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.  

Would you like to use your passion and skills to grow the UK’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of road vehicles?

Would you like to apply science and engineering to tackling this challenge?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity within the International Vehicle Standards (IVS) division. IVS lead the Department’s work in developing policy and technical regulations for cleaner, quieter, and safer road vehicles (from e-scooters and pedal cycles to heavy-goods vehicles, tractors and off-road machinery). We are a team of experts in the fields of environmental performance, automation, vehicle security (including cybersecurity), active and passive safety, and vehicle approval. Taking an informed approach means we establish relationships across industry, universities and other organisations, and that we develop, commission and lead exciting and original programmes of work to shape our understanding.

We have a position available in the high-profile area of vehicle environmental standards.

Our team’s work covers a wide range of subject areas, including pollutant emissions, vehicle noise and fuel standards. Other exciting new areas include emissions from non-exhaust sources (such as brakes and tyres) and battery standards for electric vehicles.

This role offers an outstanding chance to develop your own skills and career, and to apply your expertise and a creative approach in shaping future environmental standards for vehicles alongside a dedicated team of scientists, engineers and policymakers. Within the team, you will be working to develop new technical standards to ensure that future vehicles are the cleanest ever, minimising their impact on air quality, public health and the environment.

Your role will be key to ensuring that the UK's interests are represented at international meetings, including at the United Nations. These international collaborations will give you an opportunity to provide support, leadership and innovation in the improvement of environmental standards for vehicles. Our participation in international meetings across the globe is increasingly important now that the UK has left the European Union. You will also support teams and agencies from within the Department and across Government with technical expertise and policy development and implementation.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and empowering team members to bring their whole self to work. We actively support team members in developing their own skills, expertise and careers, and offer flexible working opportunities. We are keen to hear from those who work part-time, job-share or wish to consider other flexible working arrangements!

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the development and delivery of policy for standards of road vehicles, providing advice to DfT Ministers, senior staff, and across Government.
• Supporting strategic programmes and research projects to inform policy making and deliver the innovation and improvements required for vehicles, in the UK and internationally.
• Attending and supporting international meetings and conferences, including representing the UK’s interests at United Nations meetings and building relationships and collaborations with our international counterparts.
• Providing technical expertise within the IVS division and across DfT for ad-hoc projects and issues, and to enquiries from members of the public, the media, and Ministers, demonstrating flexibility across other areas where required.

For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached Role Profile.

Additional information

This role attracts a £4,000 allowance in recognition of the requirement for professional engineering and/or relevant professional occupational experience. After 3 years in the SEO post the allowance will be increased to £8,600 to reflect experience gained in the role.

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. 

This role will require travel within the UK and abroad approximately once a month, therefore you will require necessary travel documents.

Person specification

About you

To thrive in this role, you will have experience working with complex and sometimes conflicting scientific or engineering information and using this information to draw conclusions and make recommendations.

You can deliver high quality work to challenging deadlines.

You have strong communication skills and can develop professional relationships, collaborating and influencing to deliver objectives. You can translate complex technical information for all to understand.

Prior experience or knowledge of road transport is not essential, but due to the technical nature of this role, holding a qualification at degree level in a Science or Engineering field, or having equivalent experience, is a requirement.

This is a fantastic opportunity, IVS is recognised for its science and engineering professionalism, you will be encouraged and supported in developing the skills and expertise required to achieve professional registration such as a Chartered Scientist/Engineer or similar, or equally for continuing professional development. IVS actively encourages technical training where necessary and will also fund membership to a relevant professional institution.

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 and Experience.

How to Apply  

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

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please tailor your CV to suit the role.

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

• Working with complex/conflicting scientific or engineering information (such as, research findings and expert views) and using this information to draw conclusions and to make recommendations.
• Delivery of work (such as, projects, research, briefings, presentations) to challenging deadlines.
• Developing professional relationships, collaborating and influencing to deliver objectives.

Please fully utilise the 750-word count when completing your personal statement.

The sift is due to take place 2nd-5th January 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 22nd January 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 presentation.

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.