About the job Summary

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.

Would you like to work as part of a small, dynamic team on a high priority policy issue?

Could you inspire and support different teams to collaborate both inside and outside of Government in order to deliver a stretching project?

We are seeking an exceptional individual who enjoys applying creative thinking and has an interest in diverse policy areas to join a new team leading on an exciting cross-cutting project.

If this sounds like you then we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The Government’s Loneliness Strategy was launched in October 2018. Establishing tackling loneliness as a major Government priority, it seeks to bring together Government Departments and other organisations in the public, private civil and voluntary sectors in developing a more connected society. It is recognised that the impact of restrictions on movement as a result of COVID have deepened or widened the impact of loneliness for many individuals, but it has also increased public awareness of the problem.

As one of five central government departments with a designated Minister with responsibility for Loneliness, the Department of Transport has a key role to play. The Department has funding for an innovative project that will pilot new schemes for tackling loneliness. The main aims of this project are to:

• Establish, fund and evaluate pilots trialling a number of innovative transport-related interventions to improve our understanding of the problem of loneliness, and potential solutions to help overcome it, and strengthen the publicly available evidence base
• Create a publicly available toolkit of best practice for transport-related schemes that help reduce loneliness, and
• Maximise the opportunity for collaborative cross-sectoral working in supporting related Government priorities and other social and economic issues.

You will be joining a new team based within the Accessible and Inclusive Travel Division Local Transport directorate. Working to a Grade 7 Policy and Project Manager, the team will also include a Grade 7 Analyst and will report to senior officials with oversight for the project. The team will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project, engaging with key delivery partners in the design and testing of the initial version of the toolkit, and – crucially – working with key stakeholders both within government and beyond to maximise the effectiveness of the product and its value amongst potential users.

Working with the Project Manager, you will generate interest in the project from stakeholders within the transport, local government and civil society sectors, and to identify and develop potential candidates for local pilot schemes. You will be closely involved in planning and taking forward stakeholder engagement, a key factor in the success of the project. You will also provide the secretariat function for an advisory panel who will help to set direction for the project.
 

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities for this post will include:

• Advising and working with the Project Manager in the day to day running of the project, providing advice on the establishment of key milestones and communications with the senior officials who oversee the project
• Providing secretariat support to an advisory panel in shaping the direction of the project, managing meetings, preparing papers, maintaining notes of meetings etc
• Helping to establish and manage constructive relationships with stakeholders within government and beyond
• Drafting high quality advice to Ministers and senior colleagues, including preparing reports to HM Treasury
• Working with Communication and Engagement colleagues in developing and maintaining strong internal and external communications and ensuring that these are aligned with DCMS and other key policy and delivery partners
• Working with the Project Manager and policy teams, designers and other internal and external stakeholders in developing the toolkit and identifying candidates for pilot schemes

This role is offered on a 2 year fixed term appointment with the possibility of permanency.

About you

You will have excellent project management skills with the ability to work with a diverse range of stakeholders to achieve common objectives. 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. You are someone who gains rapport quickly with others as you build effective working relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders.

You will have experience of working with a range of stakeholders to identify the main issues, risks and generate solutions to ensure projects or programmes are delivered in a timely manner. You will have excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple and often conflicting priorities to time and of a high standard. You are someone who is not afraid to challenge, and who can push back to our stakeholders where necessary in managing their expectations.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• 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 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 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.

The Civil Service Nationality Rules has been updated following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. The new rules will come into effect on 1st January 2021. We urge people from the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland to be familiar with the updated Nationality rules prior to applying for this role.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and provide evidence against each of the behaviours listed in the advert. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

How to apply:

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

• Worked collaboratively with a diverse range of partners to achieve commitments to shared objectives, and
• Prioritised your work (or the work of your team) in order to deliver a demanding piece of work to agreed deadlines

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Seeing the Big Picture. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The sift is due to take place 11/05/21.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held between w/c 24/05/21.

This interview could 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 written exercise

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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

Further information on nationality requirements

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 :   Simon Meats 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: Visit the Civil Service Commission website at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk