About the job

Job summary

Our environmental responsibilities will reshape every aspect of how we build and use the transport system. Reaching net zero by 2050 will require a monumental shift in how we think about the transport system and in how we plan investment for the decades ahead. Transport is now the single biggest contributor to UK greenhouse gas emissions and in many areas, we need to work with international partners to reduce those emissions.  At the same time, we need to adapt our transport system to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change and address the full range of our environmental responsibilities – from air quality to biodiversity. 

The Environment Strategy Director leads a team of around 100 staff based across London, Birmingham, Hastings and Leeds to set direction for all aspects of the Department’s environmental responsibilities. The newly formed Directorate will lead the Department’s overarching strategy for reducing the environmental impact of all forms of transport, and then ensure our ambitious commitments are delivered. The Director is responsible for the development and delivery of a transport-wide low carbon fuels strategy, including the development of the UK sustainable aviation fuels industry and the operation of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Job description

Particular responsibilities include:

Decarbonisation Strategy

Supporting and challenging each area of transport – whether road, rail, maritime, aviation or other forms of transport – to deliver the government’s Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, working closely with DESNZ to set budgets, monitor their results and respond to legal challenges. The team also leads the Department’s international engagement on environmental issues, working effectively with industry, and other government departments to deliver an effective and clear decarbonisation strategy. The team leads the Department’s contribution to international climate negotiations – for example, organising the transport programme at COP28.

 Adaptation Strategy

Extreme heat, storms, sea level rises, heavy precipitation, and floods, all pose significant risks to the safe and successful operation of the transport network. The network is interconnected, meaning that disruption to a single type of transport can cascade to others – i.e. a broken trainline could prevent journeys to an airport where flights may still be running. The team leads the overall strategy to adapt the UK transport system to these challenges, coordinating work on all forms of transport to implement the Government’s Adaptation Strategy, including building a more resilient network.

Impact of Transport on the Environment

The 2021 Environment Act and the Environment Improvement Plan set out the Government’s overarching goals to improve nature and the environment and transport has a key role to play in delivering this ambition. The Director for Environment Strategy leads the Department’s policy on improving air quality, including NOx and PM 2.5 emissions, to meet the Government’s targets; developing a Biodiversity Action Plan to demonstrate what more transport can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity, to support compliance with the new biodiversity objective; and ensuring the Department is considering the new Environmental Principles in policy development.

Low Carbon Fuels

The Low Carbon Fuel division works with a broad range of interests including the oil and aviation industries, renewable fuels producers and forecourt operators. Environmental and humanitarian NGOs also take a very close interest in this policy area. The team are currently finalising the development of a new UK Low Carbon Fuels strategy as well as legislating for a mandate to incentivise the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). They will also be exploring other measures to stimulate UK production, including considering responses to a consultation on a revenue certainty mechanism for SAF producers and overseeing legislative changes that ensure the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation stays up to date and provides certainty for the sector. The team run the £1.5bn/year Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) certificate scheme, including compliance with legislative requirements and effective measures to prevent fraud/abuse, and oversees a substantial capital grant competition programme, that includes £180m of grants to support production of advanced fuel for use in aviation and Heavy Goods Vehicles. 

Personal relationship building with environmental and industry stakeholders will be key to the role. Public, private and third sector stakeholders are vocal and influential. Building effective relationships to collaborate with these organisations through delivery where objectives align, whilst managing challenging situations where they don’t, is central to success. Engaging and communicating with these groups will include providing regular updates, addressing concerns, and gathering feedback to ensure buy-in and support for Departmental initiatives.

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 Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

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

Essential Criteria

• Strong experience of leading, motivating and developing high-performing, multi-disciplinary and inclusive teams.
• Ability to deliver on challenging and evolving goals, without always direct levers for change, and creating an effective evidence base to take complex decisions in uncertain environments. 

• Experience of aligning activity to deliver a macro-objective, considering the wider context when making decisions whilst influencing at a senior level, commanding the confidence and trust of key partners. 

• Proven experience at a senior level of taking an effective whole system approach to complex, dynamic issues; actively developing wide networks internally and externally, breaking down barriers to deliver outcomes, and bringing together colleagues. 

Desirable Criteria

• Direct experience of working on climate change issues (adaptation or mitigation), and/or of transport issues.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Department for Transport contributes £27,000 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

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on 24th March

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 1000 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

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

Selection Process and Shortlist

Paul Gray, Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process.  More detailed information can be found at the Civil Service Commission website: Civil Service Commission

Paul will be joined by:

Jo Shanmugalingam – Second Permanent Secretary, DfT

Lee McDonough - Director General, Net Zero, Nuclear and International at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

James Norton, Group Human Resource Director, DfT

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:

• Individual Leadership Assessment – a combination of psychometric assessments
• 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.

Informal Discussion

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to Jo Shanmugalingam prior to the final interview.  This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process

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.   

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 Sunday 24th March

Shortlist: w/c 2nd April

Assessments: w/c 8th April and 15th April

Panel Interviews: w/c 22nd April

Should candidates like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact: permanent.secretaries@dft.gov.uk

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.