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.

Would you relish the opportunity to work in a fast-paced business support role?

Can you communicate clearly with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels?

Are you a confident individual who can motivate your team to deliver outstanding results?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The work of the Local Transport directorate makes a huge difference to the daily lives of millions and contributes significantly to the Department’s strategic aims. Our work improves transport for its users (for example, by ensuring public transport is accessible); helps to reduce the environmental impacts of transport (for example, by facilitating more public and active transport journeys, and by stimulating demand for zero emission buses); and grows and levels up the economy (for example, by providing funding for local transport projects that connect people with centres of employment).   

The Local Improvement Transport User and Portfolio (LITUP) division sits at the heart of Local Transport Directorate with the aim of driving excellence, efficiency and effectiveness across the directorate.

This role sits within the Business Support Team (in LITUP), that provides a range of business support functions including business resilience, centralised recruitment and onboarding support, resource management, finance support, the SLT’s PAs, and other admin functions. The role therefore, provides a unique opportunity to work across a broad and high-profile portfolio, and work alongside the co-Directors and SLT to shape the work of around 200+ people.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Leading the Business Support team providing directorate wide guidance and assistance with core business support functions including (but not limited to) recruitment & resourcing, workforce data management, on-boarding new starters, IT Focal Point service, directorate business plan, business continuity and management assurance.
• Act as the main point of contact for recruitment and resourcing queries for the directorate. Leading on centralised recruitment function including business and workforce planning.
• Lead and line manage a high performing business team (2 x HEOs and 5x EOs and 1x AO), ensuring priorities are clear and staff are fully supported in delivering their objectives, regularly reviewing workload and wellbeing.
• Supporting SLT by leading on directorate level corporate returns and commissions relating to workforce matters. Leading key stakeholder engagements with HR and Finance teams as well as other delivery partners within DfT and beyond.
• Supporting the Deputy Head of LITUP in managing processes relating to the Local Recognition Awards on a quarterly basis.

 For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you:

You will have outstanding stakeholder management and interpersonal skills to build rapport and trusted working relationships with senior leaders and multiple teams. You will be articulate and display confidence to challenge and influence decision making.

You will be an engaging and motivational leader, with experience of leading a diverse team to deliver business outcomes.

Excellent organisational skills are required and you will be able to manage and filter workflow as well as organise and prioritise your work to maximise productivity and achieve all deadlines. You will be highly adaptable and flexible, adjusting to the requirements of the role.

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 is encouraged but is not a requirement of this role.

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 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: 

• Experience of working in a high performing corporate support role, ideally with knowledge of recruitment.
• Strong inter-personal skills with experience of working with and leading a team and building good working relationships across teams including with senior managers.
• Experience of organising work both methodically and at pace, diligently forward planning and tracking ongoing tasking.

Please fully utilise the 750-word count when completing your personal statement.

The sift is due to take place from Wednesday 27th March 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from Monday 15th 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.

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.