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 ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities. 

Would you love the opportunity to work on the UK’s largest infrastructure project – High Speed 2 (HS2)? 

Do you enjoy collaborating and building meaningful relationships with a range of stakeholders?

If so, we'd love to hear from you! 

Job description

The new Major Rail Projects Group (MRPG) within the Department for Transport (DfT) sponsors DfTs largest rail infrastructure projects including both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). The huge financial investment and equally large political interest mean this group is leading on some of biggest most interesting and challenging commercial, delivery and financial set of projects anywhere in government. HS2 is still one of the country’s largest infrastructure project and will increase capacity across the UK’s crowded railway system and improve connectivity between the UK’s major cities.  

We have an exciting Grade 7 Senior Project and Sponsorship role in the HS2 Portfolio Management Directorate (PMD). PMD is one of four Directorates within MRPG. This position sits within the Sponsorship Team part of the wider Funding, Strategy & Sponsorship Division. We play a crucial role in the commercial management of HS2 Ltd and the HS2 project more broadly, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State as client and funder of the multi-billion-pound programme. As such, the team has an important cross-cutting role that requires close interaction across MRPG.

The role is high-profile, challenging and fast-moving. You will need to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues across MRPG and the Department that includes senior officials and requires you working closely with HS2 Ltd and with HM Treasury.

Responsibilities

Will include but not limited to:

• Leading high-profile commercial negotiations on a new commercial agreement - known as the Development Agreement (DA) between the Department and HS2 Ltd. The post-holder will be expected to lead cross-functional teams (comprising of Policy, Finance and Legal specialists) developing a negotiation strategy to executing negotiations, through to managing the implementation of the DA and advising on its various governance and control mechanisms to ensure we hold HS2 Ltd to account.
• Leading the management of multi-million-pound changes to the HS2  and NPR programmes. Oversee the entire change lifecycle from initial feasibility and assessing the impact of change, through to securing funding arrangements, enacting contractual changes, and tracking the implementation of change. The post-holder will act as an initial point of escalation for complex policy and funding decisions and will regularly advise the Director and Deputy Director on changes that require senior intervention.
• Leading on Counter Fraud HS2 Ltd, overseeing and working closely with HS2 Ltd, through their obligations in the DA. You will use the Sponsor Board as governance, to significantly reducing rates of fraud and error across the HS2 programme, including throughout its supply chain and you will share knowledge of success with other DfT Arms - Length Bodies.
• Direct line management of 1 HEO, and a member of the Division’s Senior Team. Regular opportunities to lead large cross-functional project teams of up to 30 Officials.

Please refer to the role profile for full details.

Person specification

About you 

We are looking for a driven individual with strong communication and interpersonal skills, a trusted adviser, with the credibility to influence and challenge effectively. With excellent collaborative skills you can build positive working relationships at senior level within the Department and transport industry.

You have strong commercial experience working in high profile, fast paced and politically sensitive environments, ideally on a major project sponsorship, and/or infrastructure. You will have effective decision-making skills and enjoy proactively taking the initiative to find solutions to problems. 

You are confident working with data to analyse Management Information to track, monitor, and report on project performance, making recommendations that actively manage risks and opportunities and strengthen the Department's understanding of the project's performance.

You will either hold a Project Delivery qualification (such as APM, PMQ or Managing Successful Programmes) at Practitioner level, be working towards a qualification or be willing to work towards the qualification once in role.

You will be required to complete the Contract Management Capability Programme (CMCP) and achieve the accreditation at Foundation level, once in the role if not already held. 

Further 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 and Experience.

How to Apply

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 1000 words) please provide details of your; 

• Evidence of a track record of project delivery through collaboration in complex environments,
• Experience of working on high profile projects, managing scrutinising and analysing outputs and delivering to a project schedule.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with stakeholders at high levels.
• Strong oral and written communication skills to negotiate and influence stakeholders at all levels.

The sift is due to take place from 01 April 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 15 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

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, DfT is 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.