About the job

Job summary

At the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), we encourage applications from everyone, particularly groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. We pride ourselves on the positive impact diversity has and promote inclusivity and equality of opportunity for all. Our recruitment process is anonymised, which means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel.  

Do you have excellent leadership qualities with experience of working in an operational environment?  

Can you challenge skilfully at senior levels whilst maintaining positive relationships?

Do you love driving continuous improvement?  

Are you an effective communicator with a passion for providing a quality service?  

If so, we would love to hear from you!  

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead and drive continuous improvement across a diverse command, while working collaboratively with key agency stakeholders.

Job description

The DVLA maintain the licensing of drivers in Great Britain and the registration and licensing of vehicles, together with the collection and enforcement of vehicle tax in the UK. With over 50 million driver records and over 40 million vehicle records, the opportunity to work at this scale is unrivalled across the region. Our services generate billions in revenue and make a difference to the lives of 9 out of 10 households in the UK.  

Every vehicle registered in the UK must be correctly taxed if used or kept on a public road. This tax is collected and enforced by DVLA. 

We are looking for a passionate, authentic and professional leader to join the Senior Leadership Team in the agencies Operational Enforcement Unit, where you will play a key role in ensuring the Agency’s compliance objectives are met. 

You will work in collaboration with Her Majesty’s Court & Tribunal Service (HMCTS) and have an oversight of all Agency prosecutions. You will be accountable for ensuring a fair and equitable service and that customer service is at the heart of what we do.  

The role holder will manage a geographically dispersed team and will be responsible for managing all elements of service delivery and performance. 

You will lead your staff with strong performance and quality measures, ensuring excellent customer service, operational delivery and improve efficiencies whilst maintaining excellent engagement with both the on-site and remote workforce. You will fully support and drive our Business Plan and Strategic Agenda, advocating and facilitating change, digitisation and modernisation. 

We will look for you to promote collaborative ways of working amongst your team and stakeholders to embed a continuous improvement culture.  

Responsibilities  

Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to:   

• Lead the Unit/Teams to support the achievement of key performance targets, performance and quality standards
• Effectively lead, drive and mentor teams by promoting changes and leading teams through the change process
  
• Providing strategic and operational direction, developing and maintaining good working relationships internally and externally
• Ensuring any relevant contract management responsibilities and internal/external stakeholder communication are undertaken effectively 

For further information about the role please see the attached role profile. 

Additional information

Applications will be accepted from full time/part time/job sharers. Full time roles at DVLA consist of 37 hours per week. Part time and/or flexible working may also be available subject to the needs of the business. If you have a flexible or part time working requirement, you should contact the vacancy holder in advance of making an application to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your desired working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role. To contact the vacancy holder, please use the job contact details listed under ‘Contact point for applicants’. 

This role will be based in Swansea, and we will be operating a hybrid working model that allows you to work between home and on-site giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work, subject to business needs and this also allows for ongoing support, development, and collaboration with colleagues.  

Therefore, the expectation is that you will spend a minimum of 60% of your working time based at your principal workplace (DVLA). We would encourage you to discuss the working arrangements for this role with us during the recruitment process. 

This role requires frequent travel, typically once or twice each month.

Person specification

Skills and Experience 

• Operational delivery experience in a fast-paced environment.
• Leading/managing/supporting operational teams through structural and or cultural change.
• Demonstrates experience of creating an open, dynamic working environment, which encourages others to flourish and grow.
• A confident and passionate operational delivery professional who can effectively lead people to exceed our customers’ expectations, in an environment of honesty, accountability and trust.
• An authentic and visible leader who role models the essential values of integrity, impartiality and independence.
• A credible, authentic, clear communicator and skilled influencer at all levels. Able to act strategically and decisively in alignment with the bigger picture.
• Able to promote an innovative culture; where shared vision, collaboration, and learning from mistakes enable continuous improvement. Willing to take managed risks, with the resilience, determination, and drive to achieve goals in line with short and long-term business priorities.
• Aware of the political dimensions of the business. Ability to challenge skilfully, whilst maintaining strong trusting relationships.
• Has the ability to lead multiple work streams, whilst building strong interpersonal and relationship capability.
• Raise service standards and be willing to make decisions to improve your customer’s experience.
• Be able to contribute to the development and continual enhancement of services.

We strive to ensure that DVLA is a great place to work where everybody can be their true self, be treated with dignity and respect, and according to their individual needs. We have a number of staff network groups run by staff to support their colleagues.  

About Operational Delivery Profession 

 

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services. 

Due to the evolving nature of the business, vacancies can become available at any time. Therefore, this campaign may create a reserve list to fulfil demand if it arises which will be held for a period of 12 months. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. 

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role  
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance 
• Generous average employer contribution of 27%, depending on rate of salary and chosen pension scheme 
• 25 days holiday, increasing by one day each year up to 30 days pro rata 
• Access to the staff discount portal 
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff   

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.   

 

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.

How to Apply   

For this role you will need to submit a CV and personal statement of up to 1250 words. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

For your CV and personal statement, please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following essential criteria:    

• Working in an operational environment, managing and leading teams across multiple work streams and locations, ensuring objectives are met
• Understanding and managing customer needs and expectations to deliver an excellent customer service
• Leading and driving continuous improvement and change initiatives
• Excellent and effective communication skills, both verbal and written, and the ability to influence at all levels to achieve positive outcomes
• Evidence of effectively managing external stakeholders to deliver positive outcomes

Click here for further guidance on writing a CV and personal statement. 

The sift is due to take place from Thursday the 4th of July 2024.

Interviews will be held from Monday the 22nd of July 2024.

This interview will be conducted on site at DVLA, Swansea. Further details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. 

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. 

If invited to interview, this may consist of a range of question types. These could include questions around behaviours and how you would respond in any situation as well as specific examples of things you have done. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

•              An interview and presentation

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 take note that DVLA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. 

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.