Labour Market Participation Policy Officer

www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk - Jobboard; Belfast; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in Belfast is seeking a motivated individual for a critical role in supporting unpaid carers. The position involves planning consultations, developing policies, and managing external communications on caregiver support. Candidates should have experience in stakeholder engagement and policy development, with a focus on improving work-life balance for carers. Some domestic travel may be required for this role.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of issues affecting unpaid carers.
• Experience in policy development and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to draft consultation documents and policy recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Take a lead role in planning consultations and engagement activities.
• Develop policy options for employment support for unpaid carers.
• Own external messaging about unpaid carers and monitor relevant developments.
• Draft external-facing policy documents on unpaid carers.

Job description

This role sits within the Employment Rights Directorate (ERD) in the Department for Business and Trade.

Employment rights is a top priority for the Government who have set out an ambitious, wide ranging and long-term reform plan for workers’ rights in The Plan to Make Work Pay. We pride ourselves on the high quality and significant quantity of work that we deliver but we are clear that it is our working culture that enables us to deliver that. The Directorate is inclusive, friendly, collaborative, supportive and embraces genuinely flexible working.

This role sits in the Labour Market Participation Team. Our work is centred on improving labour market participation and helping people to balance their work alongside their personal lives, whether that’s raising a family, caring for a loved one or managing their own wellbeing. The team is responsible for a range of policies that will impact nearly everyone in this country at some point in their lives, including flexible working rights, maternity and paternity leave, and carer’s leave. The Carers and Wellbeing team looks specifically at employment support for unpaid carers as well as wider wellbeing issues that affect participation in the workplace. We are a team split across multiple DBT hubs in the UK, including London, Edinburgh and Darlington currently.

The work is fast paced and high profile but, most importantly, has a significant tangible real-world impact on the lives of working people. Our team is small but high-performing, and we are looking for a talented and motivated HEO to grow the Carers and Wellbeing team to support our work on important government priorities.

You will play a key part in the work examining employment support for unpaid carers, who balance paid work alongside providing unpaid care for a loved one. New legislation for unpaid carer’s leave was introduced in April 2024, and we are reviewing the implementation of this policy and examining the benefits of introducing paid carer’s leave, while being mindful of the impact of any changes on small employers.

The candidate’s responsibilities will likely include:

• Taking a leading role in planning upcoming consultations, coordinating stakeholder engagement activities prior to consultation and contributing to drafting consultation documents.
• Contributing to the development of policy options for further employment support for unpaid carers, working with analysts and legal advisors and using data and evidence to draft recommendations for Ministers.
• Owning the external messaging on unpaid carers and lead on horizon scanning, including monitoring media and Parliamentary activity for relevant developments or emerging interest.
• Leading on the drafting and coordination of external-facing policy documents on unpaid carers, including correspondence, Freedom of Information requests and Parliamentary Questions.

Some domestic travel will be expected for both stakeholder engagement and to meet team members who are based across the country.