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 a Policy Professional who would embrace the opportunity to be involved in an exciting project?

Do you enjoy collaborating with others to successfully support project delivery?

If so, we have a fantastic opportunity available for a Policy Advisor to join our team and would love to hear from you!

Job description

You will join the Department for Transport’s (DfT’s) Rail Infrastructure Group (RIG), who oversee a diverse multi-billion-pound portfolio of infrastructure projects to improve the UK’s railways. This includes East West Rail (EWR), which is a major railway project that aims to deliver much-needed east-west transport connections for communities between Oxford and Cambridge, supporting an ambitious agenda to boost economic growth and improve opportunities for people across the region.

The programme is being delivered to provide brand new rail services in three phases. Connection Stage 2 and 3 (CS2/3) are at an exciting stage for the project, with recent Government support at the Budget and a Route Update Announcement having been made in May. Work is underway to prepare for a statutory consultation and a number of policy decisions will need to be taken ahead of this.

Your role will sit within the Department’s policy and project delivery sponsor team working with an arm’s length body – East West Rail Company (EWR Co), which has been established to plan, design and deliver the new railway line.

This will be a varied and stretching role requiring engagement with senior officials, predominantly within DfT and EWR Co. You will work independently, as well as part of a team, and will confidently collaborate with different stakeholders. This will include briefing senior managers and ministers, and collaborating with EWR Co and colleagues across the Department.

Supporting colleagues will be a vital part of promoting efficiency and building capability across the team, and developing a positive and inclusive culture. The team works flexibly across roles and responsibilities and aspects of matrix management are anticipated.

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:

• Leading on developing proposals, and engaging with EWR Co and colleagues within DfT, on discrete policy issues and scope choices for Connection Stages 2/3 of East West Rail and working with policy colleagues in the sponsorship team to draft advice and secure agreement on these.
• Supporting Senior Civil Servant decision makers in the Department who will be considering ‘Need to Sell’ land and property acquisition cases and ensuring recommendations from the company and decisions from the Department are produced to required deadlines.
• Providing accurate, concise, credible and timely responses on CS2/3 issues on official correspondence and ministerial briefings and drafting answers to Parliamentary Questions as needed.
• Supporting public announcements on the project, including liaising with East West Rail Company and DfT communications colleagues; and monitoring project delivery of communications products and reporting by East West Rail Company to the Department.
• Supporting cross-team delivery of programme wide issues, such as assurance, project governance, management information and reporting.

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 excellent drafting ability to ensure that information is clear, concise, and well-structured. You will enjoy collaborating with a diverse range of contacts, developing positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders alike.

You will represent the team and the project with colleagues, and will be comfortable adapting to changing circumstances, working quickly and under pressure while remaining calm and focused, with high attention to detail.

You will be confident working independently, as well as being an excellent team player. You will thrive working within a project team and proactively supporting project delivery, ensuring projects are delivered to time.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in London, Leeds or Birmingham, and there will be opportunities to occasionally travel to visit different office locations, including the EWR Co office in Milton Keynes.

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. 

https://careers.dft.gov.uk/senior-policy-roles/

You will be assessed against the Technical element of the Success Profile Framework. Two Policy Profession Standards are being assessed: Policy profession standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Drafting briefings and papers that are clear, concise and well-structured and to required deadlines.
• Seeing the bigger picture and considering wider implications of decisions.
• Working with and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Working both independently, and as part of a project team, to support project delivery.

The sift is due to take place from 13/02/2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 27/02/2024.

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
• a written policy exercise

 Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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.