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About the job
Job summary
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) is an Arm’s-length body set up by the Government under the Enterprise Act 2016. The purpose of the office is to tackle late payment and unfavourable payment practices in the private sector. We offer a dispute resolution service for small suppliers in dispute with their bigger customers about payments, and provide general information and support to small businesses, and signpost them to other appropriate existing services. We aim to encourage a culture change in payment practices and how businesses deal with each other, and we are looking for talented people to help us achieve that aim.
As Communication and Engagement Team Lead you will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of its communications and Engagement activity across the UK including developing an impactful and consistent narrative about the organisation’s work.
You will be responsible for developing the OSBC’s communications strategy and oversee its delivery, monitoring its progress and assessing its impact. You will work across a range of platforms and engage in proactive and reactive media activity to support the organisations goals and manage its reputation.
As stakeholder engagement lead, you will be responsible for identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders and develop an influencing strategy to help drive forward the OSBC’s agenda. Working across the UK Nations, you will work directly with Government, businesses and representative organisations.
You will set priorities, allocate responsibilities to your team and be accountable for the broader goals of the organisation. You will oversee and help team members develop specialisms in key aspects of their work. In addition, you will look after the day-to-day management of the communication team and ensure they operate within set budgets and deadlines.
Job description
The successful candidate will work closely with the Small Business Commissioner (SBC), the Chief of Staff, the Finance, Reporting and Risk Lead and other Heads of functions within the team, as well as with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Sponsorship and Partnership teams. You will also provide leadership and direction for the OSBC to communicate and engage on prominent issues and messages.
The role offers an excellent opportunity to help shape and influence the organisation. It provides valuable exposure to the crucial small and micro business sectors, and some of the issues will garner significant press, media and political interest. Additionally, the role offers an opportunity to foster a culture where people can thrive, innovate, and take ownership of communications, stakeholder engagement and service improvement.
Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:
- Leading and managing the Communications team of the OSBC. You will have direct line management responsibilities, set team objectives, allocate tasks, provide guidance and support to your teams to ensure seamless working between teams and corporate business functions.
- Leading on building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, within the OSBC and DBT teams, across Government, and externally, including with stakeholders in the devolved nations.
- Leading on stakeholder management, communications, press and media engagement, social media, data collection, content creation, ensuring the team you manage works to common clear embedded standards and practices.
- Actively building the skills and capability of your people to motivate and enable continuous service improvement and development, ensuring Personal Development Reviews and agreed HR processes are adhered to.
You will:
- Be responsible for overseeing and evaluating the OSBC’s priority communications and campaigns, leading creative and innovative proactive and reactive communications through a range of channels. This includes assisting the Chief of Staff and Finance, Reporting and Risk Lead, in producing the Annual Report and Accounts to meet statutory reporting requirements.
- Develop an impactful and consistent narrative about the work of the OSBC, utilising a variety of channels and drawing on the organisations activities.
- Lead, plan and implement initiatives to achieve OSBC’s strategic priorities. Build, support and lead your teams within OSBC and work collaboratively with colleagues from across DBT and external stakeholders by continually looking to improve ways of working and building capability.
- Be responsible for ensuring a supportive and friendly team culture where the focus will not just be on what we do but how we do it, and for evaluating the impact of work undertaken and striving for new and better ways to achieve the organisation’s aims and measure effectiveness.
- Have overall responsibility for supporting learning and development through the team’s Knowledge and Information strategy. You will work to ensure that effective performance management processes and procedures deliver results.
- Develop the stakeholder engagement strategy, setting out the most appropriate communication channel for each stakeholder group, analysing stakeholders to ensure the effective management of stakeholder relationships to achieve OSBC’s objectives especially relating to statutory objectives of the OSBC and to The Prompt Payment Code (PPC), identify and assess the needs of internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that there is good governance, compliance, and risk management.
- Lead on the updating of all corporate reporting, including the Management Information pack, ensuring it is accurate, robust, meaningful, transparent, and easily digestible to aid decision-making and planning.
- Ensure parliamentary, ministerial and FOI processes are effective, including the handling of parliamentary questions, and responses to FOI and Enquiry requests.
Person specification
Key requirements for the role
Essential criteria
The role holder must have:
- Experience of independently planning, delivering, and evaluating a programme of communications activity including online and in person events, ensuring effective stakeholder engagement, promotion, and logistics.
- Excellent content creation, editorial, and oral communications skills.
- Experience of working in a communications or stakeholder engagement role including working with the press and media, using insight and data to influence and inform communications plans.
- Ability to develop and deliver creative campaigns to tackle issues and promote initiatives.
- Strong people and communication skills with the ability to negotiate and influence partners to help shape outcomes.
- The ability to work collaboratively, maintaining positive working relationships with colleagues, external partners and the DBT Sponsorship and communications teams.
Desirable
- Experience of effective reputation management in an organisation subject to public scrutiny like an arm's-length body.
- Experience of working in a fast-paced environment with a certain level of uncertainty and ambiguity. Proven organisational skills, pragmatic and able to work flexibly.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
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 average employer contribution of 27%
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.
After the closing date 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.
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 500 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.
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 pre-interview tasks, 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.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis 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.
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 will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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
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).
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