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.

Are you a self-motivated and adaptable individual who can thrive within a fast-moving working environment? 

Do you have strong communication skills with great attention to detail? 

Are you highly organised and enjoy managing multiple tasks? 

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The Chief Analyst is the lead adviser to the Department and our ministers on all aspects of our analysis and data and has overall accountability for all analysis produced by the Department.  They lead the Analysis Directorate of c.90 staff and provides professional leadership for 300 professional analysts embedded in other directorates across DfT has. They therefore have a leadership role in cross-cutting strategic issues, both within the Department and across the Civil Service. This Executive Business Support position makes a vital contribution to this role running smoothly and effectively.

We are looking for someone with the ability to work effectively across a wide spectrum of work and a track record in building relationships quickly with key stakeholders, both internal and external. You will provide secretariat, administrative and drafting support, as well as helping with the day-to-day running of the Director’s office.

With support, you will develop a good understanding of the strategic analytical work programmes the Chief Analyst is involved in, their views on these, and which other senior analysts have a role. Through this you will give effective executive support, with minimal management assistance.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide secretariat support to meetings the Chief Analyst chairs.
• Ensure the Chief Analyst has the right papers and briefing ahead of meetings.
• Arrange appropriate cover for the Chief Analyst at meetings they are unable to attend and for the directorate when they are on leave.
• Build and maintain excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, often at senior level.
• Deal with inbox requests, re-directing them as appropriate.
• Provide PA support, including diary management and some meeting organisation to one or two other members of the Analysis Directorate senior leadership team when required.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

To thrive in this role, excellent organisational skills are required with previous experience of diary management.  You will be able to grasp the key points of high-level analytical work programmes, and make effective decisions about the next steps needed and then ensure that they are made in a timely manner.  To do this you will be able to manage and filter workflows, as well as organise and prioritise you own work.  You will be highly adaptable and flexible, adjusting to the requirements of the role.

You will be someone who has strong written and verbal communication skills, able to express themselves in a confident and concise manner with colleagues at all levels and able to present information, including numerical and analytical information in a clear and concise manner to effectively influence a senior audience.

You will have good attention to detail and take pride in producing work to a high standard. Proven IT skills are essential, in particular Microsoft Office suite.

Additional Information:

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Occasional travel to other DfT offices may be required.

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 .

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and 1000-word Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following: 

• Strong written and spoken communication skills. Able to present information including numerical information, in a clear and concise manner effectively.
• Able to grasp the key points of high-level analytical work programmes, make effective decisions about next steps needed, and then ensure progress is made (either by self or relevant colleagues) in a timely manner.
• Experience of diary management.
• Proficient user of various MS packages, e.g. Outlook and Excel.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 6/5/24. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

The sift is due to take place from Tuesday 7th May 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from Monday 20th May 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.

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.