Deputy Director of Strategy and Insight

Job summary

Our communications transformation ​

DBT's Communications and Marketing function is undergoing a bold transformation to meet the demands of the modern media landscape and deliver on our ambitious growth mission. We're moving from traditional discipline-based communications to an integrated, outcome-focused model that positions communications as a critical delivery enabler, not just a service function.​

Our integrated approach ​

Working through matrix teams, we bring together multi disciplinary communications and engagement professionals to deliver priority campaigns under one strategy aligned to the growth mission. Our approach is built on three pillars: ​

• Targeted behaviour change: Hyper-focused campaigns driving business uptake of export support, employment rights compliance, and service-led communications linking policy to practical business support ​
• Real stories: Case study-driven campaigns featuring businesses creating jobs and workers benefiting from new rights, with local ministerial visits showcasing investment wins and peer-to-peer business advocacy ​
• Progress and delivery moments: Strategic use of set-piece events and milestones to demonstrate momentum and build trust through demonstrated impact ​

Mission-led approach ​

All our activities directly support the Growth Mission. We translate complex economic policies into clear narratives for target audiences across all DBT communications and engagement channels. Our communication outcomes contribute to the overall mission milestone of "higher living standards in every part of the United Kingdom." We operate with SMART objectives, use insight to drive clear audience journeys from awareness to action, and measure impact through metrics aligned to the mission milestone. ​

By joining DBT Communications and Marketing, you'll be part of a team that's redefining how government communicates about economic growth – working collaboratively across disciplines, using evidence and insight to drive impact, and demonstrating how government partnership with business is creating jobs, driving investment, and improving living standards across the UK. ​

Job description

As Deputy Director for Strategy, Insight and Internal Communications, you will be the strategic centre of gravity for how the directorate works in partnership to plan, deliver and measure its priority campaigns — setting the direction, owning the evidence base, and ensuring that everything we do is rooted in a clear understanding of our audiences and responsive to the environment around us.​

​You will lead three teams — Strategic Communications, Insight and Evaluation, and Internal Communications — and serve as Senior Responsible Officer for one of DBT's four priority campaigns. But this role is about much more than leading your own teams. You will be a full and active member of the Communications and Marketing Senior Leadership Team, sharing collective responsibility for the performance of the whole directorate, the success of our integrated campaign model, and the professional development of our people. You will also play a significant role inthe department's wider strategy and growth leadership, working across DBT to ensure communications is embedded as a genuine delivery function — not an afterthought — in everything the department does to drive economic growth.​

This role demands someone who combines deep strategic instinct with sharp political awareness. You will need to read the political landscape quickly and accurately, maintain a coherent long-term strategy while your team responds to the moments that matter, and build and sustain the relationships — with Ministers, Special Advisers, senior officials, and cross-Whitehall partners — that make things happen. You will be comfortable operating at pace and under pressure, and you will bring the credibility and judgement to be a trusted adviser at the most senior levels of the department.​

Beyond your own team and priority campaign, you will champion professional standards and functional disciplines that underpin great communications, and invest in the capability and development of people across the directorate, not just your own teams. You will help shapeDBT’s contribution to cross-government communications priorities, represent the department in senior Whitehall forums, and build the external relationships and networks that allow us to punch above our weight in driving economic growth through impactful communications.​

Person specification

Essential Criteria

1. Proven senior experience setting and delivering communications strategy in a complex, high-profile environment, balancing long-term direction with rapid response to political and reputational pressures.​
2. Demonstrated track record of providing trusted, timely, and courageous counsel to Ministers and senior officials (or equivalents), combined with a strongability to build and sustain relationships across complex stakeholder landscapes to align, amplify, and accelerate delivery.​
3. Deep expertise in audience insight, data analysis, and evaluation, with the ability to draw on complex evidence to sharpen strategy and demonstrate meaningful impact against economic and policy outcomes.​
4. Proven ability to operate as an effective, collaborative member of a senior leadership team, taking collective responsibility for shared outcomes and contributing to directorate-wide strategy beyond your own portfolio.​
5. Demonstrated experience building and leading high‑performing teams that can adapt rapidly to emerging priorities while maintaining strategic coherence, nurturing talent, and fostering a culture of continuous learning. ​
6. Experience leading internal communications through significant organisational change, balancing transparency, compassion, and strategic purpose inequal measure.​

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £23,465 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%

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

How to apply​​​

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role. Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 29/03/26. ​

​You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below. It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​

• ​​ A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​​
• A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, provding examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​​​

​Your Supporting Statement​

The supporting statement is your opportunity to give examples and show how your skills and experience fit the job requirements.​

When writing a supporting statement, it is important that you:​

• Read the job specification so you are clear about the job requirements. Structure your personal statement to reflect the essential criteria listed in the advert.​
• Make sure you provide evidence against each of the listed criteria - i.e. ‘experienced in leading high performing and diverse teams and promoting inclusivity.’ When have you led a team, how large, what did you do to promote inclusivity, how did you handle diversity?​
• Ensure any evidence you provide demonstrates the impact of your actions in that situation, provide statistical evidence where relevant.

​If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk in the first instance​.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.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 Team
• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.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 at SCSRecruitment@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: Civil Service Commission Complaints​

Attachments

Candidate Pack - Deputy Director of Strategy and Insight Opens in new window (pdf, 6146kB)DD Strategy and Insight Domestic Accessible Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 148kB)