About the job

Job summary

This is a fantastic time to be joining the team; this role is fundamental to ministers’ ambitions to make clear progress with rail reform.  You will be SRO for the Rail Reform Bill leading the pre-legislative scrutiny for the legislation to enable the structural changes necessary to deliver the new rail sector model.  You will co-ordinate policy owners across Rail working closely with legal colleagues to prepare the draft Bill and deliver a successful scrutiny process. Your team will also lead on the policy at the heart of the bill, the accountability and governance framework for Great British Railways and the approach to the future development of the new licence. This will be one of the most significant Arms Length Bodies in Whitehall so getting the framework right is critical, balancing the need for ministerial oversight with organisational independence.

The team comprises 3 G6 leads: a bill manager, head of legislation policy; and a head of accountability policy.  The role sits withing the Rail Reform Directorate which provides core policy leadership and delivery oversight of the reforms co-ordinating across Rail Groups and working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team and Network Rail to deliver these wide ranging reforms.

We take diversity, inclusion and wellbeing seriously; and take pride in making the directorate a welcoming and fun place to work. Whatever your background, we are looking for someone who is committed to making a success of both what they do and how they do it, through excellent team leadership and the building of trusted relationships within DfT and across the wider sector. In return, we will support you to develop your skills and build your career.

Job description

Lead the development and delivery of high quality legislation which is well understood by stakeholders

• Publish the response to the Government’s consultation on Legislation to Implement Rail Transformation and ensure high quality communications and stakeholder engagement to explain the positions taken in the response.
• Finalise the Draft Rail Reform Bill and engage cross-Whitehall to secure timely Write-Round Clearance and publication.
• Lead and deliver a successful pre-legislative scrutiny process working closely with ministers and Special Advisers and ensure an excellent relationship with the clerk of the scrutinising committee to support an effective PLS process.
• Act as Senior Responsible Officer for the Bill including establishing and chairing appropriate governance boards for approval of overall handling and concession strategy and tactics.
• Single point of contact for Directors, Directors General, Ministers and key OGDs including handling key short-notice judgements during PLS.
• Oversee key stakeholder interactions to deliver PLS including with MPs/ Peers and key interest groups.
• Oversee development and delivery of comprehensive stakeholder, parliamentary handling and comms plans.
• Oversee public communications on the Bill.

Lead on the overarching narrative and policy coherence for the bill and its fit with wider rail and departmental policy

• Oversee the development of the cross-cutting policy narrative on the legislation, specifically changes to the franchising elements of the legislation
• Lead on developing the rationale for and communication of what is included and excluded from legislation.
• Ensure alignment and consistency with wider policy held in other teams (such as the commercial model, the role of the private sector).
• Lead on the policy strategy for potential amendments from external stakeholders.

Lead on policy development in relation to the new governance and frameworks necessary to successfully establish GBR and to reform other sector organisations

• Lead on policy development and ministerial and stakeholder engagement on:- GBR duties and function
  - SoS power to designate an integrated rail body
  - GBR licence
  - the governance and accountability framework to hold GBR to account, including directions and guidance and the process for issuing these
  - amended roles of Transport Focus and ORR    
  
• Ensure policy oversight and alignment across the teams developing the new accountability framework (i.e. Licence, D&Gs, Framework Agreement and MOUs)– ensuring policy teams have clarity about where they can codify requirements placed on GBR and how risks are managed
• Identify (and resolve) any policy conflicts across the emerging framework
• Finalise policy and legal instructions, development of associated parliamentary products to support introduction and passage of bill
• Set out strategy for approach to the licence, including ensuring alignment with the approach for legislation and preparing for future licence delivery

Develop and lead a highly capable division with a strong focus on wellbeing and diversity and inclusion

• Build an agile and skilled team with blended policy and legislative capability to develop high quality policy, co-ordinate policy and deliver PLS, including working effectively cross-Whitehall and with specialists e.g. legal
• Lead and develop a division comprising up to 18 staff (currently in the process of expanding). Provide leadership to them, including delivery oversight and support to the bill manager and policy leadership for other teams supporting their roles in developing and co-ordinating policy. This will involve close engagement with Directors/ DGs responsible for policy within the bill.
• Make a wider contribution to the leadership of the directorate as an active and engaged member of the Senior Leadership Team and to the wider department.
• Role model and contribute to embedding diversity & inclusion and actively supporting the wellbeing of the division and directorate

Person specification

You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Deputy Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Highly developed leadership skills, with the proven ability to lead and inspire multi-functional teams, develop capability, and create an engaged and motivated workforce.
• Strong judgement and the ability to deliver at pace.
• Stakeholder management and communications - A strong track record of working with internal and external partners and stakeholders in the public and private sectors. Credibility with ministers, senior and external partners.
• Experience of providing complex advice and guidance to a multitude of stakeholders, particularly where such advice may be challenging or controversial.
• Experience of Primary legislation / Parliamentary business or rail would be a significant asset

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department for Transport contributes £20,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on 2nd January 2024

The application will include:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’.

All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. 

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.  

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include:

• Staff Engagement Exercise - a presentation and Q&A with a representative staff group from across the DfT.

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.   

The Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  As well as Experience, we will also be using the following four behaviours will be used at the interview stage:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Working together

Further information about Success Profiles can be found here:

Interviews are expected to take place face to face in our London office, all shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation.

Offer and Feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Expected Timeline 

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date - 23:55 2nd January 2024

Shortlist - 15th January 2024

Assessments - W/C 22nd January 2024

Panel Interviews 31st January 2024

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.