Location

Birmingham, Leeds, London

About the job

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 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Are you passionate about working and communicating with others?

Do you love to foster close working relationships with colleagues?

Do you enjoy delivering to challenging timeframes?

If so, then we are looking for strong communicators to fill the following 4 posts:

• Assistant Private Secretary
• Senior Science Adviser, Futures
• Senior Science Adviser, COVID-19 Directorate x 2

These roles will be based within the Analysis & Strategy directorate at the Department for Transport (DfT), and we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

These roles offer an exciting opportunity to join two high performing teams with a mission to ensure that policy and strategy decisions are based on robust scientific evidence, that we derive maximum value and impact from government funded transport R&D and that we provide clear direction to academia and industry as to DfT’s strategic R&D needs and priorities.

Role 1: Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA)

You will be directly supporting the CSA in their mission to ensure robust scientific evidence underpins DfT’s policy and investment decisions. Working as a member of the Private Office and the wider Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser, you will help DfT meet the challenges and opportunities associated with transport science and technology, working across the breadth of DfT policies. This is a responsive and fast-paced role, and the postholder will be expected to be able to flex their approach to ever-changing priorities.

Role 2: Senior Science Adviser, Futures

A high profile workstream, involving regular interactions with seniors stakeholder across the department and with external stakeholders and industry, you will support the Chief Scientific Adviser’s work to future-proof policy development and investment decisions, ensuring that they are resilient against the uncertainty associated with the Future of Transport, such as increasing automation, decarbonisation, the introduction of new business models such as Mobility as a Service and new modes of transport such as micro-mobility. Transport is undergoing transformational change and this is an opportunity to be directly involved in ensuring that DfT shapes and adapts to those changes.

Role 3 Senior Science Adviser, COVID-19 Directorate :

As part of the COVID-19 Science Cell you will be working on a range of emerging priorities and as such the exact responsibilities will reflect the evolution of DfT’s response to the pandemic and new challenges.

Please contact:

Mike Pittman ([email protected]) for further information on the Senior Science Adviser, Futures role

Louise Guidi ([email protected]) for further information on Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) role

Clare Davies ([email protected]) for further information on Senior Science Adviser, COVID-19 Directorate roles

Security clearance

The successful candidates would initially undertake BPSS clearance and would need to obtain SC clearance whilst in the role.
 

Responsibilities

Your Role Responsibilities include (but not limited to):

Role 1: Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA)

• Accompanying the CSA to high-profile meetings, for example with Ministers, CSAs from other government departments and high-profile external stakeholders;
• Coordinating communication and activities with key science and innovation stakeholders within the Department, across government, and the wider research and innovation community;
• Providing, collating and commissioning high-quality, tailored briefing to the CSA, Directors General and the Permanent Secretary on key transport S&T issues;

Role 2: Senior Science Adviser, Futures

• As an SEO within the Futures Team you will support the Chief Scientific Adviser’s goal to future-proof policy development and investment decisions
• Working with external consultants and in-house experts you will be responsible for the development and management of Futures products and tools (including Visions, Scenarios and Roadmaps), promoting and providing training in their use, and embedding an enduring future proofing capability into the department.
• The successful candidate will also contribute to Technology Horizon Scanning, be involved with development of wider support for innovation across DfT, and provide support to other research activities within the teams.

Role 3: Senior Science Adviser, COVID-19 Directorate :

• Improving the policy knowledge base by demystifying technical information and providing clarity
• Providing challenge to assumptions around COVID-19 and policy decisions whilst also providing options for ways to deal with issues;
• Building a programme of research to support policymaking within the department and the transport sector

About you

We would love to attract someone who has outstanding interpersonal skills. You are able to deliver complex technical information to a variety of partners.

You are a collaborator that encourages joined up team working with others. You can build rapport quickly with key partners both internally and externally.

You have the ability to organise your time effectively to meet key priorities. You are passionate about delivering outputs to challenging timescales whilst ensuring outputs achieve success.

Qualifications

A degree in the STEM, social or related sciences, or substantial experience of leading technology or innovation projects.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

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

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

We are closely monitoring the situation regarding the coronavirus, and will be following central Government advice as it is issued. There is therefore a risk that recruitment to this post may be subject to change at short notice. In addition, where appropriate, you may be invited to attend a video interview.

Please continue to follow the application process as normal and ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

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.

When considering your experience, please tailor your CV and personal statement to provide evidence of when you have;

• Experience of working with a range of senior stakeholders

• Transport-relevant experience, for example in transport engineering; transport technology, transport research, decarbonisation, air quality, AI, Mobility as a Service, smart infrastructure and construction, intelligent transport systems or the Internet of Things.

• You will need to have the analytical ability to be able to understand and evaluate different sources of evidence across a variety of modes; critically review the data/analysis being presented; and communicate analytical principles clearly.

Please state which role you wish to be considered for within your personal statement.

Please also provide evidence against the technical skills in the Government Science and Engineering Career Framework. This is can be located in the Job family: cross-discipline. The Skills and experience tested from this framework include: Applying knowledge, interfacing with policy and technical adaptability.

Further information can be found on page 12, 14 and 17 of the Professional framework found here.

Selection Process

The sift is due to take place from 26th November.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held 10th December onwards.

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

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 could include:

•an interview and a management brief

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.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information

To learn more about applying for a role within the Department for Transport, visit the Application Process page of our Careers website.

Before submitting your application, we encourage you to visit our Things You Need to Know page for further information about applying for a role within the Department for Transport and the Civil Service.

Throughout this job advert there are links to the DfT Careers website, which provides you further information to support your application. Should you be unable to access the information on our website, please email [email protected] for assistance.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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.

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.

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name :   Louise Guidi/Mike Pittman/Clara Davies Email :   [email protected]   Recruitment team : Email :   [email protected] Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission