Deputy Head of Division, Head of Corporate Governance, Sponsorship and Portfolio Office

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.
Are you strong leader who is enthusiastic about supporting, developing and coaching their team to deliver and excel in their roles?
Do you have experience of working in public bodies or a governance role?
Would you like to step into a new role that allows you to work with a broad range of organisations in Transport?
If so, then we would love for you to apply!, We deal with everything from the physical transport of goods and people to future technologies, regulating industries, securing the transport network against threats and building national infrastructure. The Department’s public bodies lead the delivery of our major investments and core services to the public. If you would like a role in the heart of DfT that exposes you to a broad range of organisations and their work, then look no further than the Public Bodies Centre of Expertise (PBCE).
The PBCE is responsible for the departmental approach to working with the DfT Family of circa 30 public bodies. We support a community of practice for DfT sponsors and shareholders to support them to optimise governance and enable best delivery outcomes from our partner organisations. We do this through sharing best practice, developing and disseminating tools and guidance, holding a range of training sessions, managing a NED engagement programme and working with the centre to co-develop central initiatives. The PBCE also holds a Portfolio Office that is responsible for developing public bodies strategy, directorate reporting and business management. The PBCE is part of the Shareholding, Appointments and Inquiries Directorate and we work closely with our partner teams: Public Appointments and Public Body Reviews.
The post holder will lead the Corporate Governance and Sponsorship and Portfolio Office aspects of the Public Bodies Centre of Expertise and is a key role to enabling accountable, effective organisations and optimal collaboration across DfT; it is a real chance to make a difference., + Leading a team to ensure that they can deliver, whilst supporting their development and well-being.
+ Horizon scanning and forward planning to ensure that the DfT sponsorship and shareholding community are set up for success.
+ Working with the centre to ensure that central commissions and initiatives are reflective of the needs of the Department.
+ A practical, accurate and supportive advice, consultancy, guidance and training service to the Department.
+ A NED engagement programme working with the Public Appointments Team, Departmental Board Secretariat Team and Strategy Unit.
+ A portfolio approach to those bodies which are within the Directorate to maximise the benefit of co-location.
+ Comprehensive and accurate Directorate and Departmental reporting.
+ Excellent business management to the Directorate.
For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Leadership
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Working Together
+ Changing and Improving

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ 1. Strategy 1.1. Policy Context and Purpose Level 1: Developing
+ 2. Democracy 2.1. Working with Ministers Level 1: Developing, Within your CV and Personal Statement please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:
+ Leadership experience with the ability to deliver through others whilst empowering team members to succeed.
+ Working with public bodies, working with organisations with a range of governance arrangements or acting as a sponsor or shareholder to a public body.
+ Managing a broad workload and competing priorities whilst maintaining high quality work.
+ Building and assimilating information to provide reliable and comprehensive advice tailored to a specific audience.
+ Working with a variety of stakeholders including with senior stakeholders to deliver successful outcomes and/or change.
Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 1000 words.
The sift is due to take place from w/c 10th June.
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held w/c 24th June.
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 written policy 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.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile and the policy professions standards framework, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.
Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.
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., 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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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.

+ You will be a strong leader who can support, develop and coach their team to deliver and excel in their roles.
+ To be successful in this role you will have strong interpersonal and influencing skills to work with a range of colleagues internally and externally at all levels, ensuring that information flows are maintained and that you and your team are able to deliver themselves and through others.
+ You will have the ability to assimilate information quickly, to build and use a sound knowledge base and to use both to provide reliable and comprehensive advice to Ministers, senior officials, our public bodies and others on good shareholding, corporate governance etc.
+ You will have excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit a wide range of audiences, maximising both impact and understanding.
+ You will be a strategic thinker and will have the ability to develop clear, deliverable strategy aligned with priorities at the centre of Government.
+ You can work at pace, managing competing priorities whilst maintaining high standards.
+ You will encourage, recognise and share innovative ideas from a diverse range of colleagues and stakeholders to support a culture of continuous improvement.

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