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.

Do you enjoy working with a range of stakeholders? 

Would you relish the opportunity to be involved in in developing climate change adaptation policy for Britain’s railway? 

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Policy Advisor to join our Land Transport National Security division, and we would love to hear from you!

Job description

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for maintaining high standards of safety and security in transport. Part of DfT’s Public Transport and Local Group, the Integration and Security Directorate is at the heart of this work to ensure the UK’s railways deliver better services for passengers and freight, in a way that also delivers high levels of security, resilience and safety.  

The team leads on long-term resilience, ensuring the rail industry is prepared for natural threats and hazards. In particular, it has responsibility for climate change adaptation policy for rail which is a growing area. As the climate changes, extreme weather events will become increasingly frequent and more severe. This work aims to ensure the rail network is more resilient to the effects of climate change. Adaptation is a complex, cross-cutting issue and provides a unique challenge for rail given the vast scale of railway operations. The wider Land Transport National Security (LTNS) team leads on the approach to national security issues across rail and other land-based public transport and on Public Transport and Local Group’s approach to wider preparedness for incident response.

The role will involve significant and high-level engagement with stakeholders across a range of areas including policy teams and senior officials across DfT, Network Rail, Train and Freight Operating Companies, Rail Safety and Standards Board and Other Government Departments.  

The post provides a challenging, rewarding, and unique opportunity to influence policy, driving forward adaptation action on the railway, ensuring tomorrow’s railway is fit for a changing climate.

Responsibilities

You will: 

• Lead the development of climate change adaptation policy, working with relevant teams to help deliver a railway that meets passenger and freight needs for future generations.
• Act as the focal point for industry and the department on rail adaptation.
• Identify the need for, organise, and run activities with the department and industry to raise awareness and secure buy-in for action (e.g. workshops, meetings).
• Represent DfT at key adaptation forums, e.g. RSSB’s Climate Change Adaptation Working Group.
• Support work to improve DfT’s adaptive capacity, e.g. through implementing and monitoring maturity matrix recommendations.
• Deputise for G7 when absent or when other priorities dictate.
• Prepare briefings for senior managers as required.
• Lead in the drafting of official correspondence in response to public and ministerial enquiries, Freedom of Information (FOI) Requests and Parliamentary Questions.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of the adaptation landscape applicable to rail, through wider reading, attending training/conferences or other learning/development opportunities. 
• Proactively develop and manage a wide network of relationships, which will be crucial in delivering this work. This will entail building strong relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, for example, with: 

1. Senior officials within DfT including Directors and Directors General.
2. Policy, analytical and science teams across DfT, in Rail teams and central functions. 
3. Senior external stakeholders within the rail industry including Network Rail, Train and Freight Operating Companies and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).
4. Other Government Departments (OGDs) including the Office of Rail and Road and Defra. 

If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here. 

Further information on policy roles in the Department can be found here  https://careers.dft.gov.uk/policy/

Person specification

About you

We are looking for an enthusiastic, self-starter who enjoys proactively taking the initiative to find solutions to problems and is comfortable working in complex areas. You will be a highly motivated, and organised individual, able to confidently present options and recommendations based on available information. 

You will have excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, be a strong communicator, and someone who champions engagement and gains rapport quickly with others to build positive working relationships with senior officials, colleagues across Government and key industry partners. 

Additional information:

You will have the option to be based in our London office attracting the London salary, or in Leeds or Birmingham attracting the National salary. If based in Leeds or Birmingham, occasional travel to our London office will be required for key meetings and team events.

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.

In the event of a terrorist attack or other emergency situation, the postholder may be required to be involved in the department’s incident response, including working outside normal business hours. 

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. Please tailor your CV to match the role and its responsibilities and within your Personal Statement (max 1000 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Building strong and productive relationships with senior colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Thinking creatively to develop solutions to complex policy problems.
• Developing options and identifying which ones to take forward.
• Developing written briefings and verbal presentations to a range of stakeholders internal and external to government, and efficiently dealing with correspondence.

The sift is due to take place from 31 July 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 12 August 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
• A presentation (details will be provided with sift results)

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices (for personal circumstances or reasonable adjustments). 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

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 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.