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.

Are you comfortable working with ambiguity, able to flex and adapt to changing circumstances?

Do you have experience of leading and consulting on organisational design and development projects?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job description

We’re looking for someone to join DfT’s Organisational Design and Change Division to work across a number of programmes which aim to change the size and shape, capabilities, leadership and culture of the organisation. This role is crucial in designing and developing DfT to be future ready and changing the behaviours and actions of our leaders and staff.

The post holder will work with colleagues across the division and with senior leaders and HR Business Partners to help develop, drive and own key OD&D and Change programmes that will change us from the department we are now, to the one we need to be in the future.

You’ll have knowledge of how culture and design contributes to the performance of an organisation and how all change needs to recognise culture in order to succeed.  You’ll have experience of working on design and change initiatives at a team or whole organisation level.  You’ll have an understanding of Organisation Development and Design theories that support the development of a healthy Department and how they can be applied for maximum productivity and engagement.

You’ll have a keen sense of what’s on the horizon so that you can provide oversight, coordination and influence and design strategically important change and OD programmes that align to priority pieces of work.

You will be able to establish trusting relationships with senior leaders to help them navigate and lead changes they want to bring about in their organisation. Becoming a valued advisor and someone who can provide feedback and ideas for change.

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Lead and contribute to organisational design activity with stakeholders and clients, ensuring alignment with DfT’s future ambitions and wider change, workforce and design priorities and programmes. Translate strategic goals into effective operating models, pulling out their purpose and objectives, key accountabilities and interdependencies.
• Assess the as-is structure and define and assess the to-be design for functions using analytical tools and techniques.
• Lead interventions on future culture, new ways of working and team development.
• Design and deliver learning for staff and senior managers impacted by Departmental Changes, particularly where new ways of working or behaviours are needed.
• Develop and deliver our plans to make the Department for Transport a truly multi-site organisation.
• Work with experts in the team and across DfT to develop and implement a change management best practice standard to ensure all team and business owned transformation is done in the best way possible.
• Work with colleagues within the team to use data and horizon scanning to bring together a coherent picture of the change and OD landscape and the interventions and strategies needed to create change.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will have experience of leading on organisational design, organisational development and people change programmes. You have strong people and influencing skills, able to engage people effectively and communicate complex topics to a non-specialist audience, securing buy-in and building a professional reputation with key stakeholders. You will have the ability to work under pressure, maintaining positive and professional relationships in a fast-paced environment while juggling multiple projects and deadlines.

You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work with a range of stakeholders, collaborating and influencing at all levels to reach common goals. You have the ability to work autonomously and use discretion to identify and prioritise work. You have the creativity to identify solutions to complex issues working with the team and stakeholders to plan and implement changes.

Additional Information

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.

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 and Experience.

How to apply

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Experience of leading and consulting on organisational design and development projects in a consulting organisation, or in an internal consultant role
• Practical experience of all stages of the organisation design process (incl. organisation capabilities, designing future ‘to be’ design options, scenario testing, detailed design options including changes to governance, behaviours, roles).
• You will have experience of working with Organisation Development theories or culture change in your business area or Department
• Change management experience, including experience of leading change at scale

As part of the application process you will also be required to provide a 250 word statement on the Behaviour Seeing the Big Picture from the Civil Service Behaviour Framework.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Seeing the Big Picture. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The sift is due to take place from 11th July 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 22nd July 

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

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.

To inform us what changes or help you may need during the recruitment process, please complete the question within your application form which asks “Will you require a reasonable adjustment during the application or interview/assessment stages?”   

Further Information

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.