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 a strategic enabler, who is enthusiastic about making the employee experience better?

Do you have experience of working with culture change and building initiatives at a team or whole organisation level?

Would you like to shape the future of the Department for Transport and lead on Being an Excellent Department?

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

Job description

We are delivering a Modern Civil Service, at the Department for Transport, we are doing much of this through a high priority Change Portfolio, consisting of different programmes focused on changing the behaviour and actions of our leaders and staff. Our work is directly linked to the Department’s strategic enabler ‘Be an Excellent Department’ (BaED).   

We’re looking for someone to join DfT’s Change Team to work across a number of high profile change programmes and help develop, drive and own key DfT strategies that will change us from the department we are now, to the one we need to be in the future. You’ll need to be able to work with, through and lead cross functional and departmental teams to drive continuous improvement focused work that touches all aspects of DfT’s employer offer and how we deliver what we do.  

You’ll have knowledge of how culture contributes to the performance of an organisation and how all change needs to recognise culture in order to succeed.  You’ll have experience of working with culture change and building initiatives at a team or whole organisation level;  You’ll be able to work with other parts of HR and the OD and Change team to support the cultural change of DfTc.  This will be through the design, delivery or evaluation of interventions to shift DfTc’s culture.  You’ll have an understanding of Organisation Development and Design theories that support the development of a healthy Department and how they can be applied for maximum productivity and engagement.

You’ll have a keen sense of what’s on the horizon so that you can provide  oversight, coordination and influence and design strategically important change programmes that align to many priority pieces of work, including , Places for Growth, A Modern Civil Service and Reimaging DfT, and, be able to work in partnership with key stakeholders across the business. 

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Lead key strands of the DfT HR Change portfolio.
• Work with Change Team colleague to use real-time staff data and horizon scanning to help design the DfT of tomorrow, through development and delivery of the DfT Future Ways of Working Strategy.
• Act as client-side consultant/advisor to key delivery stakeholder to ensure projects and programmes within scope are delivering against wide departmental current and future vision and objectives, providing challenge and steer and ensuring benefits to DfT and Gov interoperability are maximised. 
• Partner with SciTech to develop DfT’s approach to departmental innovation
• Spot gaps in service delivery and work with the BaED Board to mobilise task and finish projects to address them. 
• Work across DfT Corporate Delivery Group at senior and grassroots level to ensure continuous improvement activity is Spot gaps in service delivery and work with the BaED Board to mobilise task and finish projects to address them.
• Develop and deliver BaED communications and engagement strategy in collaboration with Change Team sponsor

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

Person specification

• You will be a proactive, dynamic and motivated individual with great organisation and project skills. 
• You find methods of working beyond barriers, seeking out and embracing opportunities for innovation.
• You are an excellent leader, who motivates and inspires individuals to achieve positive outcomes.
• You are a strategic thinker who can see the big picture and will use this to help build a culture that enables the department to 'Be an Excellent Department.'
• You’ll have experience of working with culture change and building initiatives at a team or whole organisation level.
• You’ll have a keen sense of what’s on the horizon so that you can provide oversight, coordination and influence and design strategically important change programmes.

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 and Experience.

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.

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

• You will have experience of working with Organisation and Development theories or culture change in your business area or Department.
• Change management experience, including experience of leading change at scale
• Ability to line manage, lead and motivate teams, matrix manage colleagues and develop capability in others.
• Ability to think strategically about the work and respond to immediate and future needs.
• Experience of building effective relationships with colleagues and internal / external stakeholders at all levels to deliver.

Your Personal Statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Seeing the Big Picture. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The sift is due to take place from w/c 15th January 2024 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 29th January 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 with a presentation

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.

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.