Deputy Director Aviation Decarbonisation
Department for Transport
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 27th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Aviation is critical to the economy, and enabling trade, investment and jobs across the UK nations and regions. Air travel is vital to connecting families, friends and businesses around the world. The sector is competitive, globally leading and an incredible success story in harnessing private investment to deliver our policy outcomes. The government’s Jet Zero strategy sets out the UK’s plan to meet its commitment to bring aviation emissions down to net zero by 2050.
This role will be based in the Aviation Directorate, a fast paced and dynamic policy directorate. It is made up of c.135 high performing individuals. We are passionate about making sure people have the skills they need to do their job, the flexibility to have a great work life balance, and opportunities to continuously improve.
The successful candidate will be leading a team responsible for the Aviation Decarbonisation Division to deliver an ambitious approach to achieving net zero UK aviation by 2050.
You will be expected to be outward facing, able to engage with and influence external stakeholders, up to board level. You will need to be solution oriented and be willing to work collaboratively to solve cross-cutting issues. You will also be responsible for ensuring that critical programmes have the right resources, skills and partners.
You will lead relations and develop policy collaboratively and innovatively with a range of stakeholders, building capability, operations and commerciality for the Aviation Directorate and wider Department.
Job description
Responsibilities of the role include:
The precise policy responsibilities for the role-holder may evolve but are likely to include:
- policy responsibility for the aviation decarbonisation sector, including overseeing international negotiations, strategy development, research & development projects, industry engagement and policy development across a range of subjects and disciplines;
- commercial oversight of the £22 billion UK aviation sector including the financial outlook of UK airports and airlines.
- responsible for emerging aviation technologies which could support the move towards decarbonisation, as well as well as playing an essential role in delivering against the Department’s wider connectivity agenda, working closely with Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy;
- drive forward the work of the Jet Zero Council, and its delivery groups, working collaboratively with Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department for Business and Trade, industry and the CEO to deliver tangible progress on zero emission flights;
- establishing good working relationships and work closely with the Secretary of State and Aviation Minister, their offices and Special Advisers to deliver to a high standard and provide high-quality expert advice at all times.
- continue the programme of Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) capacity building to help developing states implement CORSIA and launch a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF);
- build strong, collaborative relationships with senior officials within the Department, particularly in the Environment Strategy Directorate given their policy leadership on Sustainable Aviation Fuels and responsibility for setting the strategic direction to decarbonising transport.
- the role holder will need to build strong, collaborative relationships with senior officials within the Department, particularly in the Environment Strategy Directorate given their policy leadership on Sustainable Aviation Fuels and responsibility for setting the strategic direction to decarbonising transport.
The role holder will lead and motivate a team of c.21 people and will be a part of the senior management team for a directorate of c.135 staff. This will involve growing and nurturing a high-performing, diverse and inclusive team; motivating and engaging team members across the Directorate; and supporting the development and managing the performance of staff at different stages of their careers.
Person specification
You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Deputy Director level in the Senior Civil Service.
We are looking for a Deputy Director who can progress complex policies and programmes with energy and pace; can deal flexibly with uncertainty and change; effectively engage and influence external stakeholders and Government partners to deliver outcomes; collaborate and excel at leading and building high performing teams.
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:
- Evidence of commercial experience or familiarity of commercial awareness/ engagement and/or monitoring.
- Proven ability to develop and implement innovative policy solutions.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, working with, negotiating and influencing external partners, stakeholder, investors and businesses at the highest level to deliver specific outcomes; and working effectively across Government and with the centre, building credibility quickly at the highest level.
- Strong negotiating and influencing skills that can be used to secure agreements with colleagues across Government and external partners. .
- Outstanding leadership skills and exceptional emotional intelligence with the ability to build diverse, highly-motivated, engaged and inclusive teams to develop talent, and lead people through transformational change.
- Excellent strategic thinking, analytical and commercial skills, with experience shaping the agenda in a high-profile environment and connecting a wide set of issues into a compelling, robust, and implementable strategy in a high-profile environment.
Benefits
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department 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.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.
We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.
Pension
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.
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. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details.
Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance
25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance is pro rata for part-time employees). This is in addition to 8 public holidays.
This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.
(Leave is Pro rata basis for part time/job share)
Staff Wellbeing
- Flexible working including part-time or time-term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.
- Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
- Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. 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, so please check how the policy would work for you here. Any move to the DfT from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
- Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55pm Sunday 27th October.
The application will 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. Please keep your CV to two A4 pages in size 11 Arial font.
- A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) 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 will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related 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.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Shortlist
Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
The panel 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.
Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.
Assessment
Shortlisted candidates may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include:
- Staff Engagement Exercise - a presentation and Q&A with a representative staff group from across the DfT.
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.
Interview
You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.
The Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate. As well as Experience, the following four behaviours will be used at the interview stage:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Leadership
Further information about Success Profiles can be found here:
Interviews are expected to take place virtually via TEAMS.
Offer and Feedback
Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.
The timeline later in this pack 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.
Expected Timeline
We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
Advert Closing Date: 23:55 on Sunday 27th October 2024
Shortlist: W/C Monday 4th November 2024
Assessments: W/C Monday 11th November 2024
Panel Interviews: W/C Monday 25th November 2024
Contact Us
Should candidates like general information on the role before submitting an application, please contact: rachael.wolstenholme@dft.gov.uk
This campaign is being run on behalf of the department by the team at Government Recruitment Service, part of Government Business Services, a central government expert service specialising in the attraction, assessment and recruitment of senior civil servants.
The team is regularly commissioned by departments and other government organisations to deliver end-to-end recruitment for some of society’s most important leadership and specialist positions.
Our work is regulated by the Civil Service Commission where necessary and supported by the equality campaign group Stonewall.
Cabinet Office is a Disability Confident employer.
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.
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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 : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.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
