About the job

Job summary

Are you an experienced policy professional looking to work on new and exciting policy?

Can you work with uncertainty, bringing structure and direction to areas of ambiguity?

New technologies bring new challenges and opportunities, especially as they are translated from R&D trials to commercial deployments. Connected and automated mobility (CAM) technologies are developing rapidly with significant investments from stakeholders across a diverse range of sectors, in the UK and around the world, with massive potential social and economic benefits.

No country has yet brought all the components together successfully and the UK can secure a place among European and world leaders. You will help shape the UK policy to achieve this outcome.

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is a joint policy unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DfT). CCAV is creating an early commercial market to secure first mover advantage in the deployment of self-driving vehicles and services, estimated to be worth £42 billion and create additional 38,000 jobs by 2035.

Building on £600 million of joint investment with industry in over 100 projects involving more than 200 organisations across the UK since 2015. Government has committed up to £150 million for further R&D activities in the Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) sector, 2025-30 subject to approval by new ministers.

The job holder will shape government’s commercial vision of connected and automated mobility in the UK. The role offers a unique opportunity to bring transformative technologies to market in the UK, working across the government departments and with government’s arm length bodies, industry, academia, and the investor community. 

Job description

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Developing CCAV’s “commercialisation strategy” (coordinating the UK’s investment landscape, e.g. British Business Bank)
• Working with the Health and Safety Executive (among others) to understand how self-driving services may commercialise earlier in off-road applications.
• Leading CCAV’s work on identifying and exploiting routes to market for the projects that were funded through CCAV’s £66 million ‘Commercialising CAM’ ensuring that projects are focused on achieving commercial sustainability.
• Leading CCAV’s ‘CAM Mass transit’ policy to identify a new application for CAM as a mass transit solution that will deliver a significantly more cost effective and low carbon solution than traditional public transport options.
• Representing the UK at relevant national and international trade shows and conferences to promote UK’s CAM sector, attracting new players and private investors and supporting the UK’s investment pipeline.
• Coordinating collaborative work with teams across Whitehall including on areas such as freight and logistics, digital connectivity and infrastructure, artificial intelligence, robotics, public transport, skills and business growth.
• Line managing 1 SEO and supporting team members’ career development. 

Person specification

Skills & Experience

You are a self-starter and comfortable in navigating complex, ambiguous environments.

You have the ability to create and share a clear vision of the future, whilst considering the wider factors and long-term implications of decisions.

You identify connections and bring people together to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.

You can influence others, gaining agreement while maintaining positive, professional, and trusting relationships.

You are highly driven and inspire others to move things along and make things happen, even under pressure and demanding deadlines.

Essential criteria

The candidate must have the experience of or show potential for:

• Identifying opportunities and market failures that may require government intervention, and examining the rationale for doing so.
• Maintaining and developing strong relationships with stakeholders from other government departments, arms-length bodies, industry, academia, and private investor community.
• Identifying key issues and trade-offs within a wide portfolio, taking into account the broader economic, fiscal and political context.
• Be an inspiring and confident leader who’s able to build and motivate a team, communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm.
• Ability to understand, interpret and communicate specialist technical detail into engaging and compelling communications in conferences and senior level meetings, including with ministers.
• The ability to grasp the big strategic picture and challenges and translate these into clear and deliverable plans and strategies.
• Managing a fast-paced and complex portfolio of work, including research and development programmes within government to tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of international trade and investment policy in a novel technology sector.
• Experience of navigating regulation of innovative technologies.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 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

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

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:   

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the CV.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.  

As part of the interview process, we will ask you to do a 5 minute presentation – details will be provided as part of the invitation to interview.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  
• 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. Any applicant who has 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.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached.  Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk 

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5-years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected. 

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback

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.