Senior Policy Advisor (Vehicle Engineering)

We recognise the challenges that people with 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 ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.  

Would you like to use your passion and skills to grow the UK’s efforts to reduce the environmental impact of road vehicles?

Would you like to apply science and engineering to tackling this challenge?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

We have an exciting opportunity within the International Vehicle Standards (IVS) division. IVS lead the Department’s work in developing policy and technical regulations for cleaner, quieter, and safer road vehicles (from e-scooters and pedal cycles to heavy-goods vehicles, tractors and off-road machinery). We are a team of experts in the fields of environmental performance, automation, vehicle security (including cybersecurity), active and passive safety, and vehicle approval. Taking an informed approach means we establish relationships across industry, universities and other organisations, and that we develop, commission and lead exciting and original programmes of work to shape our understanding.

We have a position available in the high-profile area of vehicle environmental standards.

Our team’s work covers a wide range of subject areas, including pollutant emissions, vehicle noise and fuel standards. Other exciting new areas include emissions from non-exhaust sources (such as brakes and tyres) and battery standards for electric vehicles.

This role offers an outstanding chance to develop your own skills and career, and to apply your expertise and a creative approach in shaping future environmental standards for vehicles alongside a dedicated team of scientists, engineers and policymakers. Within the team, you will be working to develop new technical standards to ensure that future vehicles are the cleanest ever, minimising their impact on air quality, public health and the environment.

Your role will be key to ensuring that the UK’s interests are represented at international meetings, including at the United Nations. These international collaborations will give you an opportunity to provide support, leadership and innovation in the improvement of environmental standards for vehicles. Our participation in international meetings across the globe is increasingly important now that the UK has left the European Union. You will also support teams and agencies from within the Department and across Government with technical expertise and policy development and implementation.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and empowering team members to bring their whole self to work. We actively support team members in developing their own skills, expertise and careers, and offer flexible working opportunities. We are keen to hear from those who work part-time, job-share or wish to consider other flexible working arrangements!

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting the development and delivery of policy for standards of road vehicles, providing advice to DfT Ministers, senior staff, and across Government.
• Supporting strategic programmes and research projects to inform policy making and deliver the innovation and improvements required for vehicles, in the UK and internationally.
• Attending and supporting international meetings and conferences, including representing the UK’s interests at United Nations meetings and building relationships and collaborations with our international counterparts.
• Providing technical expertise within the IVS division and across DfT for ad-hoc projects and issues, and to enquiries from members of the public, the media, and Ministers, demonstrating flexibility across other areas where required.

For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached Role Profile.

Additional information

This role attracts a £4,000 allowance in recognition of the requirement for professional engineering and/or relevant professional occupational experience. After 3 years in the SEO post the allowance will be increased to £8,600 to reflect experience gained in the role.

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

This role will require travel within the UK and abroad approximately once a month, therefore you will require necessary travel documents.

About you

To thrive in this role, you will have experience working with complex and sometimes conflicting scientific or engineering information and using this information to draw conclusions and make recommendations.

You can deliver high quality work to challenging deadlines.

You have strong communication skills and can develop professional relationships, collaborating and influencing to deliver objectives. You can translate complex technical information for all to understand.

Prior experience or knowledge of road transport is not essential, but due to the technical nature of this role, holding a qualification at degree level in a Science or Engineering field, or having equivalent experience, is a requirement.

This is a fantastic opportunity, IVS is recognised for its science and engineering professionalism, you will be encouraged and supported in developing the skills and expertise required to achieve professional registration such as a Chartered Scientist/Engineer or similar, or equally for continuing professional development. IVS actively encourages technical training where necessary and will also fund membership to a relevant professional institution.

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

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 . 

Job contact :

• Name : Adam Dack
• Email : Adam.Dack@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk