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.

Would you embrace the opportunity to have a key role in creating and embedding vital improvements across the whole rail portfolio?

Are you a proactive and motivated individual who enjoys collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity available to join our team and would love to hear from you!

Job description

You will join the Rail Infrastructure and Services Delivery Group (RISDG), who are responsible for taking Britain’s railway into the future – delivering a sustainable and customer-focused railway which puts passengers at the heart of the journey. You will be based within the Portfolio and Project Delivery (PPD) Team, who are a dynamic and friendly team responsible for managing a multi-billion-pound Portfolio of major Rail projects.

The PPD team are central to the efficient everyday management of the schemes in the Portfolio, supporting project development from infancy through to delivery. You will be responsible for supporting the management of a complex portfolio of these rail enhancement schemes. This will include collaborating with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders, both across the Department and Network Rail.

You will be involved in developing and embedding new ways of working across governance and data, and predominantly support the Continuous Improvement Project Manager in handling major projects, including ‘Project Reset’. ‘Reset’ is one of the most significant joint strategic work streams between Network Rail’s Centre of Excellence and the Strategy and Portfolio Directorate.

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in driving continuous improvement in a high profile, dynamic team, with potential to influence how future projects are defined and delivered. If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work within Rail at the Department for Transport (DfT), please click here.

Your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Reviewing and understanding how DfT project teams use data, what insights they gain from reporting and how this can be improved.
• Working with the Continuous Improvement Project Manager to map governance processes within the department and Network Rail.
• Working closely and driving progress with Network Rail colleagues, including weekly catch-ups with the Network Rail Data Project lead, and periodic meetings with senior colleagues.
• Updating senior leaders and other key stakeholders on ‘Reset’ and managing the stakeholder engagement plan.
• Ensuring ‘Reset’ is aligned with other data/continuous improvement initiatives, both within RISDG and the wider department.
• Supporting the Continuous Improvement Project Manager in driving project momentum, updating project plans and Gantt chart and drafting presentations to share with senior leaders.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About You

You will be a proactive self-starter with experience of managing or working within projects, programmes or portfolios, including having used various project management tools and techniques. You will work well as part of a team, but also use your initiative to identify risks and think creatively, enabling you to effectively solve problems.

You will have excellent interpersonal skills, enabling you to develop positive, trusting relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, both within the department and externally. You will confidently identify the needs of key groups to effectively influence change and advise on improvements when required.  

You will communicate in an articulate and effective manner, both verbally and in written communications. You will be able to adapt your communication style to suit different audiences with ease, confidently facilitate group discussions, and present to diverse and senior stakeholders.

You will either hold one of the following Project Delivery qualifications, or be willing to work towards once in the role:

• PRINCE2 Foundation.
• Agile Project Management Foundation.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner.
• Agile Project Management Practitioner.
• APM Project Management Fundamentals.
• APM Project Management Qualification.

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 alternative DfT offices or site visits.

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. 

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

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and 750-word Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Managing or coordinating projects in a formalised structure, with experience using project management tools and techniques.
• Clear, confident, and effective stakeholder management and communication, demonstrating problem solving and interpersonal skills whilst delivering through other people, including at senior levels.
• Working flexibly and at pace when handling challenging demands, whilst maintaining resilience.

The sift is due to take place from 16/04/2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from 07/05/2024.

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.

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.