Exports Strategy Comms Advisor

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

• Stakeholder mapping: Undertake and manage stakeholder sentiment tracking to support Export Strategy comms and engagement activities

• Monitoring: Contribute to the Exports narrative by monitoring and flagging stakeholder sentiment/comments that will impact the work of the Exports Directorate

• Narrative: Support the Deputy Export Strategy Comms Lead in crafting core lines for Exports and ensuring these are kept relevant and updated

• Oversight: Maintaining and quality assuring Exports Strategy's case study bank

• Written communications: Draft comms outputs for Exports, including social media posts, op-eds, blogs, and newsletter pieces

• 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

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

• Experience in communications, external affairs or public relations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to design engaging content for different audiences
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to implement communication strategies and campaign plans to achieve challenging communications objectives
• Experience of meeting the needs of multiple stakeholders within a complex organisation, including senior leaders
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Desirable

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 with digital communication tools and platforms, including Canva and digital collaboration platforms
• Experience and/or understanding of UK export policy.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,367, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,245 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.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted on MS Teams.

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 se