Department for International Trade

Remuneration: SCS PB2, c£120k for a four day week. Flexible working for more or less than this will also be considered.

Contract: This is a permanent appointment.

Location: The role can be based from London, Darlington, Belfast, Cardiff or Edinburgh. Regular travel to London, sometimes at short notice, will be expected.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Department for International Trade (DIT) as Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to provide independent advice to the Secretary of State, Ministers, the Permanent Secretary, and other senior officials, ensuring the department’s strategic direction, policy making, and operational decisions are informed by the best available science and engineering evidence.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade deals, and champions free trade. Our mission is to increase the standard of living of people across this country and globally, through trade, investment and exports. This is an exciting role which crosses the whole of DIT’s work at a time when the importance of scientific and technical evidence and advice is at the forefront. You will play an essential role as part of the top team in DIT providing independent advice and challenge and ensuring that the Secretary of State and Ministers have access to expert advice.

Candidates will be nationally and internationally recognised in your field of science or engineering and will need to be a great communicator. You will also be collaborative to enable you to work across the many sectors in DIT’s remit as well as making links with other Government Departments, international partners, industry and academia. As an active participant in the cross-government Chief Scientific Adviser network, you will help to ensure that policy decisions are evidence based and underpinned by the highest-quality science and engineering evidence and understanding. You will also act as Head of Profession for Government Science and Engineering in DIT and will help to build their wider capability. You will be an inclusive and collaborative leader who can work across disciplines to deliver results. If you think this could be you, we look forward to hearing from you.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency adviser to the Department for International Trade on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference OAGATD. Alternatively, telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by 12pm midday on 31st July 2022.