About the job

Job summary

• Do you have a degree in electrical engineering or a computer science discipline?
• Are you looking for a graduate scheme with the opportunity for international travel, insight from the industry’s best and on the job training while also earning a salary?
• Have you got a keen interest in cyber security and the ambition and drive to become an Incorporated or Chartered engineer?
• Does a scheme where you have regular access to subject experts, mentors and Civil Service benefits appeal to you?

If you are looking for the next step in your career and professional development, our Graduate Scheme could be for you.

About Us

Our work is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department of Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.  

Why not see what one of our graduates has to say about their experience and our scheme. You can also check out our graduate candidate pack for more information about us, what we can offer you and why we’re a great place to work.

Job description

Joining our world-class Graduate Scheme as a permanent member of staff will open doors to many opportunities tailored to you. Working collaboratively with UK and overseas manufacturers and experts, you will be at the centre of our work, making a direct impact on vehicle safety and environmental compliance, with the resulting benefit on society.

Your day to day will involve on the job training with internal and external placements on offer. Our diverse schedule and global links enable graduates to experience some of the world’s most innovative ideas and methods within the automotive industry. To gain this level of insight, extensive travel will be an essential part of the scheme, where your work will take you across the UK and overseas.  You will be at the forefront of some of the fastest evolving technology, using your skills to challenge the strength and robustness of cyber security measures implemented by manufacturers and overseeing testing activities performed by our team.

As well as having a core network of colleagues to support you on your journey, graduates will be allocated a mentor who will be on hand for any advice and guidance needed. On completion of your first two years training, gaining invaluable exposure to a broad spectrum of our work and others, we then welcome graduates to take up an engineering role with us. Thereafter, we promote graduates to gain Incorporated or Chartered engineering status over the following two/three years, with support and training available throughout to achieve this goal.

Person specification

To apply for our Graduate Scheme you will need:

• Keen to progress your academic knowledge towards the application of real-world automotive testing.
• Understand the underpinning technical principles relevant to vehicle systems and their associated technology.
• Ability to plan and manage and proactively progress with your own work.
• Work with others constructively, to explain ideas and proposals clearly and to discuss issues objectively and constructively.

For further information, please see the role profile.

Additional Information

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace or on location testing.  

Benefits

Your wellbeing is important to us, which is why we’re pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to all our colleagues, inside and outside of work.  

Find out more about the ways you can benefit in our candidate pack. 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

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.

How to Apply 

To apply you should provide a CV and personal statement. We will assess the following experience indicators from your CV & personal statement so you should tailor both to clearly explain how you meet them.  

• How have you applied your engineering knowledge (can be from any part of your life including work, studies, or interests)? 
• An example of how you have used your experience of analysing data or documents and reporting on findings.
• What is your approach to working individually and as a team? 

Your personal statement should be a maximum of 1000 words and we recommend a minimum of 250 words for each of the bullet points above. 

Some guidance to help you with your application can be found in the candidate pack below. 

Our 2-stage selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.  

Stage 1: Initial Experience-Based Sift  

In this stage, we carefully review all applicants CV & Personal statement to shortlist candidates who meet the experience indicators and possess the necessary qualifications. 

Stage 2: In-person Assessment 

The final stage involves an in-person assessment, where selected candidates will be invited to visit our Midland Centre office to take part in an assessment day.

This will consist of;

• A written exercise of applying their knowledge against legislation that is provided 
• Practical exercise of assessing vehicles in a workshop environment 
• Interview 
• Group Exercise – Scenario based presentation 

Sift and Interview 

The sift is due to take place from 11th March 2024. 

Interviews are likely to be held from 25th March to 5th April 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.  

You are encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.  

Your technical skills will be assessed against the Government Science and Engineering Framework, please click here to find out more. We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process.

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 note that VCA are unable to offer VISA sponsorship.  

Merit List  

Please note that candidates placed on the merit list will be considered for suitable positions as they arise.

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.