Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom
Director Shareholdings, Appointments and Inquiry Response
Location

Birmingham or Leeds. Frequent travel to other sites may be required. We currently work on a hybrid basis with 60% of our time working in an office location working

About The Job

Job summary

At the Department for Transport (DfT) we’re working to improve every kind of journey. We’re harnessing new technology to create safer, more sustainable transport. And, creating better connections between people and places, we’re enabling greater growth opportunities for communities UK-wide. It all means that here, you are part of something very different and special.

DfT and our agencies employ around 15,000 staff, of whom about 3800 are in the core Department, and we have the largest and most complex capital project portfolio in Government, delivered principally through delivery partners including Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and National Highways.

We are looking to broaden our presence around the country and are growing new locations in Leeds and Birmingham,

Our strategic aims are:

Improving transport for the user

Decarbonising transport

Levelling up the economy

Departmental Vision

All DfT employees are guided by the Civil Service core values of honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity.

Everything we do to achieve this is reinforced by our values:

Confidence: to challenge, to take action, to innovate.

Excellence: in our professionalism, in our delivery, in our learning.

Teamwork: we are inclusive, we collaborate and we support each other.

Job Description

This is a senior leadership role in the Department working across a number of important areas of responsibility, comprising four critical elements:

 Lead and build a high performing team that works across a range of areas with impact and high standards of professionalism: Lead the ongoing growth and development of this relatively new Directorate, including embedding best practice, shaping the culture and working practices, recruiting, retaining and developing the talent amongst our team members, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment, and further growing the team’s professional capabilities. Leading DfT’s shareholding and corporate sponsorship teams, with responsibility for: Building and leveraging strong relationships to support and hold our public bodies to account - you will be the key Department lead with the Board and Executive of the Public Bodies on their corporate objectives, governance, plans and performance; ensuring that they reflect DfT strategic objectives; representing Ministers in their holding the Public Body to account; ensuring capable and high performing boards; supporting the Public Body in fully understanding and meeting Ministers’


priorities; and working with Remuneration Committees to secure Ministerial approvals on pay and PRP. On each body you will work closely with the relevant senior DfT policy and client leaders.

 Building a portfolio approach to shareholding, anchored in high standards of good sponsorship and in identifying opportunities and risks across our family of public bodies. Running a new programme of strategic reviews of our major Arm’s Length Bodies. Collaborating with the other parts of government to share best practice and to promote Arm’s Length Body reform and improvement. Leading our Public Appointments team and processes to: Ensure great appointments – your teams will lead in appointing the Chairs of these bodies and then in appointing directly or working with the Chairs on their appointment of Non-Executive and Executive Board members to build high performing, diverse and capable Boards. Improve the diversity, capability and effectiveness of these appointments. Leading DfT’s response to the Covid 19 Inquiry and support to other inquiries sponsored by the Department: Oversee the team’s work to set up governance, systems and ways of working such that we will provide an exemplary response to the inquiry. Work closely and effectively with senior leaders across DfT to ensure timely and robust extraction of all key information and effective coordination of our Department engagement with the inquiry, including in supporting witnesses as appropriate.


Person specification

You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

We are looking for an outstanding candidate who will drive delivery of Ministers’ priorities through these Bodies, build effective senior relationships between the

Bodies and the Department and grow high-performing, diverse and inclusive teams. 

It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following essential

criteria:

Essential Criteria:

 A track record of delivering effectively through others, securing successful policy and commercial outcomes, and continuous improvements as sponsor, shareholder or client at large scale/complexity; Excellent relationship skills with very senior stakeholders, leveraging personal relationships to realise successfully opportunities and challenges, including in difficult or ambiguous circumstances; and being able to challenge confidently and effectively at the most senior levels; Outstanding leadership skills with the ability to recruit, inspire, empower and motivate the best staff; build genuinely diverse and inclusive teams; and grow capability and resilience to deliver outcomes even when working under scrutiny or at a high pace; A strategic approach to decision making, using a rich range of tools, evidence and analysis to underpin effective and robust advice to senior leaders on complex


choices around objectives, strategies, business plans and performance.

 The ability to collaborate successfully across organisational boundaries and on sensitive and complex issues, building networks to deliver achieve shared outcomes.


Benefits

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Department for Transport contributes £26,190 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.

We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details.

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance is pro rata for part-time employees). This is in addition to 8 public holidays.

This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.

Staff Wellbeing

Flexible working including part-time or timeterm working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the

policy would work for you here. Any move to the DfT from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.

Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on Wednesday 8th May 2024.

The application will include:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.


Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular

characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’.

All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

Selection Process

Chris Pilgrim, Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process. More detailed information can be found at the Civil Service Commission website:

Civil Service Commission

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification. (Depending on the number of applicants, a longlist stage may be used to assist with gathering further information before moving to shortlist).

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include:

 Individual Leadership Assessment – a combination of psychometric assessments Staff Engagement Exercise - a presentation and Q&A with a representative staff group from across the DfT.


These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Informal Discussion

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to a member of DfT’s leadership team prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Interviews are expected to take place face to face in our Birmingham office, all shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation.

Offer and Feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Expected Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that should a longlist stage be introduced these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date: 23:55pm - 8 th May 2024

Shortlist : c20th May 2024 

Assessments: w/c 20th and 27th May 2024

Panel Interviews: w/c 6th June 2024

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

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

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 nationalsnationals of the Republic of Irelandnationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UKnationals 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 2020Turkish 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.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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 : SCS Recruitment Team  Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 


Recruitment team

 Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 


Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact eleanor.reed@dft.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
Indiana, United States