Business Compliance Senior Safety Officer
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 17th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge, and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade (Previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow, recently with the addition of construction products regulation.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.
Further information can be found on our website here
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
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 recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.
The post is based in Birmingham or Teddington. Now the team is partially operational some travel – possibly to any UK location - is likely to be required.
Job description
The Role and Our Team
The Government has announced that the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) will host the new national regulator for construction products, driving the improvement of safety and performance standards and ensuring compliance with construction product regulations. OPSS has begun operating under existing regulations and is currently transitioning to become fully operational under new legislation. The Business Compliance Team is the team responsible for setting and establishing OPSS’ approach to drive business compliance with the construction product industry. We lead on the delivery of high-quality regulation of construction products placed on the UK market.
This is an exciting opportunity for a flexible and results-oriented individual with the energy to make positive change happen within the construction product industry. In this purposeful, and multi-faceted role you will play a part in building our reputation as an exemplar regulator. Candidates will need to be flexible in approach and prepared to lead on a range of tasks. You will hold specific responsibilities for planning and developing our regulatory capacity and delivery. The role will suit people who are confident, analytical, decisive and can develop relationships and networks quickly, with experience of operating within a regulatory compliance environment: for example, ensuring goods, services or systems meet regulatory standards.
The successful candidate will undertake both proactive and reactive enforcement work to ensure construction products placed on the UK market are compliant, by:
- Contributing to the detail of how projects are researched, created, initiated, monitored and reported on.
- Contributing to the development of our Testing Programmes, supporting with the identification and selection of purchasing products. Undertaking regulatory activities in accordance with the Regulators’ Code and OPSS’ Enforcement Policy.
- Leading investigations into suspected non-compliance and supporting complex investigations, including contributing to managing evidence, case conferencing, maintaining digital case records, building a coherent case structure, and providing support to lead investigators.
- Providing guidance and support to businesses and business sectors to enable greater compliance within the industry.
- Developing and building relationships with the construction product industry including relevant professional and trade bodies.
- Developing your own understanding and knowledge of the construction product industry and building safety landscape.
Person specification
Essential criteria
This is a great opportunity for an individual with the energy to act as a visible, trusted, and professional ambassador for the team. We are keen to hear from people with varying backgrounds, who can demonstrate:
- Experience of operating within a regulatory compliance environment.
- Strategic problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to research, understand, assess and apply technical information.
- Ability to scope, plan, and guide the delivery of results-oriented, multifaceted work plans.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
We will be hosting a Virtual Open Evening you will be able to hear from various people within the team and department. This will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday 23rd April. Please register your interest for the Open Evening by emailing RegulationImpactArea@beis.gov.uk
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
- 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 average employer contribution of 27%
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
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
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.
After the closing date 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.
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 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.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
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.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
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.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Heva Ikram
- Email : OPSS.Recruitment@beis.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
