Subsidy Control Analysis

The Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate is at the heart of the Government’s growth agenda. What we do affects businesses, consumers and the overall economy. Getting it right is therefore critically important and we pride ourselves on the quality of our analysis providing the basis for our policy advice and our project delivery. The Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate in DBT is responsible for fostering competitive markets that maximise consumer welfare and business productivity. The Directorate aims to be evidence-driven, engaged, collaborative, innovative and influential. We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The Directorate has four teams: Competition Policy; Consumer Policy, Subsidy Control; and Analysis, Corporate Support and Digital Markets, where this role sits.

The Analysis team consists of c.10 analysts, leading the Directorate’s research, appraisal and evaluation work and ensuring the analytical underpinning of all the Directorate’s work is robust. We work with policy teams to provide high-quality and insightful analysis to support competition policy, consumer policy and Subsidy Control. Analysis supports all stages of policy development from early problem identification to policy evaluation.

The team works closely with other areas of DBT including the Central Analysis Team and the Department’s Chief Analyst and with other government departments including No 10, HMT and DSIT. It also has good links with key stakeholders such as the CMA, consumer organisations such as Citizens Advice and Which?, and academia.

The UK’s Subsidy Control regime launched in January 2023. The regime enables UK public authorities, including devolved administrations and local authorities, to give subsidies that are tailored to their local needs, and that drive economic growth, while minimising distortion to UK competition and protecting our international obligations.

The Subsidy Control policy team is at the heart of the regime; it delivered the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and actively monitors the regime’s effectiveness, while engaging with public authorities to increase awareness of their obligations and new freedoms. Our analysis underpinned the creation of the regime, informing the design of its core principles and rules as well as the creation of nine first-of-a-kind streamlined route subsidy schemes.

You will lead on Subsidy Control Analysis, ensuring Subsidy Control policy continues to be underpinned by robust evidence. Amongst other responsibilities, your core deliverable is managing the production of DBT’s Subsidy Control regime monitoring and evaluation report, which we expect to publish in the next c.12 months. You are likely to also get involved in wider analysis projects relating to competition and consumer protection.

Responsibilities include:

• Line and/or task management of one/several of the 4+ junior economists within the team, setting direction and supporting their development
• Managing the monitoring and evaluation of the Subsidy Control regime, which will likely include procuring external research, managing the contractor relationship and delivering a public report evaluating the first c.18 months of the regime’s operation
• Provide ad hoc analytical leadership and support to the Subsidy Control policy team, including supporting other DBT policy teams with drafting their principles assessments – the economic and policy assessment that must be completed to demonstrate that a subsidy or scheme is consistent with the Subsidy Control principles

• Managing our analytical relationship with the CMA’s Subsidy Advice Unit, which has a statutory requirement to monitor and evaluate the competition and investment impacts of the regime

• Identifying opportunities for research to build the evidence base; developing and leading research projects where valuable

• Leading workstream planning for the analysis of Subsidy Control to ensure analysis is delivered to time and to a high standard

• Upskilling colleagues across government on drafting principles assessments (see above), as well as the economic and competition aspects of the Subsidy Control regime

• Providing analytical support and challenge as appropriate on the design of subsidies Working collaboratively with policy leads to ensure policy advice is evidence-based and founded on sound analysis

• Providing analytical support on competition policy including developing evaluations, and analysis of Competition and Market Authority investigations and merger and acquisition activity

• Promoting analysis and evidence-based policy making in CCP and contributing to the wider DBT analytical community

Skills and Experience

Essential criteria

Collaboration – Experience of collaborating with colleagues across professions and with different backgrounds to deliver shared outcomes. Communication – Experience of communicating analysis to a non-technical audience.
• Delivering at pace – Experience of effectively planning to deliver against tight timelines to a high quality. Candidates are expected to be familiar with economic concepts related to Subsidy Control, such as competition economics, and a strong economic background is desirable.

