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.

Do you want to play a central role in making the Department for Transport (DfT) the best place to deliver projects across Government?

Are you inspired by our ambition to transform the country’s major transport infrastructure for future generations?

Do you thrive in a dynamic and evolving portfolio management environment?

Job description

This role sits within the Central Portfolio Unit (CPU), which is part of the Portfolio & Project Assurance Division within the Portfolio and Project Delivery Directorate (PPDD). PPDD exists to support the Department to deliver its large and complex portfolio of capital infrastructure and transformation projects, promote best practice, enhance the capability of our Project Delivery (PD) professionals, and improve the efficiency of the project delivery system, tools and processes in DfT.  The CPU consists of 8 members and it is responsible for developing improved portfolio management within DfT. This includes championing the application of portfolio management, developing and implementing new portfolio management processes and tools, as well as delivering various reports and insights for decision makers such as the quarterly Tier 1 portfolio report to the Investment Portfolio Delivery Committee (IPDC), the department’s most senior investment committee.

A central tenet of good portfolio management is excellent reporting and analysis of the performance of the delivery portfolio. This role is responsible for that reporting, ensuring it is timely and accurate and that it contains high quality analysis that draws out and explains the valuable insights that our senior decision makers need. The post holder will be required to work closely with colleagues in CPU, modal portfolio offices, delivery project offices, and the Department’s major delivery Arm’s Length Bodies to manage the reporting cycle and produce the quarterly reports for the IPDC. They will also work with the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) to ensure the Department meets its commitments for reporting of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), and with the Cabinet Office to ensure the completion of the regular (monthly) reporting for the Prime Minister’s priority projects.

Responsibilities 

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Manage the operation of a reporting regime for the portfolio that is aligned to best practice and that meets the needs of the Department.
• Commission and co-ordinate reporting from programmes and projects. Ensure the robustness of data and wider insight that is reported on. Provide effective analysis of portfolio performance for reporting to and review by governance bodies, including the IPDC, IPA and Cabinet Office.
• Work with business areas to identify new projects for possible entry to the Tier 1 portfolio and provide regular updates on the pipeline to the Permanent Secretary , as principal accounting officer, and IPDC.
• Communicate and build commitment to a shared DfT vision for the purpose, scope and value of Departmental Portfolio Management, and sense of purpose from stakeholders.
• Ensure Senior Responsible Owner's (SROs) are given the right support and challenge regarding projects progress and contribution to portfolio aims, balance, and health.
• Manage a team consisting of 2 Portfolio Analysts.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile, which can be found under the "Attachments" section at the bottom of the page. 

Person specification

About you 

You are someone who is proactive and works well under pressure, able to lead a team and respond decisively to changing circumstances and tight deadlines. You have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain positive working relationships across functional and organisational boundaries, including building the trust of senior leaders. You have excellent communication skills, providing confident explanations and challenge to colleagues and stakeholders at a variety of levels. You have strong analytical skills with experience of extracting insight from complex data in a way that informs decision making. You have experience of using tools to extract, visualise and convey impactful analysis, ideally in a project or programme environment.

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.

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:

• Project governance and reporting progress on multiple projects to senior leads.
• Performing analysis and using results to present persuasive arguments.
• Working in a complex portfolio environment, where decisions are made based on wider factors than just project needs.
• Engaging with senior leaders, understanding their needs for information and meeting those needs.

Your Personal Statement will be limited to a maximum of 1000 words.

You will also be asked to complete 250 words on the lead behaviour Seeing the Bigger Picture. 

The sift is due to take place from w/c 12 February 2024. 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 18 March 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 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.

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

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.