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 keen eye for detail, as well as an ability to stand back and see the bigger picture?

Are you good at building and maintaining relationships to enable successful outcomes?

Do you enjoy bringing others around to your way of thinking?

If so, a role in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Shareholding and Portfolio Office function could be your next career move.

Job description

The Secretary of State for Transport is the sole Shareholder in some of the UK’s biggest and most important public bodies (Network Rail, HS2 etc). On behalf of the Secretary of State, Shareholder Teams, in the Shareholder, Appointments and Inquiries Directorate (SAI), help to support these bodies, ensure they have good corporate governance and are delivering best value for the taxpayer.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a diverse Directorate and be in an excellent position to provide strategic insights and to influence senior leadership decisions. You will work with colleagues across (DfT functions (including policy, governance, public appointments and HR) and modal policy groups (rail, road, etc.) andstrategy unit and across Government(HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, GIAA) to influence and implement wider Government policy.

The DfT’s Public Bodies Centre of Expertise covers three strands of work: it holds the shareholder team for the railway operator of last resort (DfT OLR Holdings Limited (DOHL)); corporate governance and sponsorship best practice team; and the SAI Portfolio Office. This role is a dual role covering DOHL shareholding and the Portfolio Office. 

Responsibilities

• Playing a leading role in ensuring that DOHL develops and maintains the highest standards of governance and probity through activities including public appointments, Board Effectiveness Reviews, development of key governance and accountability tools (e.g. the annual chair letter); and supporting the development of key planning tools such as business and corporate plans.
• Drafting high-quality advice and submissions, often at pace, to Senior Officials and Ministers on key governance issues relating to DOHL.
• Developing strong and effective working relationships with colleagues across the Department, DOHL and government to provide a well round shareholding service and a well informed Portfolio Office offer.
• Leading on individual projects and governance priorities impacting DfTs largest and most complex public bodies and the Department itself including commissions from the centre of government.
• Acting as secretariat for various fora to share best practice, drive alignment, compliance and efficiency across our public bodies landscape
• Keeping abreast of developments in politics, the economy and the labour market to produce articulate shareholding strategy.
• Working as part of a dynamic team where workloads can be shared in peak times, helping to share knowledge and develop expertise across the Directorate.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will have strong interpersonal and influencing skills to work with a range of colleagues internally and externally at all levels; ensuring that information flows are maintained. You will have the ability to assimilate information quickly, to build and use a sound knowledge base and to use both to provide reliable and comprehensive advice to Ministers, senior officials, our public bodies and others on good shareholding, corporate governance etc.

You will have excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit a wide range of audiences, maximising both impact and understanding. You will be a strategic thinker and will have the ability to develop clear, deliverable strategy aligned with priorities at the centre of Government. You can work at pace, managing competing priorities whilst maintaining high standards. You will have the willingness to learn and develop in your role, seeking out new opportunities.

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, Strengths and Experience.

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:

• Evidence of strong team working, drawing on the skills and knowledge of colleagues in the wider team and directorate to aid delivery and learn from best practice.
• Evidence of understanding how your work fits into the wider environment and contributes to organisational objectives while working on a strategy or project.
• Experience of working independently and at pace across a varied workload, planning and driving forward longer-term projects, while also delivering high quality urgent work, and reacting to unexpected sensitivities or uncertainties that impact your work.
• Experience of gathering evidence, understanding complex policy, and providing clear, impactful advice to Ministers or senior officials.
• Experience of building effective relationships with stakeholders, and effectively influencing them to get successful outcomes.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 1250 words.

The sift is due to take place from 13th May.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 3rd June. 

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 written exercise.

This interview could be conducted online via 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.

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

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.