Planning & Devolution Engagement (Telecoms) Adviser

Job summary

At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.

We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.

We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.

We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.

We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.

Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.

Our Inclusive Environment

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.

Please note

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

Job description

The Digital Infrastructure Directorate (DI) is responsible for ensuring that the UK has the digital infrastructure it needs now and in the future. The directorate develops and delivers policy across fixed, mobile and wider digital infrastructure, helping to ensure that people, businesses and public services can access fast, reliable, secure and resilient connectivity. DI works to support economic growth, strengthen national security and ensure that communities across the UK can participate fully in an increasingly digital society.

The Delivery and Build (DAB) team sit within the Digital Infrastructure Directorate and works to improve the rollout and coverage of fixed and mobile digital infrastructure across the UK including responsibility for ensuring that the UK meets it connectivity ambitions and target. The team leads engagement with industry, local authorities, regulators and other government departments to identify and address barriers to deployment, helping to ensure that new and upgraded infrastructure can be delivered efficiently – the work is vital to ensuring that the UK is able to connect all premises that want to have access to gigabit fibre and mobile connectivity.

The successful candidate will sit in The Barrier Busters Taskforce, which are a high-profile, high-performing team at the forefront of creating an environment that supports investment and the nationwide delivery of gigabit broadband and 5G. We do this by identifying and removing barriers which are slowing down rollout of digital infrastructure, including both gigabit broadband and 5G infrastructure. Our work is varied, ranging from designing, delivering and implementing primary and secondary legislative change across different areas, to developing relationships with key stakeholders and mediating between groups when challenges arise.

Person specification

The successful candidate will support the team’s work on planning reform and local authority engagement, and possible new priorities from our DCMS ministers. On planning reform, they will contribute to the development of policy and support the formulation and drafting of a potential technical consultation. This will involve extensive engagement across government, particularly with departments that have an interest in planning policy, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The role will involve developing policy proposals, drafting consultation content, analysing evidence and stakeholder views, and supporting the publication and delivery of the consultation. Lastly, the role may involve supporting the delivery of potential secondary legislation following the consultation.

In addition, the postholder will support the team’s work to identify how digital infrastructure policy can contribute to the Government’s wider devolution agenda. The exact tasks will depend on ministerial priorities but could include leading engagement with local planning authorities across England to better understand local barriers to network deployment and identify opportunities to improve collaboration between government, local authorities and industry or working on coverage gaps at a local level. This work is high profile and may involve working directly with Ministers. It will help inform policy development aimed at supporting the rollout and upgrading of digital infrastructure.

Essential Criteria

- Experience of organising, supporting and delivering policy work to make policy recommendations and achieve strategic policy outcomes.

- Strong relationship building skills, including with seniors.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to tailor outputs for briefing and advising seniors and documents for publication.

- A strong analytical approach, requiring close reading of complex written documents and the ability to process information from analytical colleagues.

Desirable Criteria

A knowledge of telecoms or local government would be beneficial, but not essential.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,735, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £10,642 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).

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development oppor