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.  

Can you communicate clearly and concisely through written and verbal communication?

Are you able to build effective relationships with a wide range of diverse stakeholders?

Have you got project management skills with the ability to spot risks and opportunities?

If so, then this is the perfect role for you!

Job description

The Aviation Directorate works to maintain the UK’s position as a world leader in aviation. We work hard to support a strong aviation sector that helps the UK exert its influence across the world. We work with the sector to ensure that investment, trade, jobs and social opportunities, which aviation creates, allows our country to thrive – connecting all the regions of the UK with an increasingly globalised society.

The CAA Sponsorship team sits within the Aviation Commercial, Strategy and Consumers Division whose work includes monitoring and interventions in commercial aviation, non-scheduled flying including recreational flying, and the rights of consumers including those with disabilities, the overall aviation strategy. The Sponsorship Team will maintain its portfolio of oversight of the CAA/DfT relationship, CAA grants and CAA appointments.

The CAA Sponsorship Senior Policy Advisor will be responsible for leading on cross-cutting issues that impact on the CAA, the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator, responsible for keeping passengers and the general public safe. They will also act as one of the main links between the Department and the CAA. The role involves collaborative working with the CAA, and the wider Aviation Directorate to manage the governance, funding, priorities, policy and performance of the CAA. The role requires flexibility to ensure ministerial and Director expectations are met and that the CAA remains reactive to external factors outside of its control.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Regular communication with the CAA Strategy Team to drive and monitor delivery against the priorities and key policy areas set by the Secretary of State.
• Working closely with the Aviation Directorate, Public Bodies Centre of Excellence and the Public Appointments Team to understand key processes and policy and drive forward changes and improvements.
• Managing the government grant funding provided to the CAA on an annual basis and helping support the monitoring of those grant payments and any additional audits to ensure the CAA are meeting their planned KPIs and milestones.
• Planning and supporting multiple recruitment and reappointment for key strategic roles in the CAA including the Chair, CEO and Non-Executive Directors.

For more information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

To thrive in this role, you will

• Be able to build effective relationships with stakeholders, including internally, externally and with Senior Officials .
• Have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, with strong personal impact and the ability to produce high quality written material for ministers.
• Be able to react at pace and make effective decisions.
• Be a team player, flexible in their role and responsibilities to help support demands.
• Be able to demonstrate project management skills, with the ability to spot risks and opportunities, and manage finances.
• Possess experience in policy development and working with others is essential.

Additional information

A minimum of 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. 

Find out more about working within policy at the Department for Transport

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

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.

You will be asked to provide a written behavioural example in 250 words that provides evidence of the civil service behaviour Working Together.

Your CV should be tailored to demonstrate your suitability to the role and the essential criteria.

Please provide your personal statement in 750 words providing detailed evidence of the following:

• Experience of working within policy development
• Experience of Communicating clearly and concisely, with strong personal impact and the ability to produce high quality written material for Senior Officials.
• Experience of using Project Management skills, with the ability to spot risks and opportunities, and manage finances.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using your behavioural example of Working Together. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift is due to take place 28th May 2024

Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 10th June 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 will be conducted online via Teams. 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. 

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.

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

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist 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.