About the job

Job summary

At the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), we encourage applications from everyone, particularly groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. We pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has and promote inclusivity and equality of opportunity for all. Our recruitment process is anonymised, which means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel.  

Are you an excellent communicator who enjoys helping others?

Do you love working as part of a team, bringing an enthusiastic approach every day?

Would you like to make a difference by supporting customers across the UK?

If so, then we’d love to hear from you!  

This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop your skills and experience. You’ll be part of a vibrant department that advocates development. 

If you would like to find out more about the role and what it’s like to work at the DVLA Contact Centre, then please join one of our webinar sessions below, where you can virtually meet some of our team and ask any questions about the role:

Tuesday 23 July – 6:00 – 7:00pm – Register here

Thursday 25 July – 12:00 – 1:00pm – Register here

Once you have registered, you will be emailed with a link to the session – don’t forget to check your junk mail.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for hardworking individuals to join our award winning Contact Centre. Located in Swansea Vale, your role as an advisor will be to answer inbound customer queries, providing our customers with support, information and an outstanding service. The role does not involve any sales or cold calling. 

You will play a pivotal role in being part of a supportive and welcoming team environment. You will be coached to develop innovative customer service skills and techniques, combined with a requirement to utilise a range of multi-channel services in a fast paced environment.  

You will be the first point of contact for providing guidance, support and advice to the British public, and will be supporting us to get the right drivers and vehicles taxed and on the road, as simply, safely and efficiently as possible. 

It is crucial that you are confident using IT systems, as you will need to navigate multiple systems on dual screens whilst answering customer queries.

You don’t need any previous experience or qualifications to join us, but we are looking for hardworking and resilient team players, over the age of 16 who are enthusiastic and genuinely want to support our customers with their needs.

For more information on who we are, what we do and to hear from colleagues who work in our award winning Contact Centre please visit our DfT Careers website.  

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:  

• To deliver excellent customer service, through a variety of customer channels (telephony, multi-channel, wider operational functions) by investigating and resolving customer issues, complaints, cases, and processing customer payments in a professional and timely manner, to aid accuracy and enforcement in line with Agency policy and legislation.
• To provide and seek advice/information from relevant customers and/or stakeholders to ensure swift resolution to enquiries/complaints.
• To work well with colleagues, listen to the views of others and try to see issues from other’s perspectives, continuing to develop and take on board feedback to continuously improve.

For further information about the role, please refer to the role profile attached. Please click here for PDF or Word version of the role profile.

Additional Information

These opportunities will be available from September 2024. We will make every effort to onboard successful candidates sooner pending pre-employment check timescales.

The Contact Centre’s current operating hours are between 8am and 7pm Monday to Friday and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays. You will be expected to work full time hours during the initial training period (up to 8-10 weeks) which will generally take place Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 

Following the initial training period you will work a flexible shift pattern within the hours of 8am and 7pm Monday to Friday, and 8am and 2pm on Saturdays. A standard full time employee will work 8 hours over 4 days and 5 hours on 1 day.

You will be allocated a day off during Monday to Friday if you work on a Saturday. Shifts are provided on a rolling weekly basis, 11 weeks in advance.

The majority of positions will be based in the Contact Centre. However, if successful, you could be offered a position in the Contact Centre in Swansea Vale, or the Operational area at our Morriston site. This will be dependent on availability and business requirements at the time of recruiting. The operating hours within the Operational area are between 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Only one job offer will be made which could be in either role, so only candidates who are willing to accept a role in either area should apply.

Whether you’re looking for full or part time hours we offer a variety of working patterns, allowing you to select an option which complements your lifestyle. However, whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidates to be able to work at least 25 hours per week. 

The Contact Centre actively encourages development and for all colleagues to use and stretch the skills they have to fulfil their potential and support the business. We welcome applications from candidates who can speak Welsh and English, which will allow you to answer calls from our Welsh speaking customers. We also offer opportunities for all staff to improve their Welsh language skills once they join us. 

Customer facing roles in DfT require the ability to converse with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken and written English.

This will be assessed during the selection process. Please refer to the English Language Code of Practice for more information. Welsh language skills would be useful in this role, but it is not an assessment criteria so it won’t put you at any disadvantage during recruitment if you aren’t a Welsh speaker. 

Please note that the advertised webinars and assessment process will be held in English.

Person specification

We are looking for people with strong communication skills who are passionate about providing an excellent service to our customers. You can adapt your approach to suit individual customer needs and break down complex information to enhance customer understanding. You take pride in completing your work to the highest standard and are resilient when managing a fast-paced workload.

Please take note that DVLA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.  

If you are interested in the role but would like to find out more information, please visit our DfT Careers website.

We strive to ensure that DVLA is a great place to work where everybody can be their true self, be treated with dignity and respect, and according to their individual needs. We have a number of staff network groups run by staff to support their colleagues.  

About Operational Delivery Profession 

 

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. 

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role  
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance 
• Generous average employer contribution of 27%, depending on rate of salary and chosen pension scheme 
• 25 days holiday, increasing by one day each year up to 30 days pro rata 
• Access to the staff discount portal 
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff  

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.   

 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

How to Apply  

This campaign will run on a rolling basis with applicants progressing through the recruitment process as they pass each stage in merit order. To apply for the role, you will be asked to complete basic personal information.  

Following your application all candidates who apply will be invited to attend a customer service exercise. This assessment will be conducted face to face at one of our offices, details of which will be provided to you.  

Assessments will take place periodically from 26th July 2024.

Candidates will be notified of the assessment outcome shortly after attending. Please note that unsuccessful applicants cannot reapply for this vacancy within a 4 month period.  

Immediate start dates will be available following the successful completion of pre-employment checks.

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 roles. As a result, your assessment will include:   

• A customer service exercise where you will be asked to respond to a range of customer service queries over the telephone and online. You will be provided with information to assist you in this.

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.