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.

 Are you a social researcher looking for an opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to influence Government policy?

 Do you want to use social research and evaluation to help make the transport system better for everyone?

 Are you interested in policy areas like road freight strategy, HGV driver workforce issues such as recruitment and retention, the supply chain, and freight decarbonisation?

 If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

As a research officer, you will support a programme of work in a priority policy area: road-freight and motoring. You will support the delivery of research and evaluation projects targeted at strategic policy questions, perform small scale in-house research such as quick evidence reviews and data analysis, and work with policy colleagues and other analysts to quickly draw on or gather new evidence to support decisions.

The role will provide an excellent opportunity to gain deep understanding of the policy process, and experience of making an impact with evidence. Your role may include a combination of:

• Supporting the delivery of externally commissioned research or evaluation projects
• Conducting small-scale in-house analysis to inform policy work
• Advising policy colleagues who directly manage commissioned research
• Helping to identify evidence needs and design solutions
• Drawing on and disseminating your research for it to be used in decisions

The successful candidate will have lots of development opportunities in this role, should they be interested in improving their skills within a particular area.

This is an exciting time to join roads. Social research and evaluation in roads have expanded rapidly over the last few years, and you will be joining a dynamic team which works closely with policy and analysts on high-profile issues of strong interest to Ministers and the public, such as the HGV driver shortage, supply chain resilience, decarbonisation and emerging road freight technologies.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop social research and evaluation evidence by working with policy partners, analytical colleagues and external stakeholders. 
• Support the design, specification, delivery and dissemination of quantitative and qualitative social research and evaluation projects to inform policy priorities.
• Communicate and promote social research and evaluation evidence, including developing bespoke and engaging research briefings.
• Provide technical support and advice to policy colleagues on research methods, including advising on the relative robustness of competing sources of evidence and the interpretation of findings.
• Provide quality assurance and analytical scrutiny on social research projects with attention to detail. Ensure these are focused on delivering insight and evidence on the questions which are most relevant to achieving the department’s objectives.

 For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you:

We are looking for someone who has exceptional communication skills and can express themselves in a confident and concise manner with colleagues at all levels. You will represent the department both professionally and clearly, ensuring key messages are delivered to both internal and external stakeholders in a timely fashion.

Excellent organisational skills are required and you will be able to manage and filter workflow as well as organise and prioritise your work to maximise productivity and achieve all deadlines. You will be highly adaptable and flexible, adjusting to the requirements of the role.

You will have excellent analytical and problem solving skills, and the ability to quickly develop recommendations based on quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Additional Information:

A minimum of 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, Experience and Technical skills.

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 of designing small scale and less complex research or evaluation projects (which could include experience gained through academic work, such as a dissertation, or within the workplace). Please describe the research methods used.
• Experience of analysing a range of information and evidence from different sources to draw conclusions (both qualitative and quantitative).
• Experience of communicating findings from research to a diverse audience (including non-analytical individuals).

Please fully utilise the 750-word count when completing your personal statement.

When writing your CV, please provide detail of your work and education history, including your previous roles and the dates you held these roles. In particular we are interested in your experience of social research practice, which could consist of university research projects or dissertations, working in a research agency, market research agency, research organisation or specialist research team or a similar environment.

Please ensure you include your qualification details in the qualification section of the application form.

If you are invited to interview and are not currently a member of the Government Social Research profession you will also be invited to sit a Knowledge Test. The Knowledge Test will take place on the day of the interview. The Knowledge Test is used to test the Social Research Professional Competency and assesses the basic knowledge and application of statistical, analytical and research skills and techniques. An example knowledge test can be found here Example knowledge test

An example knowledge test can be found here: example knowledge test.

If you have passed the Knowledge Test in the last 12 months then you will not have to re-take it, as long as you can get confirmation from the relevant department.

The sift is due to take place from Tuesday 5th March 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from Wednesday 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 will be conducted online via MS Teams. 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.