Chief Executive Officer (DVLA)
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 13th November 2024
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About the job
Job summary
DVLA
Chief Executive
Salary: c£135,000
Location: Swansea
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) keeps complete, accurate registers of drivers and vehicles and makes them as accessible and flexible as possible to those who use them. These registers are important to DVLA, the police and others and help keep the UK’s roads some of the safest in the world. We are responsible for maintaining over 52 million driver records and more than 46 million vehicle records. Last year we handled more than 4 billion interactions, with 84% of those conducted through digital channels. We are also responsible for the collection of Vehicle Excise Duty, with more than £7.8 billion collected last year. We also offer personalised registrations for sale and collect more than £300 million every year on behalf of the Treasury. We are a leader in UK government for providing modern, flexible, digital services.
We’re now looking for an exceptional Chief Executive to lead us to the next stage of our journey, to fully complete our digital transformation and prepare us for fundamental changes in the motoring environment.
Please click on this link for a message from David Jones
https://youtu.be/4XAipfG1UFw?si=uyE7HywQrr7zy1wY
This role requires an outstanding, inspiring leader with experience in a large, complex delivery organisation, who is motivated by delivering excellent customer services. People leadership will be at the heart of your skill set and you will have experience developing a motivated and engaged team, all with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Strategic and commercial, you will also be able to drive what good looks like in delivery. You will also be able to advocate for your organisation in a broad stakeholder landscape, building constructive and trusted relationships.
If you’re successful, you’ll have the opportunity to lead us in delivering our ongoing transformation and shape and lead the way in how the public access government services.
If you have the skills, experience and ambition that we’re looking for, then we want to hear from you.
The Civil Service is committed to becoming the most inclusive employer in the UK. We are committed to understanding, respecting and representing as broad a range of views and backgrounds as we have in UK society. We know that diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to an effective, modern Civil Service.
Further information is available at http://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe115095.
Applications (CV and supporting letter) should be submitted via the website by no later than 23:55 on 13th November 2024 .
Job description
Purpose of role
The Chief Executive is responsible and ultimately accountable for the resources, performance and development of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and for the achievement of the Strategic and Business Plans, including targets agreed with the Secretary of State.
This is a substantial leadership, delivery and business transformation role.
Key responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership, in particular, lead the continued development and transformation of DVLA with and through leadership of the Senior Executive Team and Board, delivering key strategic ambitions, priorities, business plans and major projects on time and to budget.
- Deliver high quality services to our customers that meet their expectations and needs, maintaining DVLA excellence in customer service, service availability and performance.
- Develop and promote the future strategic direction of DVLA, including its role in delivering motoring services, working in partnership with the Chair, Board and Executive team members and within the framework of departmental and government policy.
- Act as the Accounting Officer, responsible for signing of the agency’s accounts and for the annual collection of some £8 billion of vehicle excise duty, annual income of some £670m from all sources and an annual operating expenditure of £520m. Manage the agency’s resources to deliver the agreed business plans, while at the same time managing risk and securing continued value for money and efficiency.
- Provide inspiring, confident and empowering people leadership to DVLA staff and in the wider Civil Service. Champion DVLA values, culture change and service excellence. Ensure that staffing resources and structure are able to embrace change and evolve to meet future demands and ways of working.
- Manage and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of key stakeholders at senior level, including Ministers, DfT colleagues, other government departments, the police, courts, local authorities, industry and lobby groups and trade unions.
- Participate as a member of the DFT Motoring Future Forum to promote development and implementation of joined up policy work relating to motoring now and in the future.
- Maintain effective local community relationships and contribute to local affairs as a major employer in the region.
You will report to the Director General of the Road Transport Group and are accountable to the Permanent Secretary, Ministers and Parliament. You will lead a workforce of more than 6,000 people, the majority of which are based in Swansea but we also have offices in Birmingham. You will have line management responsibility for seven direct reports: Director of Operations and Customer Service; Director of Finance; Chief Technology Officer; Director of Commercial; Director of Strategy, Policy and Communications; Director of Human Resource and Estates; and Head of CEO Office.
