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.

Do you have a passion for the environment and delivering the transition to Net Zero? 

Can you work with a diverse range of stakeholders in a professional, confident manner? 

Have you got exceptional written and verbal skills with an aptitude for draft / report writing?  

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for two Senior Policy Advisors with a passion for decarbonisation and supporting the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) to join our Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). One position will be to work within the Private Charging Policy Team and the other opportunity will be to join the Work and Residential Grants team.

The successful postholders will be part of one of the biggest changes to personal transport in UK history. The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate requires that 80% of new cars sold in Great Britain must be zero emission by 2030, and 100% by 2035. This is the most ambitious regulatory framework of its kind, in any country, and provides long-term policy certainty for investors and consumers in the UK vehicle and chargepoint market. 

OZEV has teams working across all parts of this transition including vehicle regulation, charging infrastructure and consumer experience. We are recruiting for two roles to support chargepoint installation in private settings. We encourage creative and ambitious individuals who are passionate about tackling climate change to apply to help shape this policy landscape. 

At interview we will ask you for your choice of policy area. Please note, that we will be appointing for this role based on merit and so your preference will be considered (if successful) but this is not guaranteed. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Owning and developing specific areas of policy relating to EV infrastructure policy.
• Drafting submissions and providing briefings for ministers and senior civil servants on policy and delivery.
• Building and maintaining close relationships with the internal and external experts needed to support policy development, including the chargepoint industry, vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, local authorities and NGOs.
• Collaborating with colleagues in other Government departments to ensure the EV transition is built into wider priorities. This may include working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ofgem, the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities, HM Treasury and Number 10.
• Contributing to wider cross-cutting work across OZEV.
• Drafting responses and statements to members of the public and the media.
• Line Management responsibilities.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile

Person specification

About You:

The successful candidates will have:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with experience in drafting and / or report writing, demonstrating the ability to draft and condense high-quality pieces of information.
• Experience of building strong and productive relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Experience leading within project delivery, bringing together differing stakeholders to coordinate and manage delivery.
• Experience of supporting and developing team members and / or line management.

Additional Information:

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. 

There may be occasions where you will be required to travel to other DfT offices and attend meetings and visits around the UK.

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. 

https://careers.dft.gov.uk/senior-policy-roles/ 

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 . 

https://careers.dft.gov.uk/our-agencies/department-for-transport-central/

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.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV, Personal Statement and evidence of 1 behaviour.

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

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with experience in drafting and / or report writing, demonstrating the ability to draft high-quality pieces of information.
• Experience of building strong and productive relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Experience leading within project delivery, bringing together differing stakeholders to coordinate and manage delivery.
• Experience of supporting and developing team members and / or line management.

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

• Making Effective Decisions

Your Personal Statement will be limited to 750 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 Making Effective Decisions. 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 from week commencing 1st April 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 15th April 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 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.