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.

Can you confidently analyse complex technical environmental information?

Have you got experience of planning?

Do you have strong working knowledge of UK environmental policy and regulations?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate and motivated Environmental Manager to join the Transport Infrastructure Planning Unit in DfT (Department for Transport). As part of this role you will have the opportunity to utilise your expertise to influence major transport schemes within the UK.

The role will predominantly focus on providing advice to Ministers and officials on the environmental impacts of new transport infrastructure as part of the planning and consenting process. You will also occasionally be required to progress planning application casework as the lead planning casework manager. This will provide you with the opportunity to build your planning knowledge and professional expertise, and to collaboratively and independently present a strong evidence base and deliver robust advice to inform coherent decision-making on planning applications.

 Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Drafting Habitats Regulations Assessments for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
• Advising on scoping and screening requests in relation to applications for Transport and Works Act Orders.
• Assessing complex, technical and often conflicting environmental information to advise on the nature and level of environmental risk associated with consenting transport infrastructure applications.
• Providing timely and robust advice on planning and environmental matters to tight deadlines.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile

Person specification

About you:

This is a busy and fast paced post requiring a high level of professional expertise, strong influencing skills and an ability to deliver robust advice, whilst handling opposing priorities.  

You will have excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing, with the ability to simplify complex and technical information to suit a wide variety of audiences, maximising both impact and understanding. You will enjoy working collaboratively and can gain rapport quickly with others as you build effective working relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders. It is essential that you can exercise sound judgement as to the proper application of environmental planning legislation and policy and construct clear, compelling arguments on the balance of the evidence available to support Ministerial decision-making.

The ability to work autonomously to manage competing priorities to sometimes challenging deadlines is vital. You will have excellent organisational skills and will not be afraid to challenge or push back to our stakeholders where necessary in managing their expectations.

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. 

 https://careers.dft.gov.uk/our-agencies/department-for-transport-central/

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.

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following: 

• You will need to show your experience and / or knowledge of environmental planning legislation and policy.
• Experience and knowledge of reviewing or producing Habitats Regulations Assessments and/or Environment Impact Assessments.
• A proven ability to analyse and summarise technical information about the environmental impacts of projects.

Please fully utilise the 750-word count when completing your Personal Statement.

The sift is due to take place from week commencing 13th February 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 26th February 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

This interview will be conducted online via MS Teams. 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.

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.