The successful candidate will need to be or become a member of a government analytical profession: the Government Economic Service, Government Social Research, the Government Statistical Service or the Government Operational Research Service. The requirements for each of these professions is set out below:

Government Economic Service

Economists must have a First or 2:1 Honours Bachelors degree (or international equivalent) with at least 50 per cent of completed modules in economics in penultimate and final years; (or a Post Graduate Diploma (or equivalent) or a Masters degree in economics, including a substantial amount of taught macro and microeconomics. You must also demonstrate substantial proven competence in applied economics as a professional economist.

Technical skills will be assessed against the grade requirement of the Government Economic Service (GES). Details can be found in the GES Framework.

Government Social Research

Social Research Expertise via a relevant qualification OR work experience:

• Relevant Qualification route: Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2.1. The degree must contain substantial social research methods training (comprising around one third of modules taken on the course) including quantitative research methods and at least three of the following: systematic/literature reviews; qualitative methods; interpretation of data and presentation of results; study design, hypothesis testing and application of ethics to research.

OR

• Professional Experience route: Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:2, in any subject, or a degree equivalent (e.g. an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS), plus have extensive social research practice experience. Social research practice experience consists of experience working in a research agency, market research agency or specialist research team. To enter the GSR through this route you must make explicit the breadth and depth of your research experience and skills, which must include quantitative research methods and three of the following: systematic/literature reviews; qualitative methods; interpretation of data and presentation of results; study design, hypothesis testing and application of ethics to research.

In advance of the interview, if you are not an existing member of the Government Social Research (GSR) profession, you will be required to undertake a 45 minute online written “knowledge test”. This test will be supervised and conducted online over MS Teams and involve you responding to a range of exam questions to test your technical knowledge of social research and statistical methods.

In the interview, we will also assess your technical social research skills by asking you to present on a pre-prepared research topic which will be given to you in advance, for up to 10 minutes. An additional technical question will also be asked as part of the interview.

All technical questions will be based on the grade specific skills and knowledge required for the GSR profession set out in the GSR framework – a copy which can be obtained from the link below:

Government Social Research (GSR) Technical Expertise Framework: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-government-social-research-competency-framewor

Government Statistical Service

Applicants from the GSS profession should show knowledge and experience of using statistical techniques to inform policy and/or decision making; have experience working on analytical projects and delivering solutions; and be able to clearly communicate findings from analysis.

Applicants who are not already members of the Government Statistician Group (GSG) will be required to do an online statistical test and a dissemination exercise as part of the application process to join the GSG.

Candidates should have one of the following:

• A first- or second-class honours degree in a numerate subject containing at least 25% taught statistical content (e.g. Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Business Studies, Psychology, Geography or similar).
• A higher degree, e.g. an MSc or PhD, in a subject containing formal statistical training (e.g. Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Business Studies, Psychology, Geography or
  similar).
• Have worked in a statistical/data science field and are able to demonstrate continuous professional development (via a CPD Log Book) in statistics or data science at the same level as a foundation degree/HND (Level 5).
• Have achieved or on track to achieve a level 4 apprenticeship including experience in a statistical or data analysis field in government and are able to demonstrate continuous professional development in statistics or data analysis (via a CPD log book signed off by a manager or mentor who are members of the statistical profession).

Please note – candidates may apply in their final year of study whilst they are still awaiting their qualification result, however, formal contracts can only be offered upon confirmation of the achievement of the relevant qualification. In the case of an apprenticeship, this includes completing work experience in a statistical/data analysis field in government as part of attaining the qualification.

Government Operational Research

• You must possess a 2:1 or higher numerate degree, or a 2:2 with relevant work experience or postgraduate qualification.
• Highly numerate degrees include: Astrophysics, Data Science, Decision Science, Econometrics, Engineering, Mathematics, Operational Research, Physics and Statistics.
• Other numerate degrees, such as Accounting, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Economics, Finance, Geography, IT, Management, Management Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Sciences and Systems Science, may be accepted if 50% or more of the modules are considered highly numerate.

You will be required to give a presentation at the interview, with the details of the presentation provided after the initial sift stage. In the interview, we will also assess you against the technical competency elements of the GORS Competencies:

http://www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/competencies/

• Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques
• Achieving impact with analysis
• Sustaining and developing operational research

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

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

• GES - Application of knowledge

• 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.

Job contact :

Name :
Siobhan Dennehy
Email :
siobhan.dennehy@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk