• Fixed Term Contract, Full Time
  • Flexible
  • Full Time
  • London, UK
  • April 20, 2025
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Job summary

We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted virtually by Laura Jackson, and will take place on:

  • Monday 7th April, 10:30am

The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department.

It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the application, and the interview and assessment process.

Please register your interest by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation.

This will take place virtually, via Google Meets.

Job description

We are looking for an outstanding leader with strong policy skills and superb personal judgement to join a supportive and high-performing team working on some of the most challenging issues facing the country.

You will act as a trusted personal adviser to the Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary, as well as working closely with the Principal Private Secretary, to help drive forward the Secretary of State’s priorities. You will need to be able to engage confidently with policy teams, creating the space for new ideas and approaches and being able to challenge others constructively. You will also need to be a self starter, able to prioritise the team’s work, build your own diverse external network, and seek out new opportunities inside and outside the department. Finally, you will need to be able to build a team culture that empowers others to do the same, and coach and support team members as they do.

This role offers the opportunity to work on a huge range of issues, from reform of our media regime, gambling and football regulation; to oversight of arts, culture, heritage and civil society policy. It also offers the opportunity to make an impact, alongside a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and high performing team.

Person specification

The Ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

Essential Requirements

  • Seeing the big picture: the ability to understand and analyse complex policy and delivery issues at pace and to use your judgement to provide clear, strategic advice.
  • Leadership: outstanding leadership skills, both of high performing teams and corporately; with the ability to build a strong team culture and ethos and to motivate and manage a team to deliver at pace on a challenging and complex agenda.
  • Working together: outstanding ability to forge excellent relationships and adept at successfully influencing, challenging and negotiating, to gain the confidence of key customers and senior stakeholders.
  • Changing and improving: confidence and ability to challenge the way things have been always done, as well as building a culture which enables others to do the same. Comfortable taking measured risks and innovating to deliver results.
  • Delivering at Pace: translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for managers and teams; provide clarity about the action required to achieve results and address unexpected developments; act as a role model for delivery by showing efficiency and focus, while being open to new ideas and honest about challenges.

Desirable Skills

  • Strong policy skills – including open policy making and developing novel situations.
  • Experience building trust amongst senior stakeholders. For example senior officials, ministers, and/or senior external stakeholders.
Alongside your salary of £76,000, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

  • Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working – DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
  • 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service
  • A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  • Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
  • 3 days of paid volunteering leave
  • Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
  • Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
  • Occupational sick pay
  • Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
  • Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
  • Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work
  • Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.

Selection process details

To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the essential requirements for the role:

  • A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable 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 and you should insert your CV into the “Job History” section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
  • A Statement of Suitability (max 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted.

For the shortlist, we will select applicants who demonstrate the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application and how this meets the essential requirements.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

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).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
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 : SCS Recruitment
  • Email : scsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

  • Email : scsrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Head of Resourcing at recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk, in the first instance.

Attachments

DD Policy Unit Candidate Pack (1) Opens in new window(pdf, 7364kB)

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