Senior Policy and Project Delivery Lead

Job summary

This dynamic Grade 7 role sits at the intersection of strategic policy oversight, high-profile project delivery, and team leadership. You will head a small, dedicated team responsible for the Fair Payment Code, take the lead on the Commissioner’s policy programme and managing often complex payment-related projects. This is an exceptional opportunity to influence corporate payment behaviours, engage directly with major industry stakeholders, and protect the financial health of the UK's small business community.

About the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC)

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) is an independent public body established by Government under the Enterprise Act 2016 to tackle overdue payments and unfavourable payment practices in the private sector.

Its mission is to make life easier for small businesses by getting money moving through the economy and streamlining support. It achieves this by supporting small businesses to get paid quickly and on time, influencing larger businesses to reduce their payment times to suppliers and working with all businesses to improve the culture of payment practices across the UK.

As an Arm’s Length Body (ALB), classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body, the OSBC is accountable to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade through its sponsorship team at the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

The OSBC collaborates intensively with its sponsorship team at the Department for Business and Trade, various partnership teams within DBT, and the Minister for Small Business, to provide valuable insights into issues impacting the small business sector, including the effects of Government policy and legislation.

Job description

Setting strategic direction: Define long-term policy, research and project goals aligned with OSBC priorities.

Managing a team: Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team working across different projects and policy areas.

Working with the Commissioner to deliver projects end to end with clear objectives, milestones, budget and risk management.

Influencing senior stakeholders: Act as the primary OSBC policy expert in high-level external and cross-government forums.

Ensuring delivery quality: Accountability for the rigorous analysis and accuracy of all research and policy output.

Person specification

The below is a list of characteristics which may be helpful in this role. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but are laid out to help candidates understand more about the role.

The person appointed to this critical role will have the ability to:

• Lead strategically with strong people management skills, lead high-performing teams, set clear direction, build capability and maintain delivery across the OSBC’s policy functions.
• Proven experience analysing complex regulatory framework data and external research to develop strategic policy options and provide concise, authoritative guidance for a business audience and advice to senior leaders.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence senior leaders, external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead the production and quality assurance of high-quality research reports, briefings, presentations and submissions, ensuring accuracy, clarity and timely delivery.
• Strong background of overseeing projects with a track record of setting up deliverable objectives, tracking milestones, managing budgets, and successfully mitigating delivery risks.
• Strategically influence with excellent stakeholder management skills, with a demonstrable ability to quickly build credibility and influence senior leaders, industry partners, and external bodies.

Essential Skills:

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

• Excellent strategic leadership and people management
• Ability to manage high profile projects and programmes
• Confident analysis of complex data and presenting findings to diverse audiences
• Confident stakeholder engagement
• Ability to maintain operational delivery to strict timelines, ensuring high-quality outcomes under pressure.

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 managing an accredited programme.
• 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:

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,511, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,660 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 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 750 words, explaini