About the job

Job summary

Can you work in a fast-paced environment and spearhead on workload completion?

Are you looking for a unique opportunity to rapidly gain experience within a wide range of policy, operational and departmental issues?

Have you built effective relationships with senior stakeholders to influence decisions for better business improvements?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The Roads and Local Group (RLG) covers policies that impact users of roads. That’s over 95% of journeys made every day: be it as a pedestrian, public transport user, motorist, or cyclist. RLG covers a diverse range of issues, from large-scale infrastructure delivery to managing the flow through our borders to ensuring there are effective bus, walking and cycling routes in your local area.

We work in partnership with other Government Departments to develop and improve transport links in local areas so everyone can stay connected to their communities. It’s never been a better time to join.

The Private Secretary and Head of Director General’s (DG’s) Private Office leads the DG’s private office with a specific focus on supporting and enabling the DG to operate at maximum effectiveness whilst building expertise in several key departmental areas.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring the DG is engaged at the right stage of policy development and decision making and that their steers are properly understood and reflected.
• Working closely with teams across RLG to identify and maintain a detailed understanding of the Group’s key policy and delivery issues and their current status.
• Acting as a trusted advisor to the DG and the RLG Senior Management Team, using your judgement to manage the escalation of issues and providing information and advice to the Director General.
• Leading the private office team and having direct line management responsibilities of the Private Secretary and counter signing manager for the Diary Manager.

For more information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

• You will be adaptable and flexible, adjusting to the requirements and strategic direction of the business.
• You will have sound judgement, able to identify issues early across a diverse range of topics and provide effective solutions.
• It is essential that you have experience of policy development and/or delivery, including in complex or high-profile policy areas.
• To thrive in this role, you will have experience in working in a fast-paced environment and will be able to prioritise and complete workloads.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential as you will produce high quality written material.
• You will have the ability to lead and drive continuous improvement and change initiatives.

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 UK travel may 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, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement (750 words). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. Please tailor your CV to suit the role. For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment and prioritising competing tasks/workloads.
• Experience of building effective relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders and influencing at all levels.
• Experience of policy development and/or delivery, including in complex or high-profile policy areas.

The sift is due to take place 21st & 22nd February 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held 5th & 6th March 2024, if you are successful at the interview stage you will be invited to the presentation stage. 

Presentations are due to be conducted on 20th 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.
• A presentation.

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at our London office. 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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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.