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.

Could you be a Policy Professional who would thrive on developing and influencing policy and project delivery during a defining moment for the railways?

Would you embrace the opportunity to support a high-profile area of policy, and deliver tangible, real-world outcomes?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity available for you to join our team and would love to hear from you!

Job description

You will join the Rail Workforce Transformation Directorate at a fundamental time, as the Department and the rail industry is undergoing the largest transformation in decades. The sector needs a workforce and staffing landscape that supports a commercially viable environment and a passenger-focused service. This is a top priority for the Department, and your role will be central to ensuring that wider reforms can succeed.

It has been estimated that the sector employs 240,000 people, either directly or in the supply chain. Most are employed by private companies who, as the employers, are responsible for management of their staff, including for negotiating with Trade Unions. However, most rail staff roles are funded directly or indirectly by the taxpayer, and so the Government has a policy interest in how rail staff are managed.

As staffing costs continue to increase, revenues have fallen, and consumer behaviour is shifting, there is now a case for reform. You will have a vital role in working through the implications of these and other changes, and establishing how to ensure the long term operational and financial sustainability of the industry.

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

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading on the development of key briefings, correspondence and wider engagement materials.
• Supporting the team lead, working with colleagues in other disciplines (e.g. Commercial, Legal), to develop policy solutions and implement these.
• Working closely with external stakeholders to progress policy delivery.
• Supporting the work of the wider team as necessary, including on planning the work of the team and contributing to Board papers.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

Person specification

About you

You will work well within a team environment and remain flexible when faced with ambiguity. You will remain adaptive to changing business needs in a fast-paced and evolving policy environment. You will have the ability to analyse information, develop innovative solutions and reach informed decisions, enabling change to happen.

You will be a strong communicator, both verbally and in writing, who is able to relay complex information to a diverse range of stakeholders, in a manner which is easily understood. You will display excellent interpersonal skills, enabling you to develop positive working relationships with internal teams, key industry partners and across Government.

Additional Information

This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in Leeds or Birmingham, and we would also expect the individual to be willing to occasionally travel to visit alternative DfT offices.

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. 

If you would like to find out more about what its like to work within the DfT Policy Profession, please click here - Senior Policy Lead opportunities at the Department for Transport - Department for Transport Careers (dft.gov.uk)

You will be assessed against the Technical element of the Success Profile Framework. Two Policy Profession Standards are being assessed: Policy profession standards - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role, and within your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Working in a faced paced environment, and assessing information to develop and implement solutions to fulfil business needs.
• A strong track record of building effective and collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including with senior stakeholders, ensuring information is tailored to the audience.

The sift is due to take place from 08/03/2024.

Written Policy Exercises are likely to be held from 25/03/2024, and interviews are likely to be held from 10/04/2024.

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 Policy exercise

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.