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 professional line manager with experience of leading a Business Continuity function?

Are you confident in communicating with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels of authority?

Do you enjoy the challenge of anticipating and responding to risks?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

This is a role within Human Resources and Estates Directorate, reporting to the Deputy Director, Head of Estates Management Group.

• You will work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure the development, implementation and validation of resilience processes whilst developing a network of professional contacts across Government and elsewhere.
• You will oversee a team of 3 staff, having direct line management responsibility for a Senior Executive Officer who will in turn manage more junior members. The team is supplemented by a number of Business Continuity Co-ordinators from across the business who are responsible for delivery within their business area.
• Your workload will encompass a variety of challenges and you will deal with critical incidents as they occur. For example, you may be required to manage business continuity in the event of an energy blackout or natural disaster, or respond to a physical or cyber security threat. In order to successfully navigate the organisation through these challenges, it is essential to proactively ensure that stringent processes are in place and are reviewed periodically to ensure that an effective response is guaranteed at all times.
• You will utilise your communication skills to ensure processes are thorough and easily interpreted by colleagues who may not be familiar with specific terminology.
• You will be confident with risk assessing a multitude of factors, with a view to preventing issues that are within the organisation’s control, as well as mitigating the impact that may be inevitable should external threats occur. Your activities will include scoping potential risks so that disruption can be minimised should they occur.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference and put your stamp on a role that has the potential to encompass a multitude of interesting scenarios! You will have access to high-quality training, and the chance to build a rewarding, challenging and varied career with us.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and continuous improvement of Corporate Business Continuity, Incident Management and Operational Resilience Strategies and ensure the effective management of BC across DVLA.
• Work closely with all key stakeholders across the Agency to ensure that any business interruption or incident is managed and minimised and has an appropriate contingency and is operationalised effectively. You will coordinate and attend Incident Management meetings at Gold and Silver Incident Level providing the consolidation of situation reports from business areas, analyse complex information and act as a trusted advisor to support decision making.
• You will be accountable for developing a suite of business impact reports which quantify and identify impacts of any losses to enable the creation of response plans for the agency to allow appropriate responses to ensure delivery of DVLA’s key services.
• Proactively horizon scan to identify threats and risks, ensuring they are adequately controlled and mitigated against by using the relevant risk tools and processes.

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

Additional Information

This role will require you to work on-site at one of our designated offices. 

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 36 hours per week. 

Person specification

• We are looking for someone who has demonstrable experience in developing and delivering Business Continuity Management. You will also have line management experience and be confident with leading a team.
• You thrive when working interactively with internal and external stakeholders in matters relating to Business Continuity. You will bring strong networking skills to the role, and be skilled in building working relationships with internal and external stakeholders up to Head of Department level.
• You have excellent communication skills and can tailor your approach to suit a varied audience. You are capable of seeking and analysing details, incorporating them into processes to ensure that colleagues are able to easily understand and put them into practice while under pressure, should a critical incident occur.
• You show resilience and are confident with initiating difficult conversations and taking control of challenging situations.
• You can work at pace in a highly reactive environment to meet sometimes, conflicting deadlines. You will be adaptable and confident with evaluating conflicting priorities, and delegating where appropriate.
• It is essential that you either hold a Certificate of Business Continuity (CBCI) qualification or are working toward

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. 

Due to the evolving nature of the business, vacancies can become available at any time. Therefore, this campaign may create a reserve list to fulfil demand if it arises which will be held for a period of 12 months. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic 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 
• Generous average employer contribution of 27%, depending on rate of salary and chosen pension scheme 
• 25 days holiday, increasing by one day each year up to 30 days pro rata 
• Access to the staff discount portal 
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff 

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.   

 

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 and Experience.

How to Apply 

For this role you will need to submit a CV and personal statement of up to 1000 words. We need to understand how your skills and experience meet all the essential criteria for this role. You can use any part of your life to demonstrate your skills and experience, but it must be relevant to the role. You can refer to your work experience, education, hobbies, or interests. 

You can decide the best way to structure your personal statement. You may choose to address each of the essential criteria on their own. Or you can give one example that covers all the essential criteria we are looking for. Click here for further guidance on submitting your CV and personal statement. 

It is essential when submitting your personal statement that you provide as much detail as possible, within the word count, against the essential criteria outlined below as this will be used in conjunction with your CV to assess candidate suitability to move to the next round in the recruitment process. 

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

• Team leadership
• Working in Business Continuity and Operational Resilience
• Stakeholder engagement, including internal and external at all levels
• Use of data analysis to drive a team's strategy and focus

The sift is due to take place on 29th January 2024.

Interviews will be held from 12th February 2024.

This interview will be conducted on site at one of our designated offices, 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 and presentation

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.