Job summary
The Visitor Economy drives growth and creates jobs, significantly boosting local economies. VisitBritain latest estimates indicate that 41.2 million inbound visitors contributed £31.5 billion to the economy in 2024, with many tourists citing our vibrant culture and heritage offer as one of their main motivators for visiting the UK. Global tourism is projected to grow by 5% year-on-year but the UK is operating in a highly competitive field to capture that demand. In the medium term, HMG has committed to increasing visitor numbers to 50 million per year by 2030.
We are a friendly and dynamic team based between London and Manchester. The team is based in the Visitor Economy, Heritage, Loans and Art Collection (VEHLAC) Directorate. The team sponsors VisitEngland and VisitBritain (the British Tourist Authority): VisitBritain works with the GREAT campaign to generate demand to visit the UK. VisitEngland works with businesses and local authorities in all areas of the country to support the regional development of the visitor economy, through destination partnerships that help communities to tell their stories to visitors. The recent regional restructuring of destination management in England has set up the sector to deliver jobs and growth across all regions.
We are also working at pace on introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets, crucial for high-quality stays across the country but also to flexibly meet increased demand for accommodation during events like the Commonwealth Games.
Job details
You will lead on investment policy within the wider team and will be joining at a crucial time as we look to publish our Visitor Economy Growth Strategy. Experience working with analysts, other government departments and external stakeholders will be vital to continue to push policy in this priority area forward, as well as the ability to work autonomously.
You will lead the team’s engagement with the Visitor Economy Advisory Council (VEAC); providing the secretariat function for the VEAC and commissioning input from the VEAC that supports delivery of the Visitor Economy team’s objectives.
You will act as the lead for ministerial engagement briefings, coordinating inputs across the team and ensuring ministers are fully supported and well-informed for meetings, visits, and events. You will also be involved in coordinating and drafting high-quality ministerial and treat official correspondence related to the visitor economy, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with departmental priorities.
Person specification
The ideal candidates would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates.
Essential requirements
- Experience developing policy, using clear evidence to make informed recommendations.
- Ability to think strategically, identifying common goals or barriers to progress.
- Excellent communication, briefing and drafting, for audiences both internal and external.
- A proven ability to work with a range of stakeholders (ideally both inside and outside Government).
- Experience of secretariat provision.
Desirable skills
- Previous experience and/or knowledge of visitor economy sectors.
We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted by Harriet Somers, and will take place on: 12:30 - 13:30 on Monday 8 June.
The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
Please register your interest by filling out this Registration form and you will be sent an invitation. Invites will only be sent after this deadline has passed.
Please note that the session will not be recorded and will not focus on the DCMS recruitment process - please direct any queries that you have on this topic (timelines, reasonable adjustments, onboarding etc) to [email protected]
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £35,434, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £10,265 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:
- Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home
- 26.5 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 31.5 days after 5 years’ service
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
- Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice
- 3 days of paid volunteering leave
- Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
- Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year
- Occupational sick pay
- Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice
- Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks
- Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work
- Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!
Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
To apply for this post, please send us the following documents no later than 23:55 on 10th June 2026 via the CS Jobs portal:
To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following documents which will assessed against the experience success profile:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
- A Statement of Suitability (max 500 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed however these will not be considered in the assessment of your application except in circumstances where there are a high number and calibre of candidates.
For the shortlist, we will select applicants demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application.
For indicative sift and interview dates please refer to the attached Candidate Information Pack.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.
For support in writing your application and interviewing, please refer to the ‘Application and Interview Guidance’ document attached to the job advert.
The interview process will assess behaviours and strengths
The behaviours to be tested at interview are:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Prior to the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance.
You will not be made aware of the strengths being assessed prior to your interview.
Your interview will take place remotely via GoogleMeets.
Additional Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Department for Culture, Media and Sport from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
DCMS has a London and a National pay scale. For more information on this, including the circumstances in which each pay scale will apply, please see the ‘Candidate Information Pack’ attached.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
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 had their employment continued. Any applicant’s 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.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process.
In order to request an adjustment, please:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or a verbal test rather than a written one.
Alternatively, contact the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility difficulties with any of the attachments, please contact us. Contact details can be found in the 'contact point for applicants' section of the job advert.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
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) (opens in a new window)
- 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 (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact [email protected] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact/
Attachments
463837 - Policy, Briefings and Governance Lead - Visitor Economy, Heritage, Loans, Art Collectiondidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 6794kB)
DCMS Application & Interview Guidance for Candidates Aug 23 Opens in new window (docx, 67kB)
