26.65 Associate Director of Strategy and Engagement

Job summary

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was established as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) under the Protection of Freedoms Act (PoFA) 2012. We provide criminal record information to individuals and employers through DBS checks and we make barring decisions about individuals to help prevent harm to children and vulnerable adults.

The Strategy and Impact Directorate brings together strategy, insight, research, knowledge management, communications, partnerships, policy and performance management to help DBS lead, influence and demonstrate impact.

Job description

Job Purpose:

The Associate Director of Strategy and Engagement is a senior leadership role within the Strategy and Impact Directorate, responsible for leading the development and implementation of DBS’ organisational strategy, and for strengthening DBS’s engagement and impact across the safeguarding and safer employment landscape.

The postholder will take an insight-led approach, using data and feedback to steer the Strategy and Engagement functions, which are key contributors to the DBS vision for the organisation to be visible, trusted and influential. The role will work closely with the Associate Director for Organisational Performance and Intelligence (AD, OPI), and the Associate Director, Strategic Lead for Safeguarding.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic planning including the development and tracking of DBS’ strategy
• Policy shaping and system influence
• Partnerships and external engagement
• Oversight of internal and external communications

The postholder will ensure these functions are mutually reinforcing, creating line of sight from organisational ambition through to engagement and measurable delivery.

Strategy and Planning

• Lead the development of a strong, central strategic planning capability to develop and coordinate delivery of DBS’ strategy, driven by internal and external intelligence

• Embed a longer‑term (5–10 year) strategic view, ensuring DBS identifies emerging risks, opportunities and system pressures early enough to influence, as well as to respond to, external change.

Policy

• Provide strategic support on policy, ensuring DBS’ technical and subject matter expertise is appropriately informing Government thinking, with a focus on delivery, implementation and real‑world impact.

• Advise senior leaders on major policy developments, assessing strategic, operational and reputational implications for DBS

Partnerships and Engagement

• Lead DBS’s strategic partnerships and engagement activity, building strong, trust‑based relationships across government, regulators, employers, safeguarding partners and wider sectors.

• Use insight and evidence to inform long‑term strategic conversations across the safeguarding system, championing use of disclosure and barring insight, and moving from reactive use of data towards proactive prevention and learning.

Communications

• Oversee communications, ensuring DBS has a high quality and collaborative communications function which grows communications capability across DBS and is aligned with the relevant government standards.

• Ensure internal communications activity supports effective delivery of strategy, employee engagement and organisational change.

Corporate Duties:

The postholder will:

Manage Strategy and Engagement staff and budget in line with DBS policies and procedures

Support the Executive Director of Strategy and Impact in:

• Their role as a member of the ET, assisting them in their responsibility for leading the organisation.
• leadership of the Strategy and Impact directorate as part of the directorate management team

• engaging in and helping to drive change as required.

• their dealings with Board and its committees as required

Be an active member of the DBS wider Leadership Team, specifically contributing as follows

• act in the best interests of DBS, beyond your directorate or profession

• actively shape, deliver and sustain DBS strategy and transformation

• uphold high standards of governance, accountability and risk management

• model DBS values and create an inclusive, respectful and high‑performing culture

• foster a culture where people feel valued, supported and able to perform at their best

• build trust and credibility through effective internal and external engagement

• actively promote fairness, inclusion and wellbeing across DBS

• ensure effective use of public resources and delivery of outcomes.

Person specification

Ability

Essential Criteria

• Ability to nurture productive collaborative relationships across a broad and complex landscape, commanding the confidence of internal and external stakeholders and partners at all levels

• Ability to lead development and drive implementation of long-term strategies for complex organisations, ensuring desired outcomes are realised.

• Demonstrable leadership skills, with experience of leading others (beyond line management responsibility) to negotiate and deliver successful multidisciplinary programmes of work within and beyond organisational boundaries using an integrated, cross-organisational (‘OneDBS’) approach

• Ability to identify and analyse external and internal trends, opportunities and risks and advise on appropriate strategic and operational responses

• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation and interpersonal skills both verbal and written

Desirable Criteria

• Ability to generate and drive innovation, including but not limited to new technologies

Experience

Essential Criteria

• Experience of advising senior leaders on strategy, policy, external/public affairs, communications, engagement and/or partnerships in a high-profile public sector or similar operating environment
• A strong track record of achieving strategic external/public affairs, communications, engagement and/or partnerships objectives, including successfully delivering or contributing to campaigns for high profile, projects with measurable impact
• Experience working at a senior level with relevant partners, e.g., NHS, government, police, commercial suppliers

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of leading strategic and cultural change in a large public sector organisation.
• Previous experience in the safeguarding sector

Technical Experience

Essential Criteria

• Familiarity with central government and/or legislative processes, and with the accountability principles related to machinery of government

Desirable Criteria

• Familiarity with the Government’s Functional Standards and/or Modern Communications Operating Model or equivalent.

Further Information:

To View the DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice, please click the link below:

DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This privacy notice covers personal data collected during the recruitment, security clearance and on-boarding process.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £74,061, Disclosure & Barring Service contributes £21,455 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The DBS offers a number of excellent benefits for its employees. These can include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent maternity, paternity and adoption schemes (after a qualifying period)
• Commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Occupational Health Service including referrals for counselling and physiotherapy
• 24/7 Counselling and Wellbeing Service
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

The DBS vision and purpose is to make people safer by being a visible, trusted and influential organisation, providing an outstanding quality of service to all our customers and partners, where our people understand the important safeguarding contributions they make and feel proud to work here. To do this, the DBS is committed to being an employer that is able to attract, develop, retain and engage diverse talent that is representative of the communities we serve, and to be an organisation providing outstanding service to all our existing and new customers, who are diverse and have a range of different needs. We want all our staff to be able to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

To apply for this role, candidates should provide a CV together with a Suitability Statement of no more than 500 words outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, including all essential criteria and the key responsibilities.

You will also need to provide behavioural statements of no more than 250 words for each of the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Should a large number of applications be received, the sift may be conducted on the Working Together behaviour.

Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview which will include a presentation and will assess the following behaviours:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions

The presentation will be measured against the behaviours

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

The closing date for applications is Friday 29 May at 10am.

Interviews are due to take place week commencing 22nd and 29th June 2026.

Whilst we will endeavour to provide some flexibility with regards to dates wherever possible, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer an alternative date once an appointment has been scheduled.

Interviews will be held virtually via MS Teams

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil 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

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 : People Support Team
• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Attachments

Job Description - Associate Director of Strategy and Engagement (G6) FINAL (1) Opens in new window (docx, 441kB)