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 a social researcher looking for an opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to influence government policy?  

Do you want to use social research and evaluation to help make the transport system better for everyone?  

If so, don't miss out on this exciting Senior Research (SRO) opportunity at the Department for Transport (DfT)! 

Job description

Social research and evaluation at DfT are about applying established and innovative methods to high-profile, national policy challenges. This includes improving transport for the user, levelling up the UK and reducing transport emissions for the Net Zero carbon agenda. 

Across rail at DfT, there’s an ambitious agenda to reform and modernise the railways to put passengers first following the publication of the Plan for Rail in 2021.

We have a strong network of more than 50 social and behavioural researchers across  DfT. These are in three central teams - Social Research, Behavioural Science, and the Evaluation Centre of Excellence - as well as in several analytical teams embedded in policy directorates. 

This role is based in the Rail Research and Evaluation (RRE) team, made up of around 13 social researchers. Current priorities for the team include: supporting the implementation of rail reform; understanding rail passengers’ attitudes and behaviours from an accessibility viewpoint; and understanding rail demand and changes in how passengers use and experience the railways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As a Senior Research Officer in the Rail Research team, you will provide agile support leading a broad range of research projects within the rail research portfolio. This includes research with passengers to inform the Department’s policy development and decision-making on diverse topics including: customer experience, fares and ticketing, accessibility, and infrastructure enhancements. You will work collaboratively with other social researchers and statisticians, transport modellers, analysts and economists within your own team and the wider Rail Analysis division.

In this role you will:

• Be surrounded by highly skilled professionals and have opportunities to impact key policy priorities with potential for ministerial exposure.
• Grow and develop your existing skill set with an excellent opportunity to build on your communication and negotiation skills with a broad range of local, regional and national contacts.
• Enjoy an inclusive environment that puts employee well-being at the heart of what we do and encourages ambitious and creative social researchers who are committed to achieving success.

 Responsibilities

 As a Senior Research Officer at DfT, you will:

• Help develop social research evidence by engaging widely and getting the buy-in of policy partners, analytical colleagues and external stakeholders to identify their evidence needs and develop research and evaluation projects.
• Design, specify, commission, deliver and disseminate social research projects to inform policy priorities.
• Communicate and promote social research evidence in transport projects.
• Provide technical support and advice to policy colleagues on research methods, including advising on the relative robustness of competing sources of evidence and the interpretation of findings.
• Provide quality assurance and analytical scrutiny on social research projects and ensure these are focused on delivering insight and evidence on the questions which are most relevant to achieving the department’s objectives.
• Undertake quantitative analysis of survey data or administrative data, using a working knowledge of relevant data analysis packages, particularly Excel, SPSS and R or equivalent.
• Become an active member of GSR within the department, working with GSR colleagues to find opportunities for cross-cutting work and knowledge sharing.

For further information, please see the attached Role Profile. 

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

Person specification

About You

You will have at least two years' experience of working as a professional social researcher or analyst, with required skills in social research, evaluation and data analysis. 

We are looking for an organised, motivated, team player who is flexible, able to prioritise their workload and can work well under pressure with a high attention to detail.  

You will be someone who can quickly establish a rapport with others and build effective working relationships with many partners to achieve progress on objectives and shared interests. 

You will have excellent written and oral communication skills and an ability to articulate key messages from analysis to diverse audiences. 

If you are invited to interview and are not currently a member of the GSR profession you will also be required to sit a Knowledge Test, that will take place on the day of the interview. The Knowledge Test is used to test the GSR professional competency and assesses the basic knowledge and application of statistical, analytical and research skills and techniques. An example knowledge test can be found here Example knowledge test 

Additional 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, Experience and Technical skills.

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 750 words) please provide detailed evidence of the following:

• A broad experience of social research methods. Experience of commissioning research projects, and experience of both quantitative and qualitative research methods are highly desirable.
• Experience of using your communication and collaboration skills to ensure research has an impact on policy development and decision-making.
• Experience of analysing a range of information and evidence to draw robust and defendable conclusions.

When writing your personal statement it may be helpful to use the STAR approach to show examples of specific instances where you have met these criteria. That is:

• Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in?
• Task - What was the task that you had to complete and why?
• Action - What did you personally do?
• Result – What was the result of your actions? 

When writing your CV, please provide detail of your work history, including your previous roles and the dates you held these roles.

Please ensure you include your qualification details in the qualification section of the application form.

The sift is due to take place from 24 January 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 05 February 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.

If you are invited to interview and are not currently a member of the GSR profession you will also be required to sit a Knowledge Test, that will take place on the day of the interview. The Knowledge Test is used to test the GSR professional competency and assesses the basic knowledge and application of statistical, analytical and research skills and techniques. An example knowledge test can be found here Example knowledge test 

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.