About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Are you someone who enjoys working with a diverse range of stakeholders?

Would you like a role that is both challenging and rewarding, playing a key part in achieving the departments HR goals?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a high-profile team which impacts everyone who works in DfT. Our ambition in HR is to build an engaged, highly motivated, inclusive, skilled, and capable workforce who can adapt to an ever-changing environment, so we are able to deliver our priorities. Working closely with our HR Directors and senior team, you will play a key role in ensuring the Department continues to be a great place to work. You will be part of an inclusive organisation, which lives the values of confidence, excellence and teamwork in everything we do.

No day will be the same, and you will need to be able to lead business as usual while responding to day-to-day challenges and solving problems

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Oversight of Group HR’s key policy and deliverables and their current status, being able to provide high quality updates, advice and briefing for HR Directors when needed.
• Triaging and proactively troubleshooting issues as they arise, while drawing upon stakeholders and knowledge of departmental processes to agree and deliver effective solutions and positive outcomes.
• Overseeing people governance arrangements and secretariat support within HR, providing a quality service and ensuring plans and activities reflect wider priorities
• Regularly engaging and building relationships with key stakeholders, effectively leveraging, and managing relationships and inter-dependencies.
• Building a strong productive relationship with HR Directors and the HR Senior Leadership Team, using judgement to manage the escalation of issues and providing information and advice when needed.
• Line management of a small team providing business support and secretariat functions in HR, providing them with effective leadership and direction, and making sure that they work together to help ensure efficient running of the HR function.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will be have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to engage, influence, negotiate with and a complex set of senior stakeholders on a range of subjects. You will have the ability to plan, prioritise and work well under pressure – managing conflicting demands effectively and dealing with last minute changes.

You are a strategic thinker and will see the big picture when making decisions. You are an excellent communicator, influencing and managing upwards, speaking with authority when engaging with senior staff. You will have the ability to act in a highly confidential manner and exercise discretion. You are an excellent leader who can deliver through others.

Additional Information

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Occasional travel to other DfT offices will be required.

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance. 

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and 1000-word Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to engage, influence, negotiate with and a complex set of senior stakeholders on a range of subjects.
• Experience of delivering professional services in a business management, private office or secretariat function.
• Leading and developing a team, inspiring and motivating them to deliver high quality results.
• Experience of building positive relationships with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels.

The sift is due to take place from w/c 25th March 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 8th April 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• An interview.

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.