We welcome applications from every part of the community and we don’t discriminate against any gender identity. We’re especially interested to hear from underrepresented groups in the DfT such as gender diverse, BAME, LGBT+ and disabled candidates.

Are you passionate about leading teams and developing new ways of working?

Do you have excellent knowledge of automotive safety technology?

And do you have experience in applying your knowledge of automotive safety technology to ensure compliance with legislation?

If so, this exciting opportunity as the Head of VCA’s Safety Technologies Group is for you, and we’d love to hear from you.

Job description

Within this role you’ll have the autonomy to shape the direction of your team, and up-skill those around you and develop their capabilities to become focussed technical specialists in the area of automotive safety and generate clear areas of regulatory responsibility within the group for different safety subjects. This high profile role offers great exposure both across government and to our global engineering network where you’ll need to develop strong relationships with our customers and stakeholders, and use your awareness of emerging technologies and trends to influence the development of safety regulations.
 

Responsibilities

Within your role you will:

• Review and feedback on regulatory proposals to amend UN Regulations and communicate this back to policy colleagues in central government;
• Develop new ways of working across government and external sources to upskill our global engineering teams for emerging safety technologies and regulatory changes in this area;
• Investigate and respond to safety related questions from our Technical Services;
• Be responsible for the development of VCA interpretations for Safety related subjects;
• Respond to market surveillance enquires from other Type Approval Authorities and provide technical support for safety related market surveillance activities if requested by central government;
• Line Manage the Safety Technologies Group engineering team;
• Be responsible for the management and maintenance of external safety accreditations that VCA hold (such as Taiwanese VSCC accreditation);
• Be responsible for the planning and auditing and designation of VCA’s Technical Services.

If you would like to read more about the role please refer to our attached role profile document.

Special features of the role:

The successful candidate will be required to undertake regular travel both across the UK and overseas.

About you

You are someone who gains rapport quickly with others as you build effective working relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders. You will have excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing, with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit a wide variety of audiences, maximising both impact and understanding through a variety of media.

You will have excellent knowledge of automotive safety technology and an ability to apply that knowledge within a legal framework. You are a strong leader who is passionate about developing those around you to deliver an excellent service to internal and external stakeholders. You will have excellent organisational skills with a keen eye for detail, where you can ensure effective planning and reviews for the purpose of audit reporting.

Licences

Full UK Drivers Licence

Qualifications

Qualification in an automotive, engineering or professional discipline equivalent to Bachelor’s degree, including Honours and Foundation degree and Diplomas of Higher Education. NQF level 5 and 6

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Building and applying knowledge
• Broad thinking

Benefits

The Vehicle Certification Agency is the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. We have over 30 years experience supporting industry by providing internationally recognised testing and certification for vehicles, their systems and components.

If you would like to read more about VCA and the benefits of working for us, visit our Careers website!

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring 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, Experience and Technical skills.

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.

When considering your experience, please tailor your CV/Personal Statement to provide evidence of when you have:

• Experience of working with Automotive Safety Regulations;
• Experience of delivering work at pace with conflicting priorities;
• Experience of developing a team or an individual when gaps have been identified in their knowledge;
• Experience of using technology to increase efficiency within the workplace.