About the job

Job summary

You have just contributed to ensuring that Britain’s roads are one of the safest in Europe. How did you do that?

You are at a roadside check, alongside other agencies, inspecting vehicles to make sure they are safe to drive.

You find a defect on a vehicle, the driver is in a rush and you have to make a decision whether to allow the driver to carry on driving it, or to take enforcement action.

You are a DVSA Commercial Vehicle Examiner. What would you do?

Job description

We are looking for self-motivated individuals to join our professional enforcement team as a Commercial Vehicle Examiner, for shift working positions in Ashford.

Vehicle Examiners contribute to the integrity of road safety and standards to keep Britain moving safely and sustainably. 

What did you do this week?

• I carried out roadside checks and prohibited dangerous vehicles from continuing with their journeys.
• I wrote reports on my findings.
• I presented evidence at a Public Inquiry / Court.
• I attended a team meeting and collaborated with my colleagues.
• I made a difference to the safety of our roads.

A typical Commercial Vehicle Examiner will also:

• Analyse data, looking for discrepancies and trends.
• Answer technical queries from customers, offering advice, guidance and education as required.
• Keep their technical knowledge up to date and manage their personal development.
• Be an effective teammate and contribute to team events and meetings.
• Champion DVSA and road safety.

To view the role responsibilities in more detail, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

Person specification

You will have experience in the repair, maintenance or inspection of at least one type of vehicle, if not multiple, along with the relevant qualifications.

This is a hands-on technical role where an eye for detail to spot defects and problems is highly important.

The Vehicle Examiner role can be physically demanding, which could include working in inspection pits and getting in and out of vehicles.

This is an excellent opportunity to access a new career path. Don’t worry, we won’t expect you to be an expert in the role straight away. Rest assured; we will provide you with all the training you need. What we particularly need from you are several core skills such as:

• Resilience: this is a public facing role and can, at times, be a difficult job. You may be required to have difficult conversations and take action that may affect the income of a person or to prosecute at court. We support each other to cope with difficult situations, but it's important you understand what this job entails, and lone working is part of this.
• Teamwork: individually you will be the professional contact representing the DVSA, but you will work with a team to coordinate your work focus. It's essential that you're the kind of person who can work effectively with others. 
• Communication: you must be a good communicator. You will be looked upon as the example. You will have to keep a level head and be able to give advice and education effectively and pass that on to others.

We offer extensive training at our training centres and you will need to be proficient using laptop computers and smart phones, as we operate a digital first approach.

Additional Information

The work is predominantly carried out at check sites at Ashford and Dover Eastern Docks.

Whilst we welcome applications from candidates seeking part time/flexible working hours, there will be a business requirement for candidates to work a minimum number of hours for specific locations. For further information please contact lindsay.hassett1@dvsa.gov.uk.

A copy of the working pattern can be viewed here.

Due to the nature of the role, there may be a requirement to travel to other DVSA locations, with the potential for overnight stays for which additional payments are made. This may also include working outside of normal hours - prior notice will be given. 

There will be extensive training on all aspects of the role. Some of the training will take place in our training centres, usually in Bristol or Manchester.

Please note that DVSA does not offer sponsorship. 

About Us

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. Our work affects millions of people and thousands of businesses. Most importantly, our work saves lives.

 

We’re committed to giving all our colleagues purpose, professionalism and pride in what we do. We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams where everyone is valued. You can grow, develop and progress your career, whilst making a real difference to society.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice and welcome applications from all communities. We don’t discriminate against any identity. We are interested to hear from you regardless of your background.

Benefits

• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance
• Exceptional pension with an employer contribution of an average of 27%
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday 
• Latest IT and Tech devices 
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing 
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers
• For more information see visit our careers page

 

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 provide evidence of your qualifications (see attached qualification list for further details) which meet the stated requirements for this role.

You must add this as an attachment in order for your application to progress to the next stage of the process. The window for submitting this evidence will close at the same date/time as the advert. Please do not attach your CV, it's just your qualification that we require. 

Following the close of the application window an initial sift will take place based on the qualification information that have been provided. If you have not provided sufficient evidence of your qualifications (which meets the requirements of the role) then your application will not be progressed at this point.

This qualification sift will be taking place from 25 March 2024.

Candidates who evidence the relevant qualifications at application stage will be progressed and invited to attend an interview.

Interview Dates

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 08 April 2024.

This interview could be conducted via a video interview, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. 

We’ll try to meet the dates we’ve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. We’ll give you plenty of notice of any important dates. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

• An interview and a technical test.

As part of the Technical element for this role you will be assessed against the DVSA Technical Competency Framework (Knowledge of Vehicles). Please find attached and here.

If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work for DVSA and how to apply, we will be holding virtual sessions to find out more. Please click here to secure your place at one of our upcoming events.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack attached, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within. 

The Department for Transport recruits using Success Profiles. For each role, we consider what you need to demonstrate 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.  

You can read more about Success Profiles here. 

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.