Policy and Projects Officer

Job summary

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) is seeking a driven Policy and Projects Officer to join our small, fast-paced team. This is a dynamic role focused on two core pillars: evidence-based research and hands-on project delivery. You will be the team’s go-to resource for gathering qualitative and quantitative data alongside this you will drive the day-to-day coordination of high-profile projects. This includes tracking research across the payment landscape, managing logistics for industry roundtables, and coordinating national outreach events.

To excel in this post, you need to be highly organised, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing competing priorities. You should possess strong introductory research capabilities, with the ability to synthesize data into clear briefings. Additionally, you must have the practical project management skills required to maintain risk registers, track project actions, and interface confidently with external delivery partners.

Job description

Project Coordination: Drive the day-to-day delivery of core initiatives, tracking progress against project plans and ensuring milestones are met on schedule.

Research and Analysis: Conduct desk research and gather qualitative and quantitative data to identify emerging trends in late payment practices and supply chain behaviours.

Drafting Reports: Synthesize research findings, insights from the business community, and payment data into clear briefing notes and reports.

Stakeholder Engagement and Event Delivery Support: Act as a point of contact for external partners, and small business representatives to process project plans. Alongside supporting the practical coordination and logistics for the office's outreach events.

Team Support: Support the wider team as required with operational and administrative tasks, ensuring project documentation is accurate, organised, and audit-ready.

Person specification

Essential skills:

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

• Proven experience coordinating projects or programmes, including tracking action logs, managing milestones, and ensuring timely delivery.
• Strong analytical skills with a track record of gathering and evaluating quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources to identify trends.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear, accurate briefing notes, summaries, or reports.
• Demonstrable experience managing the practical logistics, planning, and administrative operations for events.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities, work independently, and maintain meticulous attention to detail within a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with experience acting as a reliable point of contact for external partners, handling queries professionally, and building collaborative relationships.
• Proficiency in using spreadsheet tools (like Excel) and software to organise data and manage stakeholders.

Desirable skills:

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 working in an arm’s length body.
• Knowledge of small business issues and payment practices.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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 fullycommitted to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attractapplications 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 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.

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 500 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.

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

We aim to sift both the CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the Personal Statement will either progressed to a full sift where the CV is then assessed, or progressed straight to further assessment/interview.

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Success Profiles elements of Behaviours.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. As part of your interview, you may be asked to deliver a presentation, details will be provided prior to your interview.

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.

Please note, following a recent change to the Machinery of Government, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will