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About the job
Job summary
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.
Do you have experience of working in a commercial environment and working with complex contractual documentation?
Would you embrace the opportunity to develop policy for both the financial and commercial aspects of rail contracts?
If so, we have a unique opportunity for a Commercial Policy Manager to join our team and would love to hear from you!
Job description
You will join our Finance Policy Team who are responsible for contributing to the Departments commercial design for rail contracts, leading on key finance and commercial policies on diverse issues. This includes capital requirements, risk allocation and assessing the financial robustness of rail contract bidders.
As Commercial Policy Manager, you will be responsible for advising on and developing policy for the financial and commercial aspects of rail contracts. You will provide high-quality advice, showing tact and persistence in guiding policy, project and contract management teams in the delivery of these policies, ensuring consistent application across a very high-profile portfolio of rail projects. It is important that you think strategically to develop new policy, testing and refining this through consultation with internal and external partners to support governance decisions.
You will also be responsible for focusing on advising the workforce strategy team on the financial and commercial aspects of rail pensions policy.
Your role will report to the Head of Finance Policy and the Financial Controller for the railway pensions aspect of the role.
You will work flexibly to provide advice on the financial and commercial implications of industry initiatives to inform strategic decision-making, on fast-moving and high-profile reform programmes. This will involve working collaboratively with the wider Policy, Operations and Change (POC) team, strategy and reform colleagues, finance and commercial managers, economists and rail analysts, lawyers, industry representatives, and other external advisors to drive and influence emerging policy thinking.
If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Leading the review and development of finance and commercial policies to deliver the Departments strategic aims and objectives for the rail contracting programme.
- Advising the workforce strategy team on the financial and commercial aspects of rail pensions policy.
- Supporting and advising the contract management teams on the implementation of contractual provisions relating to finance and commercial policy during the term of the agreements with the rail operators.
- Developing accurate, credible and timely briefing and communication materials as required, Ministerial and senior management briefings, responses to Parliamentary Questions and correspondence.
- Driving the continuous improvement and development of our commercial policies in the context of wider rail reform and industry developments.
- Collaborating with the wider Passenger Services Finance and Markets teams to capture lessons learnt from previous procurements and current contract management experience, to support continuous improvement in our approach to rail finance and commercial policy development.
- Building positive and productive working relationships with key industry partners and internal stakeholders.
Person specification
About you
You will have a sound understanding of public policy making and/or working within a commercial environment. You will remain calm and flexible whilst working within a fast-paced, changing environment, with the ability to handle ambiguity and changing priorities. You will think strategically and understand how your decisions will have wider implications.
You will be an articulate and confident communicator, both verbally and in writing, who is comfortable working with and understanding complex contractual documentation and contractual language.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to develop positive working relationships with a wide range of diverse partners, both within the department, across Government and externally.
Additional Information
This role is available to individuals who wish to be spending their office time in London, Leeds or Birmingham, and we would also expect the individual to be willing to travel to visit alternative office locations, predominantly London, to attend key meetings or team events.
A minimum 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.
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.
Find out more about what it’s like working at the Department for Transport.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
When considering your experience, please tailor your CV and Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words) to provide detailed evidence of the following:
- Experience of public policy making and/or experience of working in a commercial environment.
- Experience and understanding of commercial drivers that influence the delivery of outcomes, and how contractual arrangements with private sector partners can deliver these.
- Experience of working with complex contractual documentation and contractual language.
- Experience of gathering, analysing and interpreting financial, commercial and technical information.
The sift is due to take place from 15/12/2023.
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 08/01/2024.
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 will include:
- an interview and a presentation exercise
This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
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.
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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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Rail Resourcing
- Email : RailResourcing@dft.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
