Policy and Project Support Officer
Department for Transport
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 proficient in written communication and skilled in drafting?
Would you embrace the opportunity to work with external stakeholders, Parliament and ministers?
If so, we have an exciting opportunity available and would love to hear from you!
Job description
Published in 1963, the Beeching Report was followed by the closure of almost 2,500 stations and around 5,000 miles of track. Many communities remain isolated from the rail network following the closure of their local railway line or station more than five decades ago. To start to reverse some of these closures, in 2020 the Department for Transport (DfT) launched the Restoring Your Railway (RYR) Programme. Through it we have invited MPs, local councils and community groups across England and Wales to propose how they could use funding to reinstate axed local services and restore stations, and started work to reopen some of them.
As Policy and Project Support Officer for the RYR Programme, which is a key part of the Government’s levelling up agenda, you will work closely with colleagues across Rail Group and Network Rail. You will collaborate with teams across DfT to understand the latest position on projects, enabling you to provide high quality and accurate briefing and correspondence on the schemes within the Programme. This will include having significant opportunities to work with external stakeholders, Parliament and ministers.
This role will also give you the opportunity to develop experience in project delivery, as you will provide support to the RYR Client Team and will have the chance to help them to develop and prepare a business case for one of the RYR programme schemes, which have received a commitment to deliver from government following its Network North announcement. Working alongside a Client Lead, you will provide project support on any number of tasks such as: preparing decision papers to either progress/pause/deliver schemes, work with managers to mitigate or escalate risks, manage reporting or manage the business case planning and schedules.
Embracing a dynamic policy and project-driven environment will present you with the opportunity for both personal and professional growth. We welcome discussions on tailoring your work to align with your career aspirations. 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:
- Writing high quality and timely responses to official and ministerial correspondence (letters and emails) and managing a public mailbox. This includes writing letters to members of the public on behalf of ministers, as well as drafting responses for ministers themselves to send to other MPs and senior external stakeholders.
- Managing and coordinating responses for press and communications contribution requests, as well as Freedom of Information requests, working across different teams to find material to be released.
- Writing high quality and timely advice and briefing for senior colleagues and Ministers, preparing them to take part in meetings, debates, and events, taking on learning and feedback.
- Providing project support to coordinate business case development, ensuring effective governance and decision-making.
- Identifying and monitoring project risks and issues. Developing mitigating actions with the risk manager and escalating as appropriate.
For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.
Person specification
About you
You will be highly organised and proactive, enabling you to comfortably manage multiple pieces of work with different deadlines, and be able to get up to speed quickly with a complex sector. You will have an eye for detail, ensuring the complexities and differences between schemes within the Programme are captured accurately in briefing and correspondence.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills and will enjoy developing positive working relationships with a range of colleagues working across DfT and external groups.
You will be an articulate communicator, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to tailor your communication style to suit a wide range of stakeholders, including ministers, MPs, senior officials and local promoters for schemes within the Programme.
Additional Information
This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in Leeds or Birmingham, and we would also expect the individual to be willing to occasionally travel to visit different locations relevant to the route.
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.
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 500 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:
- Excellent communication skills with experience of drafting clear, concise and accurate material.
- Experience of working collaboratively with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and developing positive working relationships.
The sift is due to take place from 08/01/2024
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 22/01/2024
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
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, DfT is 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
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.