Deputy Director, Priority Events​

Business Intelligence and Engagement (BIE) Directorate sits within BIST's Business Group and plays a central role in the government’s efforts to drive business growth and investment. We are a dynamic, multidisciplined team working across the breadth of DBT’s priorities to ensure good business engagement, share intelligence, and co-create policy. This includes:​

• Driving a high-quality approach to business engagement across government​
• Providing business intelligence and business sentiment data to inform policy-making and make government more responsive, including through our Strategic Companies Insights Tool (SCIT)​
• Responding to special situations and economic shocks to support companies in distress​
• Delivering high-profile reputationally important events for No.10, Ministers and across government​
• Leading BIST's Emergency Response function to respond to crises​
• Ensuring strategic coherence across Business Group, ensuring the DG area operates with clarity and consistency, and through the Sectors Briefing Hub, responding to over 50% of BIST’s correspondence​

​This role leads delivery of BIST's highest profile reputationally important events. You will work closely with BIST Ministers, No.10, the Office for Investment and colleagues across the Department, to showcase the UK’s world-leading innovators and entrepreneurs and support the Prime Minister’s growth agenda. Working across government, you will deliver a highly professional event experience for UK and global businesses – from the International Investment Summit to Davos - developing clear themes and narratives for each event, and demonstrating how the government is partnering with business to create jobs, drive investment, and improve living standards across the UK.

The role is expected to commence 31/03/2027.

Candidate Information Call ​

The hiring manager for this position; Tim Stern, will be hosting a virtual call for any interested applicants to discuss the role and answer any questions. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process. ​

This will be held via Microsoft Teams on 21/09/2026 at 10:00-11:00 (UK time). ​

Please click here for the meeting link.

• Lead an award‑winning, multidisciplinary team of 16, directly managing two Grade 6 leaders responsible for distinct workstreams.​
• Set strategic direction for BIST and No.10 ministerial events, overseeing their planning, delivery and evaluation in a fast‑paced, complex environment, grounded in a strong understanding of audiences.​
• Provide visible, senior leadership across the Department - engaging at the highest levels, inspiring teams, and ensuring resources are prioritised to deliver organisational objectives.​
• Lead with strong strategic judgement and political awareness, quickly assessing the landscape, maintaining clear long‑term direction, and enabling the team to respond effectively to emerging priorities at pace.​
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with Ministers, Special Advisers, senior officials and industry partners, influencing at the highest levels to deliver impact.​
• Oversee event delivery through the Department’s events management company, managing contracts, engaging at board level, and acting as Senior Responsible Officer for key events as required.​
• Contribute as an active member of the Business Intelligence and Engagement Leadership Team, sharing responsibility for directorate performance, culture and the development of people.​
• Shape the Department’s Events Engagement Strategy, ensuring coordination across BIST, including the use of AI and digital technologies.​
• Lead financial oversight of the events portfolio, developing robust business cases, ensuring value for money, and identifying opportunities for sponsorship and partnership.​
• Champion professional standards in event delivery, invest in capability across the directorate, and represent BIST in cross‑government forums to advance strategic priorities and external relationships.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

How to apply​​​

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role. Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 04/10/2026. ​

You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below.

It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​​

• A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​​
• A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​​

Please refer to the Candidate Information Pack for further information on the recruitment process.​

DBT now host Senior Civil Service (SCS) Candidate Support sessions for those wanting to learn more about the application and recruitment processes for SCS roles within DBT, if you are interested, please register for a session here - https://registration.crowdcomms.com/dbtscsrecruitment

If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk in the first instance​.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.