JOB SUMMARY

This role leads the team delivering the GLO and HSS Appeals redress schemes for postmasters affected by the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Over a 20-year period, the Post Office wrongly accused many innocent postmasters of stealing cash from their branches, based on evidence from its accounting system Horizon.
After a long fight in the High Court dramatised last year by ITV, a group of 555 postmasters revealed the truth about what happened. The case showed that Horizon was flawed and that the Post Office had acted unfairly. The Courts subsequently overturned over 100 convictions: in an unprecedented move, Parliament has recently overturned hundreds more. The Department for Business and Trade is now paying hundreds of millions of pounds in redress to those affected. A Statutory Inquiry is finding out what went wrong, so that lessons are learned to ensure it can never happen again.
In 2020, the Post Office established the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) to provide redress to current and former un-convicted postmasters who suffered losses as a result of the Horizon scandal. In September 2024, the Government announced a new independent appeals process, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade, for postmasters in the HSS for who feel their financial settlement did not reflect the true extent of their losses.
In March 2023, Government launched the GLO Compensation Scheme in order to ensure that those postmasters who took part in the original High Court case had access to similar levels of redress as their peers. The scheme has settled over half over the claims expected, but there remains much to do.
Thanks to its excellent performance in delivering the GLO scheme, the same team has now been asked also to deliver the HSS appeals process. The team is strongly motivated and highly committed to delivering results. The work is interesting, high profile and fast-paced, including responding to very regular interest from both Houses of Parliament and to regular scrutiny in the media. The work – and the responsibilities of individual posts – evolve over time: as we deliver against one challenge, the next presents itself.
The work offers great opportunities to work with Ministers, HM Treasury and senior officials and to build your skills in multiple ways. It is central to DBT Ministers’ desire to right the wrongs of the past and ensure postmasters receive fair redress.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Role

• Lead a team of approx. 12 (2 G7s, 4 SEOs and 6 HEO), plus colleagues in functions such as legal, analysis, finance, project management, to deliver the schemes effectively.
• Manage the day-to-day relationship with a wide range of stakeholders outside Government and within DBT and HM Treasury.
• Drive scheme delivery strategy and lead on the response to any delivery challenges faced by the GLO and HSS Appeals schemes. You will also contribute to wider delivery of compensation to postmasters.
• Make sound, evidenced-based decisions about policy and operational choices.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

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)
• 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

The Role

• Lead a team of approx. 12 (2 G7s, 4 SEOs and 6 HEO), plus colleagues in functions such as legal, analysis, finance, project management, to deliver the schemes effectively.
• Manage the day-to-day relationship with a wide range of stakeholders outside Government and within DBT and HM Treasury.
• Drive scheme delivery strategy and lead on the response to any delivery challenges faced by the GLO and HSS Appeals schemes. You will also contribute to wider delivery of compensation to postmasters.
• Make sound, evidenced-based decisions about policy and operational choices

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

• 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.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade