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 passionate about shaping a team in a role that offers a wide reach across every area in DfT and the opportunity to influence and steer the most senior leaders in DfT?

If so, then this exciting opportunity as one of two leads on our corporate Risk and Performance Reporting Insights Team is for you, and we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

This role offers you the opportunity to work at the centre of the Department for Transport (DfT) and with the wider family of transport public bodies as well as other government departments (OGDs). You will develop an in-depth understanding of the workings across the Department. This role requires strong leadership skills and communication skills to influence senior decision-making (including boards) and teams across DfT. Your role is key to maintaining governance standards and accountability across the DfT family. You’ll be asked to advise and take advice from the very top of the Department and you’ll be required to take challenge, and challenge back when needed.

The role will lead on our approach to business planning and performance reporting, and you will need to work with teams to build on a culture of strong partnership working between DfT and with its public bodies and with OGDs. As well as supporting these teams, where necessary, you will help define relationships and roles internally to deliver a great service.

This role gives you the scope to look at planning and performance across the whole department, giving you insight into all areas of work. The successful candidate will need to be able to grasp the totality of work the Department delivers and identify key areas of interdependencies and direct links with the department’s risks. They should be confident and willing to question what is reported, with an ability to interpret and analyse assurance information, challenging the reliability and accuracy of assessments against the effectiveness of reported assurance activities. You will need good communication skills and be able to draft at a senior level, being comfortable in presenting robust conclusions and providing clear feedback.

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. 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop a new performance framework that looks to bring together the performance of the Department, its public bodies, and the transport network across all modes.
• Develop a new internal business planning framework that supports that of the Department’s Outcome Delivery Plan (ODP).
• Create and develop cross DfT systems for delivery of the ODP – the government wide business planning standard.
• Devise and implement your ideas to continuously improve our services to ministers, DfT Board, Executive Committee (ExCo), and the Group Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee, and business areas.
• Analysis and identification of trends across our data to ensure ExCo (and other senior stakeholders) have the right information to help them manage the Department effectively.
• Present to ExCo and GARAC when required.
• Lead on key DfT Corporate reporting including on the ODP to HMT and Cabinet Office, Annual Report of Accounts to Parliament, performance reports to ExCo and the DfT Board, as well as regular performance reporting when needed e.g., to ministers.
• Responsibility for the development of a professional team in line with their own aspirations and business need - currently consisting of 2 SEOs - this may increase in number as the team develops.
• Managing a range of internal and external stakeholders including Cabinet Office and HMT performance teams, and the NAO.
• Have an understanding of the Department’s risk management framework and processes.
• Work in unison with the Department’s Risk Lead and be able to cover their role during periods of absence.

For more information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

To thrive in this role, you will have experience using analytical data from various sources to inform decisions and confidently able to present this to a wide range of stakeholders.

You will have experience using Power BI to collect data and produce insightful reports.

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.  

This role requires travel to the London office one to two times a month.

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 provide a CV and Personal Statement (1000 words). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please tailor your CV to suit the role. For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• Experience using analytical data from various sources to inform decisions
• Experience using Power BI to collect data and produce insightful reports

The sift is due to take place 19th & 20th March 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 8th April 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 and presentation

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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. 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.