Deputy Director, Northern England

Details
Reference number

433702

Salary

£81,000 - £117,800

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DBT - DG DIME - UK Nations - Local and International Growth

Type of role

International Trade

Senior leadership

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

Number of jobs available

2

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Darlington Salford Belfast

About the job
Job summary

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade.

We have a clear mission - to grow the economy. Our role is to help businesses invest, grow and export to create jobs and opportunities right across the country. Click below to find out why you should join DBT's Senior Civil Service team:

We are here to promote economic growth across UK nations and regions by supporting local and international business. We do this in partnership with DBT colleagues providing individual support services and in close collaboration with devolved and regional government partners. We have 6 place-based teams covering Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, North England, Midlands and South England; a team supporting our overseas network of c.1500 people across the globe; and policy & analytical colleagues.

Our key delivery goals are to:

• Provide local policy insight to inform and influence government policy and action in support of growth
• Help local businesses by encouraging exports, facilitating inward investment and supporting domestic growth opportunities
• Collaborate with local growth partners – especially Devolved Governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities and overseas teams
• Support delivery and integration of DBT's international network

We are about 90 people spread around UK. We seek to be a great place to work – high-performing, well-motivated and inclusive. We enjoy being outward-facing with business and devolved governments & authorities, collaborating closely with colleagues in UK and abroad, being expert in our areas and getting things done.

Candidate Information Call

The hiring manager for this position; Chris Barton, will be hosting a virtual call for any interested applicants to discuss the role and answer any questions. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

This will be held via Microsoft Teams on Monday 3rd November 2025 at 15:00 (UK time).

Please click here for the meeting link.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Deputy Director, Northern England

• Lead the DBT North England team ensuring it has clear direction, effective delivery and high morale.
• Provide relevant insight to DBT colleagues on the North of England's business environment and key opportunities and threats to sustainable growth within it, and use this to influence HMG, regional and local government policy in support of local growth.
• Promote local business growth opportunities relating to North of England exports, investment and domestic initiatives, both through direct links with key businesses in the locality and public advocacy to the wider business community on HMG policies and business support services.
• Build strong relations with the Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the region and other local growth partners, cooperating impactfully to deliver key growth opportunities and facilitating effective local engagement by DBT and OGD ministers and colleagues in the locality.
• Connect with DBT's international network to ensure integration of DBT's overall support for North of England exports and inward investment and enhance delivery of it.
• Be a strong corporate player, working closely and collaboratively with colleagues across LIG, wider DIME Group and DBT to ensure we deliver effectively and promote a positive and inclusive work environment.

Deputy Director, Northern Ireland

• Lead the DBT team in Northern Ireland ensuring it has clear direction, effective delivery and high morale.
• Provide relevant insight to DBT colleagues on Northern Ireland's business environment and key opportunities and threats to sustainable growth within it, and use this to influence HMG & NI Executive policy in support of local growth.
• Promote local business growth opportunities relating to N Ireland exports, investment and domestic initiatives, both through direct links with key businesses in the locality and public advocacy to the wider business community on HMG policies and business support services.
• Build strong relations with the Northern Ireland Executive and other local growth partners, cooperating impactfully to deliver key growth opportunities and facilitating effective local engagement by DBT and OGD ministers and colleagues in the locality.
• Connect with DBT's international network to ensure integration of DBT's overall support for Northern Ireland exports and inward investment and enhance delivery of it.
• Be a strong corporate player, working closely and collaboratively with colleagues across LIG, wider DIME Group and DBT to ensure we deliver effectively and promote a positive and inclusive work environment.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven commitment to support, encourage and develop team members.
• Strong analytical and policy skills to understand drivers of local growth and develop and shape policies and practices to encourage them.
• Sound judgement and political acumen to navigate complex and evolving landscapes.
• Outstanding communication skills to explain and promote our work with credibility and impact both orally and in writing, for internal and external audiences.
• A collaborative mindset and ability to build effective partnerships across diverse stakeholders.
• Drive and initiative to deliver results at pace and overcome challenges.

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
Selection process details

How to apply

Hays, an Executive Search firm, have been appointed to assist with this recruitment campaign. To apply for this post, you will need to submit documentation below via the following link, by no later than 23:55 on Monday 10th November 2025.

Follow this link to apply:

• Deputy Director, Northern England
• Deputy Director, Northern Ireland

If you have any issues accessing the link or questions regarding the documentation, please contact:

• Andrew Timlin:
• Owen Quant :

Documentation:

• 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, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria. Applicants must indicate on their supporting statement which role(s) they wish to apply for. You will only be considered for the role(s) you specify on your supporting statement.

Please see the Candidate Information pack linked at the bottom of the page for further information on the vacancy and the recruitment process.

DBT now host Senior Civil Service (SCS) Candidate Support sessions for those wanting to learn more about the application and recruitment processes for SCS roles within DBT, if you are interested please register for a session here -

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 .

See our vetting charter .

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)
• 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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 the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans 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 : Andrew Timlin
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

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 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

---