Head of Enforcement and Casework

Job summary

The Head of OSBC Enforcement and Casework will provide strategic and operational leadership for the OSBC’s casework, investigations, and enforcement functions.

The postholder will lead the operational and digital transformation and restructuring of the service, ensuring it is efficient, robust, and capable of delivering fair, proportionate enforcement outcomes.

The role is critical to enabling the Small Business Commissioner to fulfil statutory duties, including oversight of payment practices, dispute resolution, and taking enforcement action where required. The postholder will ensure high-quality decision-making, appropriate escalation of complex cases, and timely outcomes that support small businesses.

Job description

Strategic Leadership:

• Lead the development and implementation of a restructured Casework and Enforcement function aligned to OSBC priorities.

• Develop and define service delivery models, workflows, and governance arrangements for casework, investigations, and enforcement operations.

• Ensure alignment with wider DBT sponsorship and government policy, legal frameworks, and enforcement standards.

Operational Delivery:

• Oversee the end-to-end case management operation including triage, investigation, enforcement action, fines, and resolution.

• Ensure timely, consistent, and high-quality decision-making across all cases.

• Establish and monitor KPIs, performance frameworks, and service standards.

Enforcement & Decision-Making:

• Provide senior oversight of enforcement decisions, including financial penalties and investigation outcomes.

• Act as a key escalation point for high-risk, complex, or sensitive cases.

• Ensure decisions are evidence-based, legally robust, and proportionate based on evidence and fact.

Transformation & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead the restructuring and modernisation of the service, including processes, systems, and procurement.

• Drive continuous improvement through data, insight, and stakeholder feedback.

• Implement effective risk management and quality assurance frameworks within the service.

People Leadership & Capability:

• Build and develop multidisciplinary teams (caseworkers, investigators, enforcement specialists).

• Build capability in enforcement, investigation, and decision-making within the service.

• Lead recruitment activity as part of operational service restructuring and growth.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Work closely with the Small Business Commissioner, Chief of Staff, DBT colleagues, and external partners.

• Build effective relationships with legal, policy, and operational stakeholders to support informed and robust decision making.

• Represent OSBC in internal and external forums as required.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

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

• Proven experience of leading complex operational services, ideally within a regulatory, enforcement, or casework environment.

• Strong track record of delivering organisational transformation, including restructuring teams and services.

• Experience of enforcement decision-making, investigations, or regulatory frameworks.

• Ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions in complex, high-risk scenarios.

• Excellent leadership skills, with experience of leading and developing high-performing teams.

• Strong understanding of governance, risk management, and assurance processes.

• Ability to operate at pace while maintaining quality and compliance.

• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including working with senior leaders.

Desirable criteria

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;

• Working on small business policy and engagement or a knowledge of payment policy and legislation.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £69,185, Department for Business and Trade contributes £20,042 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 that relate to the essential criteria listed in this advert. Any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years should be explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 750 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.

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