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 looking for a policy role where your work makes a tangible impact on how people travel?

Do you fancy working in one of the most innovative areas in government?

Would you like to work on critical national infrastructure projects to enable the delivery of net zero?

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Job description

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) sits across both the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). OZEV leads on essential strategy, policy and regulatory frameworks for the transition to zero emission vehicles, undertaking work which is critical to support decarbonisation and net zero objectives.

As a Senior Policy Advisor, you will be working on the design and delivery of two grant funding schemes aimed at accelerating the deployment of EV chargepoints at a local level across the UK: Government’s flagship Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS).

The LEVI Fund is designed to scale up and accelerate the deployment and commercialisation of local, primarily low powered charging infrastructure across England. It is expected to deliver tens of thousands of local chargepoints, supporting residents, particularly those without off-street parking, to switch to ZEVs.

The LEVI Fund is a high-profile and fast paced infrastructure project, delivering £381m capital and resource funding to local authorities over the next two financial years. The team works with a wide range of internal stakeholders including DLUHC, HMT and No10 and external stakeholders including local authorities and chargepoint operators.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing and highly motivated team during a critical period for the LEVI Fund, as we transition from policy design to delivery.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities of the role include:

• Leading the design and implementation of processes to manage applications to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, supporting the delivery of EV infrastructure across the UK.
• Assessing funding applications, issuing grant awards and making grant payments to local authorities.
• Monitoring the delivery of LEVI Fund and ORCS projects, supporting local authorities where necessary to ensure successful delivery.
• Working closely and collaboratively with the rest of the LEVI team, finance business partners, analysts and lawyers.
• Working closely with our external delivery partner, ensuring their work enables effective delivery of our funding.
• Providing expert advice to Senior Officials and Ministers, where appropriate.
• Building and maintaining close relationships with the internal and external experts needed to support policy development, including the chargepoint industry, local authorities and colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ofgem, HM Treasury and Number 10.
• Contributing to cross-cutting work across OZEV.
• Line management.

Person specification

• You will work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• You will have the confidence to make decisions autonomously.
• You will use your problem-solving skills to tackle challenging issues to delivery policy outcomes.
• You will have excellent written and oral communication skills, including an ability to write clearly and concisely.
• You will have the ability to effectively prioritise and deliver outcomes on time and to a high standard, while being aware of emerging issues that might require work to be adapted.

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. 

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.

How to apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Within your CV and Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Experience of policy/project delivery, bringing together different stakeholders to coordinate and manage delivery.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with an ability to effectively establish relationships and collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders.
• The ability to work independently, using your initiative to solve problems to achieve positive outcomes.
• The ability to effectively prioritise and deliver outcomes on time and to a high standard, while being aware of emerging issues that might require work to be adapted.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 1000 words.

The sift is due to take place from w/c 18th March 2024.

Policy Exercise 8th and 9th April 2024.

Interviews from w/c 11th 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 and a 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 and Policy Framework, 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.

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.

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.