Delivery Unit Priority Insight and Fiscal Events (multiple roles)

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade supports businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the centre of the department in the Strategy & Private Office Directorate.

We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic people to join DBT’s Delivery Unit, in leadership roles across the Unit, which works across the department to support effective delivery of the most significant departmental programmes.

We ensure that those interventions that have the greatest impact on growth are prioritised and supported via resource allocation processes such as fiscal events like Spending Reviews.

We track performance, spot and escalate emerging issues to keep the departmental programme on track, and feed into both departmental governance and HMG performance monitoring.

Job description

These are exciting and central roles in the Delivery Unit, in two teams within the unit: the Fiscal Events and Emerging Policy team, and the Priorities Insight team.

Head of Fiscal Events & Emerging Policy

This is a fast‑paced, high‑impact role shaping government decisions on growth, funding and delivery. You will lead DBT’s response to Budgets and Spending Reviews, working directly with Ministers and senior leaders to turn strategic priorities into funded, deliverable outcomes.

• Lead critical workstreams on fiscal events and growth policy, managing and coordinating a small team and supporting senior leaders to set clear priorities.
• Shape DBT’s contribution to Budgets, working with Ministers and policy teams to develop high‑impact, pro‑growth measures.
• Influence cross‑government decisions, engaging HM Treasury and other departments and supporting Ministers in political and stakeholder engagement.
• Lead departmental communications on fiscal outcomes, ensuring teams understand what Budget and SR decisions mean for delivery.
• Play a central role in Spending Reviews, helping shape DBT’s strategy and directly contributing to the Department’s formal submission.
• Act as the strategic link to a priority business area, coordinating delivery, managing risks, and ensuring alignment with wider objectives.

Priorities Insight Relationship Manager

This is a high-profile role, ensuring the delivery of DBT’s highest priorities via your stakeholder management, strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. You will develop expertise in DBT’s priority programmes for delivery. These are high-profile, fast-moving programmes that generate cross-government and public interest. You will build strong working relationships with policy teams and senior officials to understand and unblock delivery pinch points, reporting in to the most senior levels of the department.

• Manage the relationship with a designated DBT priority area, fully embedding yourself in the priority area and being an expert in the programme and its delivery.
• As the Relationship Manager of your area, you will be the central point of coordination and contact for the Delivery Unit, assessing delivery of milestones and identifying and supporting your priority area to escalate and unblock issues, ensuring alignment with departmental objectives.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships across DBT and with cross‑government partners (specific OGDs will depend on your priority area), representing the team in delivery reporting forums on your area and contributing to collaborative problem‑solving.
• Delivering set-piece priorities for the most senior levels of DBT, e.g. Select Committee appearances, cross-cutting briefings.

In all roles, you will be task-managing and/or matrix managing a small team, and you will be a visible leader across the Delivery Unit, expected to lead on corporate responsibilities alongside your core role.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

We are looking for someone who has:

• Strong strategic thinking and decision making skills, with the ability to develop expertise in departmental priorities and understand how to use the levers available to us to unblock delivery issues.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complex, ambiguous or incomplete information into clear, succinct briefings, submissions and advice for senior colleagues.

• Effective stakeholder management, with the ability to collaborate across teams and departments, build constructive working relationships, and influence discussions to support agreed outcomes.

• Good judgement and analytical skills, with the ability to interrogate evidence, make sense of incomplete or conflicting information, and provide balanced, well‑reasoned options and recommendations.

• Strong organisational and delivery capability, including the ability to manage competing priorities, coordinate multiple workstreams, and ensure work aligns with wider departmental objectives.

Desirable Criteria

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates

• A strong professional interest in trade, business and/or international affairs.

• Previous experience working in strategy or delivery function.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,511, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,660 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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, Strengths 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. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 750 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

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

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.

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 will be conducted on the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Success Profiles elements of Behaviours, and Strengths.

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:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
• 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 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 : Adam Watkin
• Email : adam.watkin@buisnessandtrade.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 T&Cs 2025-08-18 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB)DBT candidate pack July 2024 (1) (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 943kB)