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.  

Have you got experience influencing and building strong working relationships a wide range of stakeholders?

Can you react at pace, working flexibly whilst making effective decisions?

Are you a strategic thinker?

If so, we have 2 exciting, high profile roles working in an area where you can make a difference, and we would love you to apply!

Job description

The Aviation Safety Team has a broad and busy portfolio in a very high-profile area. It is responsible for setting the strategic direction for aviation safety and owns a wide portfolio of distinct safety policies. It ensures that the UK's view is heard in European and international fora and works closely with the aviation and aerospace sector. The team is the focal point for many organisations working in aviation safety, such as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and Air Safety Support International (ASSI). The team is responsible for incident response whenever there is a major aviation safety incident.

There are two aviation safety teams who work closely together to ensure the UK remains a global leader and that aviation safety is continuously improved. A post is available in each of the domestic and international aviation safety teams. Both teams are growing, having taken on additional responsibilities post EU Exit. We are now at the stage of reviewing processes and procedures implemented at the time, implementing significant legislative reforms domestically and looking to increase our international presence and engagement.

The international SEO will support a wide range of work across the team, and as a small team, there is a need to remain flexible and adaptable to different priorities and support numerous workstreams. This role is focused on leading the UK’s international aviation safety risk response work with the aim of meeting the UK’s objective of “protecting UK citizens wherever they are in the world”, through delivery of the UK Air Safety List, the list of banned States and airlines, as well as through delivery of the UK’s international capacity building program with the State Safety Partnership team at CAA. The role is therefore responsible for overseeing the Department’s funding to the CAA for international risk response work amounting to approximately £2 million and ensuring appropriate governance of this funding.

The role will also be responsible for overseeing aviation safety regulation in the UK Crown Dependencies and ensuring that this is conducted by regulators to international standards, as well as being the Department’s focal point to the Crown Dependencies for aviation safety related matters. This work also includes the delivery of an ambitious audit programme across the Crown Dependencies.

The domestic SEO will have a broad policy portfolio, to include work with key stakeholders such as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on Search and Rescue policy, and the Military Aviation Authority, on managing cross-cutting risks across military and civil aviation. A key responsibility will be taking forward the UK’s State Safety Programme and representing UK interests in global safety plan development. This high-profile work involves working across the UK aviation safety system (including the regulator, accidents investigation branch, Crown Dependencies, Overseas Territories and others) to ensure the UK meets international Safety Management requirements and has a credible and effective National Aviation Safety Plan. It also involves ensuring this plan feeds into effective safety risk mitigation at regional and global levels.

We have significant interest from senior officials and ministers and report to the Director General of Civil Aviation on safety matters.

There is currently no line management responsibility in the international post, while the domestic post will line manage one HEO. In both cases, you will task manage others across the teams to support delivery of your work.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week. 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

International role

• Leading on discrete international policy matters supporting UK objectives.
• Leading the UK’s Aviation Safety International Risk Response work through work on the UK Air Safety List and capacity building initiatives, working in collaboration with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and international stakeholders.
• Oversight of funding provided to the UK Civil Aviation Authority related to risk management and response.
• Ministerial engagement, parliamentary business, submissions, briefings and correspondence.
• Working with the wider safety team in the event of an aviation safety incident.

Domestic role

• Development of the UK’s State Safety Programme.
• Reviewing established policies and procedures. There are several key policy areas where we would like reviews carried out, with policy options papers considering the efficacy of current working practices and policies and setting out options for how we could do things differently.
• Ministerial briefings, correspondence and parliamentary business.
• Engaging with industry stakeholders as needed.

For more information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

To thrive in this role, you will be able to:

• Build effective relationships with senior and technical stakeholders.
• Has strong analytical skills and the ability to spot risks and opportunities.
• Has excellent communication skills, with strong personal impact and ability to produce high quality written material.
• Understand the bigger picture.
• React at pace and make effective decisions.
• Be a team player.

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. 

The role will require semi-regular travel within the UK and overseas.

Find out more about working within policy at the Department for Transport https://careers.dft.gov.uk/policy/

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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply  

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement and evidence of 2 behaviours.

For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• Experience of building positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders with the ability to influence.
• Experience of making effective decisions with the ability to spot risks and opportunities through effective analysis and present recommendations from a range of options.
• Experience of strategic thinking and seeing the impact of one’s own work on wider objectives on both the organisation and wider stakeholders.

For your behaviour examples please provide evidence of when you have demonstrated the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Your Personal Statement will be limited to 500 words. Each behaviour example will be limited to 250 words.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour which is Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift is due to take place 13th-15th May 2024.

The written policy exercise is due to be conducted week commencing 27th May 2024.

If you successfully pass the written policy exercise you will be invited to interview which is due to be held week commencing 17th June 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: 

• A written policy exercise and an interview.

This interview will be conducted online via Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.  

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile and Policy Professional Standards 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, 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.

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.