Head of Consumer Enforcement Policy

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 407179

**Salary**:

- £55,836 - £66,338
- London - £59,450-£66,338
National - £55,836-£62,823
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Grade 7

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- DBT - CMRR - Competition, Markets and Regulatory Reform Strategy - Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate

**Type of role**:

- Policy

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

**Number of jobs available**:

- 1

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
We are recruiting for a new enforcement policy lead in the Consumer Policy team in DBT to help develop and deliver reforms to strengthen the enforcement of consumer law.

Strengthening consumer law enforcement is a priority for our Minister. You will be responsible for developing a new strategy to strengthen the public enforcement of consumer rights and improve consumers’ ability to enforce their own rights. Your work will contribute to the government’s key mission of driving economic growth and will require the ability to balance complex trade-offs to achieve a policy solution that achieves the government’s aims.

You will work closely with legal and analytical colleagues as well as with other government departments, business groups, consumer enforcement bodies including trading standards and the CMA, and consumer advocacy bodies.

This post sits within DBT’s Consumer and Competition Policy (CCP) Directorate. We develop policies that promote competitive, effective markets that lead to positive outcomes for businesses and consumers and support UK economic growth.

We are committed to making CCP a great place to work, where everyone is valued for the skills and experience they bring and develop, and has the support and opportunity to reach their goals. We have a wide programme of activity that everyone is encouraged to contribute to, including groups on Diversity & Inclusion, Hybrid Working, Mental Health & Wellbeing, and a Socials committee.

**Job description**:
Key responsibilities will include:

- Developing a strategy (including bids for resources through the spending review) to address gaps and weaknesses in the consumer law enforcement landscape, working closely with other government departments, local government and consumer organisations.
- Fostering a close and collaborative ongoing relationship with the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure the successful operation of their expanded consumer remit, following the commencement of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
- Leading a project to consider how to strengthen consumers’ ability to secure redress when something goes wrong, including whether a right to bring opt-out collective redress proceedings (class actions) should be extended to breaches of consumer law. This will include working with competition policy colleagues who are reviewing class actions in the competition space.

**Person specification**:
**Essential Criteria**
- Ability to see the big picture, understanding how complex systems interact to produce different outcomes.
- Experience of delivering through ambiguity, demonstrating self-starting and perseverance to drive a project forward.
- Ability to combine analytical skills, good judgement and political understanding in order to make effective decisions.
- Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders through strong oral and written communication skills.

**Desirable Criteria**
- Experience working with business, legal or local government stakeholders.
- Experience working on legislation and/or regulatory policy.

**Person specification**

This role would generally suit someone who;
- Has an interest in complex systems and how they work.
- Enjoys working independently to develop their own solution to a problem

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

- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing

**Benefits**:

- Alongside your salary of £55,836, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,175 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**:

- This vacancy is using Success Profiles, 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.
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibi