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 have experience and background in communications?

Would you thrive working in a fast-paced environment, where you get to play a pivotal and highly visible role, regularly meeting with No10 and the Secretary of State, and helping to shape the news agenda?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job description

The Department for Transport’s news planning team sits at the heart of press office, working with colleagues across the department and beyond, to coordinate media strategies.

The team process a range of announcements each week, liaising closely with communications teams, parliamentary colleagues, policy officials, Private Offices, arm’s-length bodies and stakeholders, to ensure the smooth running of Government business. Ministers and Special Advisers engage with upcoming plans, through weekly meetings, putting planners at the heart of Departmental decisions.

With a strategic lens, we bring the information together, and liaise with teams to ensure items are sequenced and coordinated to maximise their prominence. We lead on producing the weekly departmental grid and forward look, covering the month ahead. In doing so, we spot opportunities and risks, to ensure that plans are aligned with the department’s and Prime Minister’s priorities. The grids are sent to the Secretary of State, Ministers, and Special Advisers at the end of each week.

We discuss our upcoming announcements on a daily basis with No10 and meet with them each week, together with our cross-Whitehall colleagues, to pitch our items, help shape the news agenda, and align with the government’s top priorities and themes each week.

Whether leading Government communications on Network North, the Department’s Plan for Drivers, or transport decarbonisation, this is an exciting opportunity to join DfT’s news planning team and be at the forefront of some of the highest profile issues facing the country.

Find out what it's like working at the Press Office at DfTC

Responsibilities

Key accountabilities of the role include:

• Working with colleagues across DfT and with our arm’s-length bodies to ensure announcements and external activities are submitted to the news planning team using the grid slot request template, with all the necessary detail and by required deadlines.
• Keeping the departmental four-week grid and forward look up-to-date through attending the weekly communications meeting with the Secretary of State, tracking parliamentary business, cross-Whitehall activity, upcoming statistics, and horizon scanners.
• Acting as one of the main point of contacts with No10’s planning team, representing DfT at the weekly cross-Whitehall meeting at No10, and ensuring that our announcements are reflected and prominent within wider Government plans.
• Upskilling and challenging teams to provide accurate and high-quality information about their plans.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Person specification

• You are a proactive, confident individual, with excellent organisational skills, to manage the department’s grid of upcoming announcements and forward planning activities.
• You are someone with strong attention to detail, particularly when under pressure, and the ability to build good relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels. You will have excellent communication skills and the ability to use Excel.
• You will be an enthusiastic team player with a can do attitude.

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, 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 please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Experience in a communications.
• Ability to work at pace, manage conflicting priorities and forward plan.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to use Excel.
• Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Effective at spotting risks and proactive media opportunities.
• Be able to offer high quality advice on media handling for contentious issues.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.

The sift is due to take place from 4th January 2024

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 15th 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 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 and the Government Communications Service Framework, 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, 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.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.