About the job

Job summary

At the Driver and Vehicle Licencing 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.   

Do you have experience of working on network-related changes and incidents?

Are you a passionate and reliable team player?

Can you communicate confidently and tailor your presentation to your target audience?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

At the DVLA, we support numerous 24/7 services consumed by our onsite users as well as customers and businesses across the whole of the UK and even further afield in some cases.

From a Network perspective we have a Juniper EVPN-VXLAN Network spread over multiple sites. We also manage a Cisco WiFi network as well as numerous other platforms ranging from Enterprise Firewalls, Cloud based Security SaaS offerings and F5 Load-balancing solutions.

This is a challenging role providing technical advice as well as Network solution delivery. You could be reviewing a High-Level Design in the morning, implementing configuration changes in the afternoon, and dealing with a high severity incident at 3am the following morning.

You will join a supportive team working with industry-leading technology. We have a track record of encouraging and supporting people to develop their careers within the organisation.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of a technical specialism
• Analyse and resolve service delivery issues
• Work on your own initiative
• Follow and/or contribute to the development of documented processes
• Monitor technology performance and identify opportunities to improve it – continual improvement ethos
• Facilitate small and large changes – working alongside DVLA’s other Infrastructure Engineers.
• Develop and maintain good relationships with stakeholders across the business
• Work as part of a team to provide knowledge, help and advice
• Develop own skills working with other senior network engineers
• Enterprise switching and routing
• Work with BGP/OSPF/EVPN-VXLAN
• Work with wireless on-premise technologies and load balancing technologies
• Work with Enterprise Firewalls
• Work with AF & DDoS solution
• Work with Enterprise network monitoring solutions
• Develop an understanding of DVLA's services.

We pride ourselves on developing our staff to excel in their roles and we offer training for those skills above with which new team members require support.

Responsibilities

 Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to: 

• Ensuring services are integrated, delivered, and operated as required
• Working with and support third parties in providing infrastructure services
• Working with senior engineers to translate architectural designs into operations
• Providing input into overall management - workforce, budget, technology roadmaps, projects, and tasks.

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 a passionate and reliable team player. Excellent communication skills are pivotal to this role working with other engineers and stakeholders on network related changes and incidents. You will be an advocate for continuous improvement, focusing on the bigger picture and always seeking a way to simplify processes. You will also be able to disseminate information and tailor it to the audience that you are presenting it to.

The team also provide a rota covering out of hours activities and provide on call cover to support delivery of the service (5pm – 7am Mon-Fri and 24/7 on weekends) for which an allowance of between £3000 - £4500 will be paid if you partake.

Working for the DVLA Digital Team 

At the DVLA our work matters. We’re at the forefront of digital within government, providing new and improved services that are reliable, easy to use and offer value for money for our customers. With over 50 million driver records and over 40 million vehicle records, the opportunity to work at this scale is unrivalled across the region. Our services generate billions in revenue and make a difference to the lives of 9 out of 10 households in the UK. 

If you would like to read more about the great opportunities with the DVLA Digital Team then click here. 

Our people are transforming our digital services, head over to our DVLA Digital Services Blog to read about what we have been up to. 

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

• 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
• On-site nursery, restaurants and coffee bar 
• 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year (up to 30)
• Free parking 
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave 

Visit our careers website or to find out more about the great opportunities and benefits of working at DVLA. 

  

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

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement (750 words). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 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: 

• Demonstrate security considerations as part of work previously undertaken.
• Troubleshooting service incidents with pressure to restore service as soon as possible.
• Experience of various vendor networking technologies.

The sift is due to take place on 19/02/2024. 

Interviews will be held week commencing 04/03/2024. 

This interview will be conducted via a video interview, 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 technical 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. 

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

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 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.