Vacancies

Regulatory Design and Governance is a small team reporting to the Deputy Director for Policy and Regulatory Partnerships. Our team shapes regulation that protects the environment and safety of people and places, supporting OPSS’ growth as a national regulator of products.

The scope of our work covers a wide breadth of products, from construction to common household goods, and regulations from product design and manufacture to disposal. We develop regulation in partnership with other government departments, adapting policy objectives to on-the-ground enforcement. Collaborative working across departments and with OPSS colleagues is an essential part of approach, drawing on the expertise of colleagues in enforcement, science and technical, analytical and legal teams.

Day to day, we scrutinise and advise on new regulatory functions, and underpinning legislation, so it is effective and proportionate; ensuring suitable governance for adoption of roles, including advising Ministers for the Department of Business and Trade on the suitability, risks and opportunities of new enforcement roles. Our work is often fast-paced and must adapt to new or changing priorities.

The ideal candidate for this role will be keen to grow their knowledge of regulation and bring a structured approach to problem-solving, with strong interest in tackling new and complex issues in a way that offers pragmatic solutions to regulatory problems.

As an Enforcement Officer in the Access and Benefit Sharing team you will play a crucial role in ensuring the compliance of relevant sectors and support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity through designing and delivering a programme of activity designed to raise understanding across UK businesses. You will:

• Take the lead on your own enforcement investigations and progress non-compliances to an appropriate outcome, which includes applying a range of administrative, civil and criminal sanctions.
• Create, maintain, and manage communication with businesses, life science trade bodies, and research organisations to deliver clear, supportive, and effective advice.
• Undertake project work which will adequately address risk and justify intervention choices, as well as delivering proportionality in investigations.
• Directly support business compliance by addressing enquiries in a comprehensive manner and providing advice and guidance through a range of mediums to increase business confidence.
• Develop specialist knowledge in your regulatory area to help provide the national enforcement perspective to OPSS colleagues, policy sponsors, and other partner agencies.
• Review market information, technical files, and other documentation across a range of legislation, handling material to the evidential standard in accordance with the Regulators’ Code and OPSS’ Enforcement Policy.
• Actively build and maintain relationships across teams within Enforcement and across the office to identify opportunities to add value to your work.
• Actively develop yourself as a regulator and enforcement officer; with your team, identify and explore innovative ways to increase our regulatory capability and positive impact, and develop OPSS as an exemplar regulator.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a significant difference. Your efforts will help ensure that products are safe for consumers, contributing to public health and safety. You will also play a key role in protecting the environment by enforcing regulations that promote sustainability. Your work will support businesses in understanding and complying with regulations, fostering a fair and competitive market. By joining our team, you will be part of a dedicated group of professionals committed to making a positive impact on society.

At OPSS, we believe in the power of connections to create positive change. We are looking for an experienced, creative and strategic communicator, to lead our regulatory communications and campaigns; delivering on our primary purpose to protect people and places from product-related harm, enabling trade and growth by ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence.

The role leads a diverse and talented team whose work ranges from planning events, crafting key messages and news stories through strong relationships with DBT press office and managing OPSS Gov.uk content and publications, to campaign and resources creation, increasing the impact of OPSS social media channels, media monitoring and evaluation and the OPSS brand.