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 fast-paced project and policy environment, supporting on developing critical plans?

Do you have excellent interpersonal skills and enjoy collaborating with a range of stakeholders?

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

Job description

Within the role of Midlands, Yorkshire and the North-East (MYNE) Study Lead, you will join a friendly team sitting within the Major Rail Projects Group (MRPG).

You will be responsible for sponsoring the Leeds to Sheffield study work, which forms part of the MYNE work programme, and will look holistically at improving connectivity across the regions. This will include consideration of connectivity improvements in the Northwest and East Midlands, and a series of workstreams considering improvements to Anglo-Scottish rail connectivity. The focus geography of the study work may change to adapt to business needs as the work programme evolves, however would be expected to remain within the wider geographic scope of the MYNE work programme.

You will collaborate with colleagues across DfT’s different modal teams, as well as No 10, HM Treasury and the Department for Levelling Up, Homes and Community (DLUHC), sponsoring and interfacing with Network Rail, Transport for the North, Midlands Connect and major local authorities.

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

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

• Monitoring delivery of the study, ensuring scope is agreed and remits are drafted to DfT requirements, including progress reporting and management of risks and opportunities. 
• Actively sponsor Network Rail and providing fair scrutiny and challenge on performance, ensuring plans are integrated with the wider MYNE work programme and action is taken quickly when risks and issues emerge.  
• Tracking, monitoring, and reporting project performance, making valuable recommendations that actively manage risks and opportunities to drive project performance.
• Reporting and briefing ministers and senior officials on project progress, acting as the subject matter expert on the work package you sponsor. 

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

You will be an articulate communicator, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit your audiences. You will feel comfortable handling challenging conversations and pulling back on colleagues and stakeholders where necessary.

You will have excellent interpersonal skills, enabling you to build rapport quickly with others to establish effective working relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders. 

You will have the commercial awareness to challenge the planning and delivery from external suppliers to ensure that you are keeping a balance of being involved in the detail yet maintaining a view of the big picture, recognising the importance of people and behaviours in the delivery of projects, supported by good governance and assurance processes.

You will be highly organised with the ability to manage multiple, often conflicting, priorities to time and of a high standard. You will be comfortable operating with autonomy and will remain resilient when faced with ambiguity or changing priorities.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in Leeds or Birmingham, and there will be opportunities for the individual to visit alternative DfT offices.

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 it’s like to work within the DfT Policy Profession, please click here - https://careers.dft.gov.uk/policy/

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 and Experience.

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.

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Experience of working in a multi-faceted project or programme delivery environment and understanding of working with a delivery organisation.  
• Experience working autonomously and as part of a close-knit team to communicate complex issues to senior leaders in a clear and meaningful way. 
• Experience of developing effective, productive relationships with key stakeholders outside your own team or organisation to collaborate effectively on the delivery of strategic outcomes. 

The sift is due to take place from 02/07/2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from 16/07/2024.

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

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.