: Experience in developing policy options using various information sources and effectively communicating these to senior management.
+ Initiative: Self-motivation and the ability to take the initiative to make progress on tasks.
+ Seeing the bigger picture: Ability to anticipate upcoming challenges or opportunities, including considering external factors that may impact the delivery and development of work.
+ Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, and able to tailor to a range of audiences.
+ Delivering change: Demonstrable evidence of delivering legislative or policy change., + Delivering at Pace
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Technical skills statement

Alongside your salary of £34,254, Department for Business and Trade contributes £9,923 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.