About OPSS
Do you care about the safety of products and want to protect people and places? Can we use your skills, knowledge and experience to enable UK business to thrive? If the answer is yes, then we would like to hear from you!
We are the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business & Trade. We are here for the purpose of making regulation work to deliver real world impact. Regulation is a powerful Government tool to address market failures, influence behaviour and promote positive action. Crafted and delivered well, regulation can be an enabler of growth, innovation and efficiency.
Since early 2018 we have been building a positive and creative team that enjoys a position of influence and respect within an organisation that continues to grow.
Our primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence
Further information can be found on our website here.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. We embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (DCS) for people with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We are Inclusive
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 recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
We are the OPSS Enforcement Team.
We are responsible for ensuring that businesses follow and comply with a range of regulations;
* Some teams help ensure the products that people buy are safe.
* Some help to protect the environment.
We do this by supporting businesses and making sure they have the information they need to make themselves compliant and, where needed, taking enforcement action against non-compliance. Our work helps to protect people and places.
What you will be doing as a Regulatory Compliance Officer.
This is an exciting opportunity to work in a dynamic and varied role as part of a high-profile national regulator. You will be:
* Working on 3 different teams ; giving you a range of experience to draw on, no matter what your future focus might become.
* Part of our Apprenticeship Programme, studying for a Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship This is equivalent to the first year of a University Degree. Our apprentices are our future enforcement officers and leaders. Whether you are at the start of your career, or are an experienced professional looking for something new to move your career forward, we believe in supporting people to develop and grow.
* Gaining the continual professional development offered to our officers to ensure you are learning and developing the skills to be an effective regulator.
* Working with businesses to help them understand the regulations that apply to them and give them advice and support.
* Checking products and businesses to see if they are compliant with the relevant regulations … If not, you will assess the level of risk of harm to people or place to decide what the best course of action will be. You might do this in response to an issue or complaint, or as part of a project looking at a type of product or business area.
* Supporting enforcement cases. This means investigating businesses and products we believe are not compliant with the relevant regulations, and taking enforcement action where necessary, following the required processes and procedures.
* Communicating with businesses and our partner organisations, to solve problems and resolve any issues of non-compliance.
* Reading and understanding written documents and data and write reports following inspections or projects.
* Working with your colleagues in Enforcement Teams and across the Office for Product Safety and Standards, to share information and find ways to increase our impact.
The Apprenticeship
Alongside this role, you will be required to undertake the Level 4 - Regulatory Compliance Officer apprenticeship. More details on the apprenticeship can be found here on the OPSS careers site.
To be eligible to apply for the apprenticeship, applicants must:
* Be aged 16 or older
* Not be in full-time education
* Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (such as another apprenticeship or a degree for which you have a student loan).
* Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (such as another apprenticeship or a degree for which you have a student loan).
* Have been continuously resident in the UK/EEA for 3+ years or have an eligible residency status (see Annex A page 80 of ‘The latest rules (2021 to 2022) - Employers; for information) This can be found on Gov.uk Apprenticeship funding rules:
* You should not hold a qualification in, or have substantially studied regulatory compliance or a similar subject. If you currently hold or are working towards a similar qualification of the same level or higher, then you will not be eligible to apply for this vacancy. In order to be eligible for our apprenticeship vacancy, any qualifications previously held or currently being worked towards must differ in content so that this apprenticeship provides substantial new skills.
Open Evening
We plan to run a virtual open evening for those that are interested in applying for this role, to allow them to find out more about the role and what they can expect should they be successful. This will be held on the 18th December. More information can be found by following the link here, to the OPSS careers website.
Locations
Please note that this role is open to candidates working in either our Birmingham or Teddington office. When you are required to give a preference, Twickenham will appear rather than Teddington, so please be aware that you should choose this option if you wish to be based in Teddington.
Our AI Usage Guidelines
We welcome the use of AI tools during your application process, as they can assist you in crafting your CV and personal statement. However, it is crucial that all submitted information is factually accurate and genuinely represents your own ideas and experiences.
Your application may be rejected, and you could face disciplinary measures if plagiarism is detected. Plagiarism includes presenting others’ ideas and experiences, or content generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own.
The information in your CV and personal statement will be verified during both the sift stage and your interview.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .