Would you like to play a pivotal role in supporting the Department for Transport’s priority outcome on boosting economic growth?
Do you excel in communicating with clarity and influence, building strong relationships across departments, industry, and international partners?
Are you motivated by tackling complex policy and investment challenges, using evidence and insight to shape high‑impact options?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working at DfT.
Job overview
Join the Department for Transport’s Trade and Investment Division, where you will help shape a compelling narrative around private investment in UK transport. Working with ministers, senior leaders and partners across government and industry, you will promote a clear pipeline of opportunities and position DfT as an informed, influential partner. Collaborating widely, you will help remove barriers to investment, enabling timely, evidence‑based decisions that maximise the UK’s transport and infrastructure potential.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Lead the development of a compelling inward investment policy and narrative for DfT, using evidence, insight and cross‑government engagement to shape clear strategic direction.
- Manage and prioritise a high‑value pipeline of investment opportunities, ensuring propositions are well‑evidenced, strategically aligned and tailored for private investors across the UK transport and infrastructure sector.
- Oversee the development of an investor intelligence hub for the Department, creating a single, authoritative source of insight on investor priorities, market trends and engagement history to strengthen decision‑making and investment propositions.
- Design and deliver impactful ministerial engagement plans at major trade and investment events, developing clear options and recommendations that maximise exposure and opportunity for UK transport investment.
- Drive high‑quality collaboration with DBT, OfI, FCDO and DfT policy teams, ensuring coherent, joined-up delivery and shared ownership of investment priorities through the Transport Trade Taskforce.
- Horizon‑scan emerging investment trends and gaps, enhancing departmental awareness of opportunities aligned with UK supply chain needs.
- Task manage two SEOs, setting clear expectations, fostering team cohesion, and supporting professional growth.
For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Required Experience
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Proven ability to build trusted, influential and productive relationships with senior leaders and cross‑government stakeholders, enabling coherent and timely decision‑making.
- Experience presenting clear, evidence‑based options and recommendations to senior officials and ministers, drawing on detailed research, analysis and stakeholder insight.
- Experience engaging with private‑sector partners (or similar commercial environments), with a strong understanding of commercial drivers, investor priorities and market dynamics.
Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays. There may be some scope for wider UK and international travel.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
Visa Sponsorship
DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £57,515, Department for Transport contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
- 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
- Access to the staff discount portal.
- Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
- Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
- 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.
Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
How to Apply
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
The selection process for this role will be:
- Stage 1: Sift of CV and Personal Statement
- Stage 2: Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
Stage 1: Sift
At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (max 750 words). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
- Proven ability to build trusted, influential and productive relationships with senior leaders and cross‑government stakeholders, enabling coherent and timely decision‑making.Experience presenting clear, evidence‑based options and recommendations to senior officials and ministers, drawing on detailed research, analysis and stakeholder insight.Experience engaging with private‑sector partners (or similar commercial environments), with a strong understanding of commercial drivers, investor priorities and market dynamics.
The sift will take place week commencing 15th June 2026.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Behaviours – Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together and Making Effective Decisions
- Strengths
You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the Behaviour Seeing the Big Picture. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.
The interviews will take place week commencing 29th June 2026
This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit thehttps://careers.dft.gov.uk/recruitment-journey/application-process/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.
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change
Further information on the selection process
We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.
During your application, you should indicate which location(s) you wish to be considered for and, if successful, you will be placed on an individual list of candidates for each location. Candidates will be held on that list and drawn from it in merit order.
We advise you to carefully consider which locations you wish to be considered for. If you decline an offer for a location you have expressed a preference in or have expressed an interest in more than one location and accept an offer, you will be withdrawn from any lists you may be held on.
We may also offer candidates a location that they have not expressed a preference for where we have the requirement to do so but this will again be done on the basis of your place in the overall merit order and, in this event, you will not be removed from the list if you decline.
Pre-employment Checking
The role requires DV clearance however candidates can onboard with SC Clearance and undergo DV whilst in post. Should the successful candidate not obtain DV then there will be a requirement to be re-deployed to an alternative post should a position be available.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.
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 applicant’s 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.
All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:
- Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
- Threats or acts of violence
- Illegal activity or substance misuse
- Sexually explicit material
- Extremist views or affiliations
Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.
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 you’re 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 [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
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 are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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 developed vetting (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 nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals 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 2020
- Turkish 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.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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
Recruitment team
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 Here.
Attachments
Role Profile - Opens in new window (pdf, 221kB)
