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.

Can you work in a fast-paced environment whilst remaining calm and focused?

Have you got excellent written and verbal communication skills?

Do you enjoy collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and have the ability to build strong, lasting relationships?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

We have a unique and exciting opportunity for some who is passionate about safety and the development of the future of road travel.  This is a high-profile role, offering the rare opportunity to contribute to the development of new and emerging technologies while gaining experience in legislation, strategy and policy.

The successful candidate will be supporting the UK’s bid to maintain its position at the cutting edge of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) development within a Policy Advisor role. There is also the opportunity to further develop and work in the wider team in Roads Policing, Insurance, Licensing and Enforcement.

As the role sits within Roads Policing, Insurance, Licensing and Enforcement you will also become the subject matter expert for seat belt policy dealing with correspondence about seat belts and child restraints; taking forward legislative changes to make failure to wear a seat belt an endorsable offence; ensuring that advice about seat belts and child restraints on gov.uk is up to date and accurate; and overseeing the project to deal with alternatives to the use of seat belt buckle guards. This is a great opportunity to develop your leadership in an area of policy.

There is significant media interest in this area and the role holder needs to work with communications professionals, lawyers and analysts to achieve a successful outcome.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Collaborating with the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and with the International Vehicle Standards teams on automated vehicles to ensure their safe use on GB roads. This will include supporting the development of legislative changes.
• Leading the work on seat belt and buckle guards policy and projects, including dealing with correspondence.
• Responding to requests from senior officials for briefing on seat belts and buckle guards.
• Leading on the coordination of project and policy information, responding to enquiries from stakeholders and the public in a professional and timely manner.
• Supporting the Lead on the automated vehicle safe use workstream.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you:

• Resilient and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, on complex and technical policy areas that are high profile.
• A strong collaborator, able to build effective working relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders.
  
  

 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 may require occasional travel to other DfTc offices.

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.

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.

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 please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following: 

• Effectively engaged with internal and external stakeholders to identify issues and develop appropriate solutions/proposals.
• Effectively influenced and secured a broad range of policy decisions through to implementation or significant milestones.
• Experience of delivering policy outcomes or developing resolutions for complex solutions.

Please fully utilise the 750-word count when completing your personal statement.

The sift is due to take place from 18th December 2023.

Interviews are likely to be held from 8th January 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 will be conducted online via MS Teams. 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.