Correspondence Manager

Job summary

Parliamentary Policy & Strategy is seeking a talented and ambitious individual to fill a key role at the heart of the dynamic and fast-paced Department for Business and Trade, and your work will contribute to supporting our Ministers, Special Advisers and the most senior officials in the department.

The role offers unprecedented exposure to the top-level workings of a government department and an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to develop and hone the skills required to progress further in the civil service.

We are recruiting for a Correspondence Manager within the Ministerial Correspondence and Cabinet Committees Unit. This unit manages the flow of information to and from the department’s Ministers. This can be in the form of letters from MPs and other stakeholders, managing Cabinet committee ‘Write Rounds’ which require a response, and drafting outbound correspondence on the behalf of Ministers.

This is a high performing team and although the Ministerial Correspondence and Cabinet Committees functions are closely linked, they are two distinct areas of work.

The successful candidate may be assigned to either part of the team.

The role affords good exposure to the inner workings of Ministerial Private Offices at the highest levels of the department. Our people value our fast-paced and high-performing environment, where no two days are the same and they have license to work creatively to solve challenging issues. The skills you develop in Parliamentary Policy & Strategy will put you on a sound footing for progression into a rewarding civil service career and if all of this sounds appealing, we would love to hear from you.

Job description

You will be responsible for managing the smooth flow of ministerial correspondence through the department and ensuring that the department’s Cabinet Committee Correspondence functions are carried out in a timely manner and to a high standard.

You will ensure that responses are of high quality and responded to within Cabinet Office targets. This is a high priority area for the department’s Ministers, and you will manage the end-to-end process of allocating correspondence to policy teams for a response, quality checking draft responses and using your expert communications skills to ensure responses are fit for purpose and that Ministers’ preferences are reflected before submitting for signature and approval.

You will issue Cabinet Committee write-rounds on behalf of the Secretary of State, coordinating responses to incoming write-rounds from other Departments and drafting outbound correspondence on behalf of Ministers and senior officials. You will work with other Government Departments to transfer cases that do not sit within the remit of the Department, building and maintaining good relationships across Whitehall.

You will work both with policy teams across the department to ensure our deadlines are met and with Private Offices to manage the process of Ministers responding to invitations while demonstrating flexibility when working with the wider Correspondence Team to ensure all queries are answered in a timely manner.

Person specification

We are looking for motivated, creative and resilient people who want to challenge themselves in a busy and fast-moving environment. Your previous experience is not as important as having a can-do attitude and demonstrating flexibility, as the skills to be successful can be learned on the job. We’d be particularly interested in hearing from you if you:

• Are a well-organised person who can prioritise competing demands to ensure tasks are completed on time and to the highest quality
• Have excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to build relationships with many different people
• Take pride in your work and have a keen eye for detail
• Have an ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Can work autonomously and deliver results under pressure

In return, we can offer you a job that:

• Gives you frequent access to the department’s most senior stakeholders, including Ministers and the Secretary of State
• Allows you to work creatively and autonomously in deciding how best to deliver your work and improve the work of the wider group
• Is both challenging and rewarding, and part of a high performing and supportive environment where people can bring their whole selves to work
• Has particular stretch for the EO grade - jobs with us give you a sound base to develop skills that will aid your future civil service career and valuable experience in working at the top level of a government department

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,699, Department for Business and Trade contributes £8,603 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).

• 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 employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

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.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 that relate to the essential criteria listed in this advert. Any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years should be explained.
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining your motivation for applying to this role, and evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria listed on the Job specification.

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

We aim to sift both the CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the Personal Statement will either progressed to a full sift where the CV is then assessed, or progressed straight to further assessment/interview.

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Behaviours listed.

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.

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.

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:

• 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.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI 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.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback

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 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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Ministerial Correspondence and Cabinet Committee Unit
• Email : karen.frieze2@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.
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.

Attachments

DBT candidate pack July 2024 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 943kB)DBT T&Cs 2025-08-18 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB)