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 inspire other leaders and shape strategies to lead a growing team?

Are you able to establish effective working relationships and effectively collaborate with a wide range of team members and stakeholders?

Have you got experience of leading teams confidently through times of uncertainty?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The Roads and Projects Infrastructure Delivery (RAPID) Client Directorate oversees delivery, by National Highways, of multi-million-pound road improvement projects set out in the 5-year second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2 and preparing for the future strategy (RIS3). The RaPID team client the work undertaken by National Highways specifying the outputs to be delivered, overseeing efficient delivery, undertaking sponsorship work with NH and others to unlock challenges at project and/or portfolio level, monitoring safe operations and ensuring that wider government strategic objectives including decarbonisation, levelling up, improving transport for the user and increasing our global impact are delivered through this investment. It works with the Roads Strategy Directorate to ensure understanding of future strategy and the right client setup to enable effective delivery now, and in the future.

You will play a critical role in the delivery of the Roads Investment Strategy by bringing strategic thinking, stakeholder management, project/or portfolio delivery knowledge and team leadership to the clienting/sponsorship of some of the portfolio or /largest projects and programmes in the portfolio.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead effective sponsorship to work with partners to identify challenges, opportunities, and support NH/us to address or realise these and unlock delivery. This includes Leading the Department’s interests in successful planning and delivery, horizon-scanning for potential risks and issues and dealing with them proactively.
• Ensuring National Highways fulfils Departmental and cross-Whitehall governance and assurance requirements, including communicating governance and assurance requirements with clarity and supporting National Highways in preparing for decision points.
• Sponsoring projects through the Tier 1 project integrated assurance and approvals process, building effective relationships with HMT and others, to identify and address concerns early and achieve timely approvals when appropriate.
• Building relationships, communicating and supporting Ministers and senior officials.

For more information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

To thrive in this role, you will:

• Possess Experience of leading a team within a complex delivery environment
• Have experience of Project Controls and PMO/portfolio procedures and practices
• Be able to build and maintain effective working relationships
• Be a resilient individual who can work effectively to keep a team motivated when problems arise to maintain work flow
• Have excellent communication skills through both written and verbal communication
• Have the Ability to lead and work in a fast-paced environment and produce high quality work to tight timescales

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. 

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 provide a CV and Personal Statement (1000 words). Please tailor your CV to suit the role. For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• Experience of building and maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of setting strategic aims and objects in a complex delivery environment.
• Experience of leading a team through uncertainty in a time of change within a project delivery environment.
• Experience of working with PMO/Portfolio Procedure and Project controls within complex projects environment.

The sift is due to take place 16th January 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 22nd 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

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. 

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.