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About the job
Job summary
Are you a natural leader, with a passion for motivating others?
Do you have experience of working in a legal team?
Are you an ambitious person with a drive for self-development and career progression?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
This is a fantastic and varied opportunity to work within a supportive and energetic team. Working alongside highly skilled and ambitious professionals, you will play a pivotal role in making UK roads safer.
Job description
The job holder provides leadership and management of Prosecution and Legal Services (PLS) across DVSA ensuring adherence to all applicable Codes of Practice. The post holder is also responsible for ensuring that all applicable controls on prosecution decision making and case management are in place so that statutory requirements are met and DVSA retains its prosecuting authority status.
They will manage a specialist prosecution team, including a team of Managers, Team Leaders and Case Officers, ensuring objective, independent tasking and compliant management of prosecution workflow, including charging decisions.
The job holder will develop DVSA and its prosecution capability. This will include overseeing solicitor contracts ensuring value for money and that a quality service is maintained, providing independent advice and guidance in prosecution cases, protecting DVSAs reputation as a prosecuting authority and improving the quality of prosecution work.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to;
- Lead the PLS team to maintain the high rate of prosecutions conducted on behalf of DVSA.
- Liaise with solicitors to prepare cases for presentation at court – using a range of contracted solicitors in court, in line with the contracts.
- Provide technical input into the contract procurement to ensure DVSA have fit for purpose representation.
- Attend Court hearings and Public Inquiries, working with relevant parties to achieve favourable case outcomes.
- Ensure that DVSA comply with legislation, case law and published policies, deciding which cases should be prosecuted keeping them all under continuous review, providing a quality feedback review process for all cases and promoting legal compliance across the Agency.
For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached candidate pack.
Person specification
To thrive in this role, you will have extensive experience of working in a prosecution or litigation environment, be adept at working with solicitors, barristers and Courts, and possess an ability to provide and receive legal guidance to inform decision making.
You can think strategically and creatively, seeing legal issues in their wider context, appreciating legal risk and advising accordingly. You will have sound analytical skills, with the ability to conduct legal research to produce timely and fit for purpose advice.
The ideal candidate will be assertive and influential, a positive leader with the skills and aptitude to develop and motivate colleagues. You are someone who loves to work closely with others and can express yourself in a confident and concise manner.
If not already held, there is an expectation for the candidate to work towards one of the following academic qualifications when in post:
- Law degree
- Graduate Diploma of Law or Common Professional Examination
There will also be development opportunities to complete legal and professional qualifications including Legal Apprenticeships, Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE), and Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx) qualifications.
Additional Information
For this role you will be attached to one of our core locations in Swansea, Nottingham, Bristol, or Newcastle, where presence at one of these sites will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you. We operate a hybrid working model that allows you to work between home and office locations, giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work.
There will be an opportunity to travel, as part of this role, including overnight stays on occasions. Travel to offices apart from your contracted office location will be covered by expenses.
About Us
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably.
We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
Were working hard to:
- Make roads safer
- Improve services for our customers
- Make road transport greener and healthier
- Harness the potential of technology and data
- Grow and level up the economy
Were 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, and make a real difference to society.
To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
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.
If you would like to read more about the great opportunities and benefits of working at DVSA visit our Careers website.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to Apply
As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:
- Your experience of working in a prosecution or litigation environment
- Your experience of working with solicitors, barristers and Courts, with an ability to provide and receive legal guidance to inform decision making
- Your experience of thinking strategically and creatively, seeing legal issues in their wider context, appreciating legal risk and advising accordingly
- Your ability to build and lead hardworking teams, whilst supporting them to meet targets
Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.
The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:
- An interview and a presentation
The sift is due to take place 08 – 11 September 2023.
Interviews are likely to be held 25 – 27 September 2023.
This interview could be conducted via a video interview, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
Well try to meet the dates weve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. Well give you plenty of notice of any important dates.
If you would like to find out more about what its 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.
Youre encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack 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 youre 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 applicants 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
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Stephanie Ezechukwu
- Email : stephanie.ezechukwu@dvsa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
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 Here