Person specification
DVLA is seeking to appoint an outstanding, inspiring senior leader with Board level experience, who is motivated by delivering excellent public services, and who can meet the following essential criteria:
- Experience operating as either a Chief Executive or senior executive in a large, complex delivery organisation
- Proven people leadership skills, with experience of shaping an organisation, leading high performing teams and cultural change, and developing a motivated and engaged staff team, all with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion
- Experience of developing and executing organisational strategy and translating this into successful business and operational plans
- Ability to work collaboratively at the most senior levels and with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders and colleagues influencing and building trust and confidence
- Strong communication and advocacy skills, both internally and externally, including speaking in public and via media
- Strong track record of delivering excellent customer facing service, ideally in a large-scale operational environment.
Benefits
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with DVLA and wider Civil Service.
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.
These include:
- 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays
- 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
- generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers
- childcare benefits. 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
- interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle as well as access to the government’s Cycle to Work scheme
- occupational sick pay, employee assistance services and health and wellbeing initiatives such as flu vaccines and health screening
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application
For a confidential initial discussion about the role, please get in touch with our recruitment advisers at Gatenby Sanderson via:
Orla Brennan: orla.brennan@gatenbysanderson.com
Julie Myers: julie.myers@gatenbysanderson.com
Michael Dobson: Michael.dobson@gatenbysanderson.com
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process by no later than 23:55pm on 13 November 2024. All applications must be submitted using the link https://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe115095/
Your application should 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 two pages) 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 (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
Please ensure that both documents contain your full name.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversityrelated 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.
If you do not receive acknowledgement of your application within 48 hours, please contact: mary.dempsey@gatenbysanderson.com
Longlist
A selection panel chaired by Stephen Cohen, Civil Service Commissioner will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
Alongside Stephen, the panel will comprise:
Emma Ward, Director General Road Transport Group, Department for Transport
David Jones, Non-Executive Chair, DVLA
James Norton, Group HR Director, Department for Transport
More information on the role of the Civil Service Commission can be found here.
Candidates selected for longlisting will be invited for a preliminary discussion with Gatenby Sanderson to further explore their skills and experience. Candidates applying under the Disability Confident, Redeployment or Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview. Please complete the relevant parts in the application system if applying under these schemes.
Shortlist
The panel will review reports on those longlisted and 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.
Assessment
- If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to undertake an individual leadership assessment (ILA) and a staff engagement assessment. 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.
- You will have an opportunity for an informal discussion with either Emma Ward, Director General Road Transport Group, Department for Transport, David Jones, Non-Executive Chair, DVLA or James Norton, Group HR Director, Department for Transport.
- You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. You will be asked to do a presentation on a topic given to you in advance.
- Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Offer
- Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible.
- We will send you a copy of any report for any assessment that you may have undergone as part of the recruitment process and undertake a staff engagement exercise.
Indicative Timeline
The timeline below 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.
Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. If you are unable to meet these timeframes, please let us know in your application letter.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
Advert closing date: 23:55 Wednesday 13th November 2024
Expected longlist announcement: Circa 20th November 2024
Expected shortlist announcement: Circa 4th December 2024
Assessments: Week commencing 9th and 16th December 2024
Final Interviews: 6th and 7th January 2025
The interviews will be conducted face to face in Swansea. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to support disabled job applicants and ensure that you are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and assessment process. Reasonable adjustments could include; allowing extra time during selection tests; ensuring that information is provided in an accessible format or; by providing training. If you feel that you may need a reasonable adjustment to be made, or you would like to discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact us in the first instance. If you wish to receive a hard copy of the information, or in an alternative format e.g. Audio, Braille or large font then please contact mary.dempsey@gatenbysanderson.com
Contact us
We encourage all candidates to discuss the role further before submitting an application.
If you would like to discuss the role in more detail, please contact:
orla.brennan@gatenbysanderson.com
julie.myers@gatenbysanderson.com
michael.dobson@gatenbysanderson.com
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Gatenby Sanderson
- Email : orla.brennan@gatenbysanderson.com
Recruitment team
- Email : dftscsresourcing@dft.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
