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 someone who has commercial acumen and experience?

Do you have an interest and enthusiasm to deliver the aims and objectives of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles?

Would you like to shape the future in how we tackle climate change and air pollution?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job description

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is a joint DfT/DESNZ unit working to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. The UK has a policy to phase-out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2035. OZEV manages a programme of investment of more than £4 billion to help position the UK at the global forefront of zero emission vehicle development, manufacture and use, and to prepare the country’s infrastructure for mass market transition. Our work contributes to economic growth and to helping the UK meet its Net Zero and air pollution targets by reducing emissions on our roads.

Local infrastructure is being supported by over £400m of capital and resource funding over this spending review period to 2024/5. The £15m ‘Onstreet Residential Charging Scheme’ (ORCS) grant scheme offers support to local authorities for the installation of local charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Following a pilot project, to accelerate the deployment and commercialisation of this sector, the Government has introduced a £381m ‘Local EV infrastructure fund (LEVI)’. This flagship infrastructure support scheme has been developed by OZEV to ensure local authorities have the skills, capability and capital funding to initiate long term provision of local EV infrastructure, particularly for residents without access to off-street parking. The LEVI is a ‘tier 1’ DfT programme and there is a comprehensive governance, reporting, monitoring and evaluation structure to ensure its continued success. The delivery of both the ORCS and LEVI are supported by a consortium comprising the Energy Savings Trust, PA consulting and CENEX.

The role is to lead the commercial team that manages the support contract, leading on management of commercial and procurement work with the support body,  and feeding in commercial expertise to the LEVI policy and delivery teams to steer policy development and application assessments.

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Commercial leadership for local EV infrastructure: Lead on supporting your team and the LEVI project more widely to develop and deliver infrastructure schemes that support the nascent infrastructure market to develop into a multi-billion pound industry.
• Commercial intelligence lead on market understanding of the near home charging sector and the different business models deployed.
• Manage the contract with our support body and lead the relationship
• Directly lead a team of one to two staff and support the leadership of the wider team of around 15.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Person specification

You will have excellent commercial acumen, and experience in a commercial environment and of contract  management. You will use your strong people management skills to support the leadership of the wider team. You will have excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain complex issues concisely. You have strong stakeholder management skills to effectively establish relationships and collaborate with both internal colleagues and stakeholders across Government and with delivery partners and industry.

Additional Information

A minimum 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 will be required other travel within England.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to apply

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:

• Commercial experience in EV charging infrastructure or related industry (such as energy, transport and automotive).
• Procurement and/or contract management experience.
• Developed a mature understanding of the commercials underpinning the growth of a nascent market, in this case EV infrastructure, and how government policy, regulation/legislation and funding can support stated objectives.
• Excellent communication skills with significant experience of communicating complex issues in clear and concise ways.
• Excellent people management skills and experience.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 1000 words.

The sift is due to take place from w/c 19th February 2024. 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 4th March 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 with a written policy exercise.

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile and the Policy Framework, 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.

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, DfT is 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.