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Critical Minerals Policy Advisor (Domestic)

Job details
Posting date: 04 March 2025
Salary: £41,156 to £48,817 per year
Additional salary information: London: £44,942 - £48,817 National: £41,156 - £45,112
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 18 March 2025
Location: Cardiff
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 393909/3

Summary

This is an exciting time to join DBT’s Critical Minerals & Mining team. The team has responsibility for developing and delivering a new 2025 UK wide Critical Minerals Strategy, which aims to improve the resilience of critical mineral supply chains. A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK’s economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Critical minerals are deemed ‘critical’ due to having high economic importance and global supply risk. They are often extracted in remote places and have complex and challenging supply chains. The market is volatile and distorted, and China is the dominant player. This creates a situation where UK jobs and industries rely on minerals vulnerable to market shocks, geopolitical events and logistical disruptions, at a time when global demand for these minerals is rising faster than ever.

The role is based in the Chemicals and Critical Minerals team, part of the Materials Directorate. The Directorate covers many Ministerial priorities (critical minerals being one of them) and works directly with business to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

We are seeking an enthusiastic and diligent policy lead in the Critical Minerals for this stretching and high-profile area. The team has responsibility for both domestic and international aspects of critical mineral policy, however, this role is domestic focused.

This is an exciting area of policy. You will need to be proactive and able to balance competing priorities. Experience working with businesses, policy development and the ability to think creatively to resolve complex issues will be essential. Your role will focus on supporting the pipeline of UK critical mineral projects to grow, working with key departments on varied issues like recycling, planning, permitting, skills, energy costs and skills and innovation. At times, there will be read-across to the international side of the team, and knowledge of the geopolitics surrounding critical minerals will help situate your policy development in the broader context.

The new Critical Minerals Strategy will tie into the Government’s wider national missions and key strategies such as the Industrial Strategy and the Circular Economy Strategy.

Our team is vibrant, hardworking and collaborative. We pay special attention to providing training and support needed to allow individuals to excel. We recognise the importance of professional personal growth and will encourage you to develop your skills.


This position is a high-profile and stretching role for an SEO supporting DBT’s critical minerals and supply chain work. They will be supported in doing this by their G7 line manager, colleagues in the team as well as by analytical, legal and industry experts in the wider Department.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Develop and deliver policy for domestic elements of the new Critical Minerals Strategy, including working closely with Departments like Defra, DESNZ, the Environment Agency, MHCLG and others on recycling, planning, permitting, energy costs, and skills and innovation.
  • Lead on a Spending Review bid focused on commercialisation of early stage, innovative R&D. You will work closely with DBT analysts and Innovate UK to ensure this is underpinned by robust data.
  • You will be the primary relationship holder for several key critical mineral companies and use this engagement to inform policy development. There will be optional travel (primarily UK-based) to critical mineral sites and relevant conferences, although we will always seek to work around your travel preferences.
  • Responsibility for briefing is divided across the SEOs according to content and audience. At times, you will need to draft briefing for SCS and Ministers or support the G7 in drafting a speech.

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