Assistant Director

Assistant Director – State aid

London

£67,584 - £77,300

The CMA is seeking Assistant Directors to work in its new State aid group. This is an exciting time to join the CMA, with the opportunity to join the State aid group from its inception and help shape the CMA’s approach to this new area of responsibility.

In March 2018 the Government announced that as part of EU exit arrangements, the CMA will take on responsibility for State aid regulation within the UK.

The CMA’s State aid function will be a key instrument in the CMA’s wider competition toolkit, helping us make markets work well for consumers. Through our State aid work we will ensure that State aid does not distort competition, ensuring a fair playing field for businesses.

In order to prepare to take on this new area of responsibility, the CMA is building a new State aid group and is seeking talented Assistant Directors to join us and contribute to this exciting new area of our work.

As an Assistant Director you will assist the State aid Director in developing the CMA’s State aid regime, preparing for its launch, and once active, ensuring the delivery of complex State aid cases on important issues across the economy. Joining the group at the outset, you will have an opportunity to help influence our approach, including setting the vision and strategy for the CMA’s State aid work and our approach to both policy and delivery of the group’s work.

Core requirements for this Assistant Director key role within our new team include:

• Strong experience of work in an area requiring legal, economic, commercial or policy expertise combined with a demonstrable potential and willingness to acquire at speed a detailed knowledge of State aid regulation.
• Experience of leading successful projects (or work streams within projects), to specification, whilst working with teams.
• Experience of making decisions, using sound analysis and judgment and managing risk, taking account of the wider context.
• Demonstrable verbal and written communication skills, including an ability to draft a range of documents including technical reports and documents for publication, for a wide variety of audiences.
• Strong experience of developing and influencing relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including senior decision makers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience of working collaboratively and leading a team and the ability to work manage and coach colleagues.

NB. With the State Aid Group being newly established, we also have vacancies as Principal Case Officers within the Group. If you wish to be considered for both of these roles, please submit a separate application via our web site.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is one of the world's top competition and consumer agencies. With markets changing fast and the UK leaving the EU, we are undergoing rapid business expansion, presenting new opportunities, including the establishment of a new State aid group. This is an exciting time to join us.

The CMA offers an excellent benefit package to new employees. CMA staff enjoy generous benefits, including:

• An excellent pension scheme
• 25 days leave (increasing to 30 days over five years)
• Favourable consideration of flexible working
• Generous maternity/paternity leave provision
• Interest-free season ticket loans
• Cycle to work schemes
• Employee wellbeing programme

To find out more about this Assistant Director opportunity and about working for the CMA, please click on the APPLY button.

Closing date for applications: 8 October 2018

The CMA are an equal opportunities employer and we recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.