About the job

Job summary

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) 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 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities. 

Would you relish the opportunity to work across teams and collaborate with Senior leaders and rail industry partners? 

Do you want to help realise the potential of data to deliver a step-change in the way the industry communicates with its passengers, and to help secure efficiencies in a £20 billion per year industry? 

If so, we are looking for a talented Senior Policy Adviser, and we would love to hear from you!

Job description

This is an exciting time to be joining our Rail Data Policy and Projects team. You will be at the forefront of designing policy and delivering projects that will drive improvements to the use of rail data within the Department and across the rail industry. Our team plays a key role in setting the Department’s strategic direction on how rail data is accessed, used and shared in an open and collaborative way. 

You will deliver on the Department for Transport’s (DfT) objectives to unlock the value of rail data, which has become a key priority for our Ministers and senior leadership team.

The Department is working closely with the rail industry to deliver an ambitious programme that seeks to use data in innovative ways to deliver improvements to rail passengers and open the industry up to innovation. DfT’s leadership and engagement with the industry is key to achieving good outcomes and you will play a key role in delivering a range of projects focussed on improving the value of data. 

Responsibilities  

As Senior Policy Adviser your key responsibilities will include a blend of policy and project delivery within a technical context, including;

• Managing innovative grant funded projects, including establish a new central open data publishing platform for the rail industry.
• Playing a pivotal role in delivering on the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail data commitments – you will oversee the development and delivery of an open data programme to ensure data plays a key part in improving services for passengers.
• Working closely with legal and commercial teams to remove blockers to data sharing across the rail sector.
• Working closely with the Department’s wider transport data community to develop and implement a rail data policy that fits with the broader transport data objectives.
• Working directly with groups within the rail industry on cross-cutting projects for rail data improvements that will include maximising on opportunities to accelerate the use of innovative technologies and analytical methods.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.

Person specification

About you

You should have relevant experience of working with data and technology, as well as an awareness of policy and/or strategy development at an organisational level, and a willingness to further develop your skills to lead multiple work streams and deliver successfully in a changing environment. 

You will have outstanding stakeholder management and interpersonal skills to build positive relationships with internal teams and senior leaders across the Department and rail industry. 

You will be a confident communicator with the credibility to influence and challenge effectively to support policy decision making.

You will be an innovative and strategic thinker and be knowledgeable and competent to work on issues around data, including the commercial context. 

Additional Information

You will have the option to be based in our London office attracting the London salary, or in Leeds or Birmingham attracting the National salary. If based in Leeds or Birmingham, occasional travel to our London office will be required for key meetings and team events.

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.

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role. Please tailor your CV to match the role and its responsibilities and within your Personal Statement (max 750 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Worked on an innovative project using data
• Supported the development of a business strategy and/or policy
• Effectively worked with a range of stakeholders to deliver a business outcome 

The sift is due to take place from 12 March 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 25 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 written exercise 

If you are shortlisted, you will first be invited to complete a written policy exercise which will take approximately 75 minutes, details will be sent to you beforehand. The written exercise will be conducted online and will be used to assess your ability as noted on the Role Profile against level 1 of the Policy Profession Standards

Policy Profession Descriptors

Candidates will then progress onto a video interview. You will be sent individual invites for the written exercise and 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, 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.