About the job

Job summary

At the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), we encourage applications from everyone, particularly groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. We pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has and promote inclusivity and equality of opportunity for all. Our recruitment process is anonymised, which means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel.  

Are you a passionate IT Leader with extensive Infrastructure engineering experience particularly within enterprise alerting and monitoring?

Do you have experience of leading multi discipline IT teams within a complex-hybrid environment?

Are you experienced in building, maintaining and deploying SaaS (Software as a Service) tooling across large scale organisations with a diverse set of users?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

As Head of Enterprise Software and Tooling, you will provide leadership and strategic vision and overall management of a multidisciplinary team of technical engineering specialists. You will deploy, manage and develop skills to achieve productivity and SLA improvements, maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders, taking into account the needs of users. In addition, you will work closely with the Heads of Architecture, Software Engineering and Engineering Services to ensure the technology skillsets of the Enterprise Software and Tooling Engineering capability is in line with those required to deliver against DVLA’s IT Strategy, ensuring the successful transition of new and enhanced IT services into the area. 

Within DVLA a Principal Infrastructure Engineer Manager is a senior strategic leadership role within the IT Department. The role holder leads on all aspects of the Infrastructure Engineering community, including strategy, governance, standards, strategic stakeholder relations, and a focus on operational excellence within a defined domain area. 

Responsibilities   

• Developing strategic and tactical engineering roadmaps for technologies and services in your area of responsibility, ensuring they’re future-proofed and that the organisation derives maximum value from investment in technologies
• Working with technical architects to translate the architectural designs into operations and support technical architects in operationalising the designs
• Leading, directing and maintaining the capability of the infrastructure specialist teams in building, managing, supporting and maintaining solutions according to departmental policy
• Managing infrastructure and SaaS services by building and maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders of the services that the applications serve. Review current implementation plans, ways of working and identify improvements 

For further information about the role please see the attached role profile. 

Additional information 

Applications will be accepted from full time/part time/job sharers. Full time roles at DVLA consist of 37 hours per week. Part time and/or flexible working may also be available subject to the needs of the business. If you have a flexible or part time working requirement, you should contact the vacancy holder in advance of making an application to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your desired working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role. To contact the vacancy holder, please use the job contact details listed under ‘Contact point for applicants’. 

This role will be based in Swansea, and we will be operating a hybrid working model that allows you to work between home and on-site giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work, subject to business needs and this also allows for ongoing support, development, and collaboration with colleagues.  

Therefore, the expectation is that you will spend a minimum of 60% of your working time based at your principal workplace (DVLA). We would encourage you to discuss the working arrangements for this role with us during the recruitment process. 

Person specification

You will be an experienced Infrastructure Engineer who can demonstrate extensive experience of building, maintaining and deploying enterprise monitoring and alerting tooling across complex environments. You will have strong senior leadership skills and the ability to develop strategic and tactical engineering roadmaps for technologies and services. Commercially aware, you will be comfortable with contract ownership and have the ability to gather requirements from a diverse set of users delivering them securely and providing value for money.

We strive to ensure that DVLA is a great place to work where everybody can be their true self, be treated with dignity and respect, and according to their individual needs. We have a number of staff network groups run by staff to support their colleagues.  

Working for the DVLA Digital Team 

At DVLA, licensing is just the start. Every project you implement, touch and deliver has a ripple effect that’ll wash across the nation. Here the work you’re doing has the capacity to change the way 50 million people interact with our services. As we aim to keep our roads some of the safest in the world, our innovative, transformative digital-led services help optimise a nation of individuals and business every single day.    

To see how our people are transforming our digital services, head over to our DVLA Digital Services Blog and, to understand more about the great opportunities and benefits of working at DVLA read our Inside DVLA blog.   

  

Government Digital and Data Profession Pay Framework  

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.  

The base pay is £64,108. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £31,492. 

The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process.  

Please note, the new Capability–Based Pay Framework comes into effect on 1st August 2024 and this will be the earliest available start date for this role. 

Here are more details on the pay framework. 

Benefits

Passionate, reliable and always willing to push yourself and those around you, you’ll continue to seek improvement in your own role and challenge us too. Because we pride ourselves on how we approach your development. From training courses to specialist skills workshops and opportunities to grow your expertise, we thrive when you thrive. You can find out more about all of the above here alongside a full list of our benefits:   

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role   
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance   
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues   
• Generous employer contribution of at least 26.6%, depending on rate of salary and chosen pension scheme  
• Digital communities with clear career frameworks  
• On-site gym plus personal training available (membership applies)  
• On-site nursery, restaurants and coffee bar   
• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), increasing by 1 each year (up to 30) & 1 extra day for the King’s birthday  
• Free parking  

  

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   

For this role you will need to submit a CV and statement of suitability of up to 1000 words.   

For your CV and statement of suitability, please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following essential criteria:   

• Ownership of operational relationships with suppliers, ensuring services and products are delivered and aligned to industry best practice and regulatory and contractual requirements
• How you have lead, directed and maintained the capability of SaaS (Software as a Service) teams in securely building, maintaining, deploying and supporting platforms according to cyber best practise and in line with formal data governance
• Building, configuring and deploying enterprise monitoring and alerting across large scale environments
• How you have identified new technologies and enhancements, championing them through to adoption and integration

Click here for further guidance on writing a CV and statement of suitability. 

The sift is due to take place from Monday 15th July 2024.

Interviews will be held from Thursday 25th July 2024.

This interview will be conducted on site at DVLA, Swansea. Further details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. 

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. 

If invited to interview, this may consist of a range of question types. These could include questions around behaviours and how you would respond in any situation as well as specific examples of things you have done. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

•              an interview

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 take note that DVLA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. 

Reasonable Adjustments

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.

To inform us what changes or help you may need during the recruitment process, please complete the question within your application form which asks “Will you require a reasonable adjustment during the application or interview/assessment stages?”   

Further Information  

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.