About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) 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 passionate about policy development and interested in the legislative process? 

Would you relish the chance to be involved in decision making for Rail Reform, helping make a difference to millions of rail passengers every single day?

If so, we have a fantastic development opportunity for a Policy Advisor to join our Legislation and Accountability Policy Team, and we would love to hear from you.

Job description

The Plan for Rail seeks to reform Britain’s railways to ensure our vital rail system continues to benefit passengers and support a stronger, fairer economy.  Reform requires legislation to change the sector structure. Rail legislation is complex and attracts significant interest both inside and outside the rail sector. 

You will join the Legislation and Accountability Policy team, which sits at the heart of the Rail Reform Directorate, at a unique juncture as we support the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Rail Reform Bill. 

As a multi-disciplined team our work is both varied and exciting and covers a breadth of areas. You will be responsible for supporting on legislative policy work across the governance and accountabilities workstream. This will include a focus on how an integrated rail body would be held to account, particularly by the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, and Transport Focus, a passenger watchdog. 

You will have the opportunity to have regular engagement with colleagues across the Rail reform Directorate, and policy teams across the Department for Transport (DfT), as well as external stakeholders, including responding to the queries of parliamentarians.

This is a fantastic time to join a friendly team and help shape and drive work in a high-profile area, and provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience in stakeholder engagement, policy development, primary legislation, and project delivery.

Responsibilities

You will:

• Support the team in ensuring that holding to account policy is sufficiently developed and delivering the necessary requirements for the pre-legislative scrutiny for the draft Rail Reform Bill.
• Organise engagement with other DfT policy teams and external stakeholders, such as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and Transport Focus, to understand policy positions, including scheduling meetings and recording policy positions.
• Lead on maintaining and updating the Team Planner and leading discussions on this during team meetings.
• Coordinate policy advice, including but not limited to, Ministerial briefings, Parliamentary business, freedom of information requests and correspondence.  

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile

If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here. 

Person specification

About You

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who will thrive in a fast-paced environment and is looking to develop policy and legislative experience whilst supporting the wider team. You will have effective decision-making skills and enjoy proactively taking the initiative to find solutions to problems.

You excel at written and verbal communication and can effectively deliver information in a clear, confident and professional manner.

You will be someone who can build rapport with key stakeholders both internally and externally and enjoys working collaboratively with people at all levels.

Additional Information

You will have the option to be based in our London office attracting the London salary, or in Leeds or Birmingham attracting the National salary. If based in Leeds or Birmingham, occasional travel to our London office will be required for key meetings and team events.

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.

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 30 hours per week.

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

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role. Please tailor your CV to match the role and its responsibilities and within your Personal Statement (max 1000 words), please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Interest in policy development and in the process of developing legislation.
• Ability to encourage collaboration and work effectively with both internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience in drafting documents and briefings.
• Experience in managing competing priorities and prioritising work effectively.

If you are shortlisted, you will first be invited to complete a written policy exercise which will take approximately 75 minutes, details will be sent to you beforehand. The written exercise will be conducted online and will be used to assess your ability as noted on the Role Profile against level 2 of the Policy Profession Standards

Policy Profession Descriptors

Candidates will then progress onto a video interview.

Interview and the written exercise may or may not be held on the same day. Individual invites will be sent to you.

The sift is due to take place from 22 April 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 01 May 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 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.