Enforcement Manager
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 19th 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.
Job description
The Role and Our Team
The Online and Supply Chain Enforcement Team regulates the full supply chain, from ports and borders through to online marketplaces, fulfilment houses and third-party sellers. We are responsible for ensuring that shopping online will be as safe as shopping on the high street.
We have Enforcement Manager Roles available in all three of our Enforcement Teams. Please state in your application which role, or roles, you wish to be considered for. Please be aware, all roles are potentially deployable to other teams dependent on organisational and risk priorities.
Ports and Borders Team
No two days are the same, working in the Ports & Borders Team. We are committed to preventing unsafe and non-compliant products entering the UK supply chain. Our team delivers a programme of activity in which we look for innovative ways of finding the right intervention points to stop bad actors within the supply chain. This can include deployments at ports, proactively monitoring fulfilment centres and inland activity, and targeting resources to deal with prolific offenders. We work with a range of regulators including Local Authorities, Border Force, and HMRC. Our latest activity is preventing unsafe and non-compliant ebike’s, escooter’s, and conversion kits entering the UK supply chain.
Online Enforcement
Online Enforcement is a fast-paced team; we select and test purchase high risk products which are being sold online. We get non-compliant products removed from sale and monitor how well Online Marketplaces are fulfilling their obligations, enabling OPSS to hold them to account. We also explore new approaches to regulation and enforcement in the Online space enforcing the removal of unsafe products.
Incidents and Investigations
Incidents and Investigations Team takes the enforcement lead on high profile investigations in the Product Safety space. We also deal with nationally declared product safety Incidents. We take immediate corrective action to protect people and places, and carrying out detailed investigation to determine the appropriate enforcement action and/or sanctions.
All Teams
We want to hear from candidates that can contribute innovative regulatory approaches, to deliver our objectives. You will play an instrumental role in building our reputation as an exemplar national regulator, by improving transparency and accountability to the businesses we regulate and the citizens we serve.
The role requires balancing a varied workload, which can include leading on and having oversight of investigations; leading on reactive and proactive compliance activities that are nationally significant, novel or contentious; and managing a range of programme and project-based enforcement activities.
Successful candidates will combine their team management responsibilities with building and maintaining strong relationships internally and externally.
Strong communication skills are vital to the role as is adaptability when it comes to changes in legislation or a shift in our regulatory priorities.
These posts will report directly to an Assistant Director, who reports to the Deputy Director for Online and Supply Chain Enforcement.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Leadership and line management responsibilities for your team; you will ensure staff engagement levels remain high and develop your staff, including our apprentices on the Regulatory Compliance Officer programme, into confident Enforcement Officers;
- Lead on high-profile cases or those that are nationally significant, novel or contentious;
- Supervise your team's casework alongside your own, ensuring that investigations are progressed appropriately, whether through civil or criminal sanctions, to achieve proportionate regulatory outcomes;
- Develop and deliver a work programme that supports strategic organisational objectives and priorities; work with your team and others across OPSS to identify important issues and develop innovative ways to fix them;
- Develop and implement our regulatory approaches and processes, plan, review and deliver your team's operational plan, alongside supporting other functional teams where enforcement support is required;
- Manage the resources in the team to deliver a broad range of proactive and reactive work, investigations and broader enforcement activities, flexibly reallocating resources and re-prioritising as needed, which can include supporting cross-team enforcement priorities;
- Connect with others in a clear, open and hardworking way in order to build trust;
- Provide advice and support as the subject matter expert to OPSS Leadership, Ministers and other partners.
- Significant experience in a management investigatory role in regulation and or enforcement.
- Knowledge of PACE, CPIA, RIPA and relevant codes of practice and experience of monitoring and managing their implementation in an enforcement context.
- Experience in conducting investigations and in managing and overseeing case files; a proven track record of delivering investigations from inception to an appropriate resolution.
- Strong leadership skills, confidence to challenge, adept at influencing, and eager to take ownership.
- Excellent all-round communication able to express sophisticated concepts and to influence colleagues.
- Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships at all levels applying your knowledge to suit wider business considerations and support those we regulate.
- Experience of operating in a fast-paced environment where there are gaps, ambiguity or uncertainty.
- Experience of using a variety of regulatory tools to achieve impact.
- A full valid driving licence. If you do not hold a driving licence because of a protected characteristic, please speak to recruitment manager to let them know, and this will be taken into account.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
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.
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.
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.
In the event that there is a high volume of applicants, a short sift will be conducted based on Personal Statement only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
If you are offered an interview, you will be asked to give a short (5-7 minute) presentation. You will receive further details for the presentation prior to the interview to prepare.
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
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
