About the job

Job summary

• Are you skilled in vehicle technology and/or engineering?
• Do you enjoy variation in your day-to-day work, being part of a team and making difference?
• Can you adapt to change and bring new ideas to the table?
• Does a vocation with the opportunity for travel, career progression and many other benefits appeal to you?

If you are looking for your next opportunity, we would like to hear from you.

About Us

Our work is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department of Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.

Do not just take our word for it, here is Duncan, a Principal Engineer at VCA, to tell you more. Pease also refer to our Candidate Pack and VCA website for more information.

Certification Engineer (youtube.com)

Job description

Our engineers are at the core of what we do, making a direct impact on vehicle safety and environmental compliance with the resulting benefit on society. They do this by predominantly witnessing tests at a manufacturers or third-party specialist facilities. We also carry out some testing ourselves.

You will have an opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications, working collaboratively with UK and overseas manufacturers with products well before they reach the market.  Our team of engineers and experts will aid your development and knowledge on Type Approval legislation, working with new and future vehicle technologies, test methods and equipment, and awareness of conformity of production requirements.

Travel, in the UK and overseas, is often necessary for witnessing testing at manufacturer’s facilities and sites. You will be given the chance to experience new countries and cultures in the role, while benefiting from the flexibility of our hours, allowing valuable time for personal ventures.

You will face variation in your role and will be part of an organisation who cares passionately about you, by giving the support you need to reach your full potential.

Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:

As a Certification Engineer specialising in your technical area, your key responsibilities will include:

• Carrying out or witnessing specialised tests and component/vehicle specification inspections to meet UNECE, EU and National Type Approval standards.
• Managing and completing approval documentation, including specialised test reports and draft approval certificates.
• Working with manufacturers in worst-case and variant selection meetings, to identify the right products to be tested.

To see the full role information, please see the attached role profile.

Person specification

To do well in this role you will need:

• Experience of working in an engineering capacity, following procedures and understanding regulations or standards.
• Experience of analysing data or documents and reporting on findings.
• Experience of delivering outcomes on time and to a high standard.
• Be able to use a range of information to make effective decisions.
• An ability to balance your workload according to top priorities.
• To collaborate effectively within your team and wider.
• Understand underpinning technical principles relevant to vehicle systems and their associated technology.
• Be proactive in your personal development.
• A qualification in an engineering or technical discipline equivalent to Bachelor’s degree, including Honours and Foundation degree and Diplomas of Higher Education. NQF level 5 and 6; or equivalent experience.
• A full UK driving licence.

Additional Information

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace or on location testing. 

Whilst we accept part time applicants, you will be required to work a minimum of 60% full time equivalent of full time hours. 

Engineering Skills Allowance

In addition to your basic salary, this role attracts a non-pensionable £3,000 annual allowance in recognition of the requirement for professional engineering and/or relevant professional occupational experience. After 3-years in the HEO post, the allowance will be increased to £6,600 per annum to reflect experience gained in the role. If you work part time, these payments will be pro-rated.

Benefits

Your wellbeing is important to us, which is why we’re pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to all our colleagues, inside and outside of work. 

Find out more about the ways you can benefit in our candidate pack attached.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

How To Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Stage 1: Initial Experience-Based Sift 

In this stage, we carefully review all applicants CV & personal statement to shortlist candidates who meet the experience indicators (listed below) and possess the necessary qualifications.

We will assess the following Experience Indicators from your CV & personal statement so you should tailor both to clearly explain how you meet them:

• Experience of working in an engineering capacity, following procedures, and understanding regulations or standards.
• Experience of Analysing data or documents and reporting on findings.
• Experience of Delivering outcomes on time and to a high standard.

Your personal statement should be a maximum of 1000 words and we recommend a minimum of 250 words for each of the bullet points above.

Some guidance to help you with your application can be found in the candidate pack below.

Stage 2: In-person Assessment

The final stage involves an in-person assessment, where selected candidates will be invited to visit one of our premises. 

Sift and Interview

The sift is due to take place from 26th February 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from 11th March 2024 to 22nd March 2024. Interviews will be conducted face to face.

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. 

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

Your technical skills will be assessed against the Government Science and Engineering Framework, please click here to find out more.

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 note that VCA are unable to offer VISA sponsorship. 

Merit List 

Please note that candidates placed on the merit list will be considered for suitable positions as they arise.  Being on the merit list may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role of Certification Engineer.

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.

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.

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.