Exports Strategy Comms Lead

Job summary

The Department for Business, Science, Innovation, and Trade (BIST) is responsible for driving sustainable economic growth and connecting investment, trade, innovation and place to create opportunities for people and communities across the whole of the UK. The Department works closely with partners across government, devolved government, industry bodies, and businesses to deliver the UK’s trade and economic priorities.

The Domestic and International Markets and Export (DIME) Group within BIST plays a vital role in advising, supporting, and promoting UK businesses to grow and export, delivering economic growth through our services and policy interventions across the UK and overseas.

The Exports Strategy team, within DIME, works closely with policy, ministerial, and delivery colleagues to translate complex policy into accessible and compelling messaging for a range of audiences, including businesses and trade associations. Through targeted engagement activity, the team builds and maintains relationships with key stakeholders across the UK and internationally, ensuring that BIST’s work is informed by business insight and that stakeholders are equipped to benefit from government support. The team also contributes to cross-government communications, ensuring alignment and coherence in messaging on economic growth and trade.

By combining strategic communications with proactive stakeholder engagement, the team supports the Department in increasing awareness, understanding, and uptake of its services, ultimately contributing to the UK’s economic growth, global competitiveness, and trade ambitions.

Job description

• Strategy: Design and implement a low-cost exports communications strategy for the Exports Directorate and wider Department, working collaboratively with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science, and Trade (BIST)'s Comms and Marketing (C&M) Directorate to ensure complementarity
• Relationship building: Establish and maintain a network of external stakeholders in the comms space, ensuring effective delivery of DIME messaging through the right channels.
• Communications: Work with the Exports Strategy Head of Comms and Engagement to develop a strategic messaging framework and core narrative that is fit for purpose
• Improvement: Strive to find innovative ways to improve DIME’s comms outputs to better achieve our objectives
• Collaboration: Work collegiately across the Department to maximise resource and initiatives where appropriate, ensuring communications activity of Exports is aligned with C&M, and other comms teams, particularly DIME’s Briefing Hub and Post.
• Leadership: Motivate colleagues and provide support to enable effective communications across the Directorate.
• Act at all times in line with the Civil Service code, with BIST’s performance and behavioural standards, and putting responsibilities as a UK Civil Servant at the forefront of everyday performance and behaviour.
• Undertake continuous personal development, including 100% compliance with Minimum standards and mandatory learning, office attendance, and the BIST learning academy to meet role-specific requirements but keep abreast of wider economic, political and other environmental factors. To champion learning, value diversity, respect colleagues, and drive delivery of BIST and HMG objectives at all times. Have full responsibility for driving personal performance conversations and leading team members where applicable.
• Participation in wider-BIST corporate activities and be an active and energetic member of the BIST community, both more widely and in the hub location where you are based and have a vested interest in the leadership and success of the organisation and teams more widely as well as your own team.
• Additional duties may also be required in line with business need, these can include but are not restricted to assisting with local or national events, accompanying customers or Ministers on visits domestically or overseas, and attending events as BIST ambassadors, upholding professional standards and embodying a positive experience of the department internally and externally.

Person specification

Essential criteria

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

• Proven ability to develop and lead strategic communications strategies.
• Experience of advising senior leaders on communications strategy, exercising sound judgement to manage reputational, stakeholder and delivery considerations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex policy or strategic issues clearly to different audiences.
• Experience of developing strategic messaging and narratives that support organisational objectives and deliver measurable communications outcomes
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, prioritise competing demands and make effective decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrable experience of building effective relationships across organisational boundaries and aligning communications activity across multiple teams
• Ability to collaborate with a complex group of internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.
• Experience of creating a culture of continuous improvement, and leading teams to develop more efficient and effective ways of working.

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.

• Experience and/or understanding of UK export and international trade policy.
• Experience of working in an international or internationally-facing team.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,732, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,594 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, 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. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 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.
• A 250 word statement demonstrating the Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing behaviour

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria (CV/Personal Statement) and the Behaviour of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

We aim to sift the Behaviour, CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on any one of the above criteria only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the one criteria will either be progressed to a full sift where any/all of the remaining criteria are 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 Success Profiles elements of Behaviours, Experience and Strengths.

We aim to follow the below timelines for sift and interviews

• Sift – w/c 19 October 2026
• Interviews – w/c 26 October 2026

However, this is subject to change.

Please note, following a recent change to the Machinery of Government, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will be renamed to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) as of 20th July 2026. BIST will connect the UK’s world-class science and technology base directly to the businesses, places and workers that will drive good growth across the country. Such changes will not affect the selection process for this campaign; however, we wanted to take this opportunity to advise you of the recent changes to our department.

You can find further information here regarding recent governmental changes Machinery of Government changes: Fact Sheet - GOV.UK.

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Tiffany Burrows
• Email : tiffany.burrows@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)