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Location
About the job
Job summary
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 (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). 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. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
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 recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
Job description
The Role and Our Team
The Online and Supply Chain Enforcement Team regulates the full supply chain, from ports and borders through to online marketplaces, fulfilment houses and third-party sellers. We are responsible for ensuring that shopping online will be as safe as shopping on the high street.
We have Lead Enforcement roles available in all three of our Enforcement Teams. Please state in your application which role, or roles, you wish to be considered for. Please be aware, all roles are potentially deployable to other teams dependent on organisational and risk priorities.
Ports and Borders Team:
No two days are the same, working in the Ports & Borders Team. We are committed to preventing unsafe and non-compliant products entering the UK supply chain. Our team delivers a programme of activity in which we look for innovative ways of finding the right intervention points to stop bad actors within the supply chain. This can include deployments a ports, proactively monitoring fulfilment centres and inland activity, and targeting resources to deal with prolific offenders. We work with a range of regulators including Local Authorities, Border Force, and HMRC. Our latest activity is preventing unsafe and non-compliant ebike’s, escooter’s, and conversion kits entering the UK supply chain.
As an SEO Lead Enforcement Officer, you will Lead on Ports and Inland deployments, conducting a range of onsite activities throughout the UK, ensuring Officers follow best practice. You will use initiative and be proactive in establishing a programme of regulatory activity, and lead on a range of high profile or challenging workstreams, compiling accurate project reports, operational plans, and case files. You will be at the forefront of building relationships internally and externally and will play a key role in developing, and mentoring Enforcement Officers.
Online Enforcement:
Online Enforcement is a fast-paced team; we select and test purchase high risk products which are being sold online. We get non-compliant products removed from sale, and monitor how well Online Marketplaces are fulfilling their obligations, enabling OPSS to hold them to account. We also explore new approaches to regulation and enforcement in the Online space enforcing the removal of unsafe products.
As an SEO on the Online Enforcement team you will have a portfolio of cases to manage. Working at pace you will ensure quick action is taken to address the issue, help build up our data and intelligence on how the online economy works, and lead follow up work to ensure businesses remain compliant following intervention. This is a developing area, and you may be asked to lead or contribute to the development of new ways of carrying out regulation online.
Incidents and Investigations:
Incidents and Investigations Team takes the enforcement lead on high profile investigations in the Product Safety space. We also deal with nationally declared product safety Incidents. We take immediate corrective action to protect people and places, and carrying out detailed investigation to determine the appropriate enforcement action and/or sanctions.
Key Responsibilities
- Undertake both proactive and reactive enforcement work to ensure products placed on the UK market are compliant.
- Take the lead on your own enforcement investigations, provide support to multi-officer investigations and supervise your team’s casework.
- Develop and build relationships with relevant professional and trade bodies in the regulated area.
- Provide guidance and support to businesses and business sectors to enable greater compliance within the industry.
- Develop specialist understanding and knowledge of the legislation you enforce, and the industries and sectors you regulate.
- Undertake regulatory activities in accordance with the Regulators’ Code and OPSS’ Enforcement Policy.
- Actively build and maintain relationships across teams within Enforcement and across the office to identify opportunities to add value to your work, ensuring that our approach to regulation is consistent.
Person specification
Skills & Experience
- This is a great opportunity for flexible and ambitious individuals with the energy to make positive change happen within and beyond OPSS. We are keen to hear from people with varying backgrounds, who can demonstrate:
- Experience in an investigatory role in any of the following fields: regulation, enforcement, or compliance.
- Strategic problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to scope, plan, and guide the delivery of results-oriented, multifaceted work plans.
- Flexibility and ability to clearly set priorities in what can be a changing environment ·
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- This is a great opportunity for flexible and ambitious individuals with the energy to make positive change happen within and beyond OPSS. We are keen to hear from people with varying backgrounds, who can demonstrate:
- Experience in an investigatory role in any of the following fields: regulation, enforcement, or compliance.
- Strategic problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to scope, plan, and guide the delivery of results-oriented, multifaceted work plans.
- Flexibility and ability to clearly set priorities in what can be a changing environment ·
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to research, understand assess and apply technical information, filtering, and prioritising data to assist in understanding its relevancy in the investigative process.
- A full valid driving licence. If you do not hold a driving licence because of a protected characteristic, please speak to recruitment manager to let them know, and this will be taken into account.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
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.
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 provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.
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.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement Only.Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Location and working arrangements
This role is available in three UK locations (Birmingham, London and Teddington) and can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
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.
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 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).
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 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
