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 embrace the opportunity to work in a high-profile policy area that is critical in meeting the Government’s Net Zero objectives?

Do you have experience of policy development in a fast-paced environment, and are confident engaging with a range of stakeholders and professions?

Do you have experience working on government major projects, in a complex commercial context?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity available and would love to hear from you!

Job description

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is a joint Department for Transport (DfT)/Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) unit, working to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. 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.

The Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) is OZEV’s flagship infrastructure investment fund, designed to target interventions along England’s Strategic Road Network to improve long-distance journeys for Electric Vehicle (EV) users and alleviate range anxiety. Often referred to as Project Rapid, we oversee a fund of £950m that is focused on upgrading grid connections at motorway service areas, as well as other connected policy interventions.

As Head of Project Rapid, your role will be critical in leading the government’s role in that transformation. You will be responsible for leading several aspects of the project, including leading half of the team delivering Project Rapid, addressing a mix of policy, delivery and commercial issues. Among these will include leading the Project’s PMO function, planning, and managing risks.

This will be a fast-paced environment and the project is within a complex commercial and stakeholder context, which will require you to develop positive, trusting relationships with a diverse range of senior stakeholders. This will include harnessing expertise across Government, but also from external advisers, such as legal services and corporate finance, on issues such as subsidy control and competition law.

Your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Providing supportive and empowering leadership for your team, ensuring they have clear roles, responsibilities and objectives and the support they need to thrive in the team, as well as building strong resilience and succession plans.
• Engaging with range of commercial stakeholders, including motorway service area operators, chargepoint operators, distribution network operators and others.
• Working closely with and holding to account a range of delivery partners and contractors, including National Highways (the proposed Delivery Body for the Rapid Charging Fund), corporate finance advisers and legal services providers.
• Working closely with analytical, legal, financial and commercial, project delivery functions within the Department and around government.
• Making a full corporate contribution to the team by leading corporate initiatives with independence and drive, working to make the team (and DfT more generally) an excellent place to work.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

• You will have experience of policy development and managing substantial projects, and have confidence working across professions to drive strong, evidence-based policy and delivery decisions.
• You will be comfortable working within a complex, fast paced environment, with the ability to continuously deliver work to a high standard and balance conflicting priorities as required.
• You will have excellent interpersonal skills, enabling you to establish a diverse network of stakeholders and utilise their experience to support decision making. You will also have strong leadership skills, which will allow you to successfully manage a team, both inspiring and supporting team members to achieve common goals.
• You will remain flexible when faced with ambiguity and adaptable to changes in responsibility when required.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in London, Leeds or Birmingham, and we would also expect the individual to be willing to occasionally travel to visit different locations relevant to the role.

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. 

If you would like to find out more about what its like to work within the DfT Policy Profession, please click here - Senior Policy Lead opportunities at the Department for Transport - Department for Transport Careers (dft.gov.uk).

You will be assessed against the Technical element of the Success Profile Framework. Two Policy Profession Standards are being assessed: Policy profession standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Within your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Delivering high-quality work across a range of tasks while working at pace and balancing competing priorities.
• Working on government major projects or other substantial projects.
• Commercial awareness, including working with commercial contractors, partners and stakeholders.
• Working with confidence across professions (especially analysis, legal and commercial) to drive robust and evidence-based policy and delivery decisions.

The sift is due to take place from 29/04/2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 14/05/2024.

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.
• 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, 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.