Assistant Director - Strategy, Communications and Advocacy

Job summary

We're looking for an Assistant Director to join the Advocacy, Public Policy and International team. You will have opportunities to apply your expertise and knowledge to major public policy issues such as industrial strategy and regulatory reform; to engage with government and regulators to understand, support and inform their thinking; and to play a thought leadership role across the wider CMA, ensuring the implications of key public policy developments are considered in our work and how we engage with our external environment.

The Public Policy team leads on identifying and analysing key areas of public policy work for the CMA. It covers all regulatory policy, as well as holding all relationships with government, policymakers and regulators unrelated to specific case work. In this role, you will have opportunities to apply your expertise and knowledge to policy questions across the UK; and to play a critical role in delivering on the CMA’s Annual Plan commitment to advocate in the consumer interest on regulatory, policy and legislative matters.

About the CMA

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK’s principal competition and consumer protection authority. We promote competition and protect consumers with a clear end goal in mind: to drive economic growth and improve household prosperity. The CMA has a range of powers, which it uses to undertake a wide variety of cutting-edge, high profile and complex work, spanning merger and market inquiries, competition and consumer law enforcement, our role in the digital markets competition regime, subsidy advice, and internal market advice.

We are fully committed to being a flexible, respectful and inclusive employer. It is a priority to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we welcome applications from under-represented groups.

You can read more about working at the CMA in our candidate pack

Job description

• Use your understanding of economic policy and the competition and consumer regime to produce analysis of relevant public policy developments and to lead in the provision of formal and informal advice to government.
• Build trusted relationships with key officials in government departments, and develop networks with wider stakeholders, to help create awareness in government of the CMA’s work and priorities, and of its advisory role to government.
• Lead co-ordination of the CMA’s public policy related output and help ensure that the public policy function provides an effective internal challenge function to the wider CMA.
• Ensure the CMA’s public policy related output is drafted to a high quality.

To find out more, please review the role profile below.

Person specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence and examples for each of the following selection criteria in your application. If you do not meet the lead selection criteria in your application, the panel will not be required to score your application against the remaining essential criteria of the role:

Essential criteria

• A strong understanding of the external policy environment (in particular, AI and digital issues) and how it affects the CMA; and of the processes by which policy and law is made and implemented and how it can affect market outcomes. (Lead Criteria)
• Demonstrate experience of being able to acquire, at speed, a detailed knowledge of unfamiliar policy areas and assess strategic risks and opportunities for the organisation.
• Demonstrate experience of being able to balance multiple competing and changing demands and make informed judgements.
• Excellent skills in communicating and influencing a range of audiences, from non-technical to specialist, both orally and in writing.
• Experience of leading a team, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers, and delivering in partnership with other organisations or departments with related goals or responsibilities.
• Proven ability to use own initiative, and exercise sound judgement on high-profile and often novel issues.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £84,800, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £24,566 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

You’ll also get:

• 25 days leave (increasing to 30 days over five years), plus 8 public holidays and an additional day off for the King’s birthday. In addition, you’ll be able to access a wide range of other types of leave as and when you need it, including generous maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption options, as well as paid special leave for volunteering
• Season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, flu vaccinations and eye tests
• Access to the Civil Service Sports & Leisure, giving discounted gym membership, high street discounts, free access to UK wide attractions and a free Tastecard
• A range of wellbeing benefits, including an employee assistance programme, flexible working options and family friendly policies, regular networking events and professional learning opportunities at work

You can read more about our benefits in our candidate pack.

Our Values

We are Ambitious and Evidence-based, and always strive for Excellence.​ We treat everyone with Respect and are Collaborative and Inclusive.​

Everything we do is underpinned by the Civil Service values: Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity.

You can read more about life at the CMA in our candidate pack.

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.

Application and sift stage

• As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details about application requirements are listed on the application form.
• The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review), and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation.
• Please note that it is essential that your personal statement is aligned to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and experience for each of the essential criteria (as included on the role profile attached and listed above under 'Person Specification') in your application. Your personal statement should be no more than 1250 words.
• An initial sift based on the first criteria point (Lead Criteria) may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification will then be considered. If you do not meet the lead selection criteria in your application, the panel will not be required to score your application against the remaining essential criteria of the role.
• We may raise the score required at sift stage to progress to interview if we receive a high number of applications and take through the highest performing candidates to the interview stage.
• Successful candidates at sift will be invited to an interview which will be conducted at the CMA's Canary Wharf office.

Interview stage

• At the CMA we apply a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you and we use the Success Profiles framework assessing the Behaviours and Experience skills outlined in the advert and attached role profile.
• The first part of the interview will comprise of a brief presentation, assessing the Communicating and Influencing behaviour, details of which you will sent with your interview invitation.
• Following this, the panel will then conduct a 45 minute-one hour panel interview where you will be asked questions based on the Behaviours and Experience outlined in the role profile.

• A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Timeline (the dates outlined below are indicative and may be subject to change)

• The advert closing date is 01 September 2026 (23:55). We are not able to accept late applications.
• The sift is scheduled to take place between 02 and 07 September 2026.
• Interviews will be held from the week commencing 14 September 2026. Interviews will take place in-person at the CMA's Canary Wharf office.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make sure no one is at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. You can also email recruitment@cma.gov.uk.

For example, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional. You might also require additional time to complete a timed assessment or a sign language interpreter to support with the relaying of information.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) 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

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 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

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 : Marc Batt
• Email : recruitment@cma.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@cma.gov.uk

Further information

If your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact Recruitment@cma.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

G6 Assistant Director - June 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 156kB)