Senior Policy Advisor, BIST Burden Reduction

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade’s Regulation Directorate (RD) is at the heart of the work in supporting the government’s growth mission and new Industrial Strategy. It aims to:

• Reform the stock of existing regulations to minimise bureaucracy and modernise regulation on the statute book
• Ensure the pipeline of regulation is necessary and proportionate, enabling analysis and scrutiny of new regulatory proposals from government departments, via the Better Regulation Framework.
• Ensure independent regulators deliver the right outcomes, with BIST driving a coordinated approach across government.
• Improve economic regulation by ensuring it supports growth and investment, promotes competition, works for consumers, and enables innovation.
• Deliver the Regulation Action Plan by cutting regulatory administrative burdens by 25% which will save businesses time and money, reduce friction for innovators, and help create a regulatory environment that is targeted, proportionate, transparent, and agile enough to support growth and keep pace with change.

Regulation and the work of regulators is vital for promoting growth. When designed well and carefully implemented, regulation can be essential for protecting consumers, supporting vulnerable communities, and providing the stability businesses need to thrive.

The Administrative Burden Reduction programme focuses on driving government activity, which reduces unnecessary time, effort and costs associated with complying with government requirements. This role focuses on identifying and driving delivery on practical reforms that reduce unnecessary burdens on business and make it easier for businesses to operate and grow. The role combines strategic thinking with delivering through others, offering the chance to influence policy development while driving tangible improvements for businesses.

This role will support delivery of BIST’s administrative burden reduction programme. You will lead working-level engagement across five key BIST policy areas: Product Safety, Company Law and Governance, Trade Group, ESTR Group and Business Group. You will work with policy teams and sponsored Arm’s Length Bodies to maintain oversight of delivery, identify opportunities to reduce burdens, support accurate reporting of savings, and escalate risks or blockers where needed.

The role’s key responsibilities are:

• Lead day-to-day engagement with policy teams across the five BIST areas, building effective relationships and maintaining a clear understanding of progress, risks and dependencies.
• Provide constructive support and challenge to teams, helping them identify regulatory burdens, develop credible savings estimates, and align activity with the wider programme.
• Support senior engagement at Director level by preparing clear briefings on progress, risks, issues and recommended next steps.
• Ensure relevant Arm’s Length Bodies sponsored by the five policy areas are kept informed and able to contribute to the programme where needed.
• Maintain oversight of delivery across the five areas, identifying cross-cutting issues, dependencies or blockages and working with teams to resolve or escalate them.
• Input into programme reporting, including maintaining dashboard information on progress, risks, mitigations and delivery confidence.
• Support annual reporting to No10 through the Annual Simplification Plan, helping ensure returns from the five areas are complete, accurate and evidence-based.
• Draft or contribute to submissions, ad hoc returns, board papers and briefings for the Regulation Action Plan Board and senior officials.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths 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,
• Statements on the Behaviours listed (250 words max per Behaviour)

Your application will be assessed against the Experience and Behavioural elements of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

The selected behaviours will be assessed at the application stage. Strengths will be accessed at the interview stage.

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial short sift may be conducted against Personal Statement.

Your Personal Statement should be clear, concise and relevant to the job description and person specification. Candidates who best demonstrate the required skills, experience and behaviours will progress to the next stage of the selection process.

Candidates who best demonstrate the required skills, experience and behaviours will be invited to the next stage of the selection process.

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

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.

The role will be based in all BIST working locations. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.

Informal hybrid working arrangements will be available as agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Most BIST employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in an office, on average. If your office location is London, you will be eligible to receive London weighting.

Please note, following a recent change to the Machinery of Government, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will be renamed to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) as of 20th July 2026. BIST will connect the UK’s world-class science and technology base directly to the businesses, places and workers that will drive good growth across the country. Such changes will not affect the selection process for this campaign; however, we wanted to take this opportunity to advise you of the recent changes to our department.

You can find further information here regarding recent governmental changes Machinery of Government changes: Fact Sheet - GOV.UK.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
• Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback

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