Vocational Technical Policy Manager

£45,900

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

• 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.

Alongside your salary of £45,900, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £13,297 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• 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.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Can you provide strong leadership while maintaining high standards across vocational driver testing and training?

Have you got the ability to understand customer needs and translate policy, legislation and regulations into effective services?

Are you confident building relationships, influencing stakeholders and working collaboratively with industry partners?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

This is a key leadership role within the wider Vocational Service team, helping to shape the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, using your understanding of vocational driver testing and training, customer and industry needs, policy, legislation and regulation to support the delivery of effective and efficient services.

You will also provide advice and influence stakeholders throughout decision and policy-making processes, helping to ensure vocational testing and training continues to meet the needs of customers and industry.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DVSA: Working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Civil Service Careers

As a Vocational Technical Policy Manager, you will play a key leadership role in shaping the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work with internal teams, industry representatives and external partners to understand customer needs and ensure services align with relevant policy, legislation and regulations.

You will provide trusted advice, influence stakeholders and contribute to effective decision and policy-making, helping to ensure vocational driver testing and training services are efficient, effective and continue to meet the needs of customers and industry.

As technical lead, your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:

1. Work with the Head of Vocational Policy to develop the vision for vocational driver testing and training policy and standards and ensure this is effectively communicated to the immediate and wider policy and service teams and relevant key stakeholders.
2. Design and develop the vocational testing and training service from inception of legislation through to implementation and if necessary, closure; ensuring that the customer is at the heart of any decision making. Working with the Service Team, ensure that the business benefits these developments were designed to bring are achieved.
3. Define the standards, quality, expectations, service levels and any required process specifications for the vocational driving test and associated products ensuring that operational or delivery staff and/or third-party partners understand what is required of them to enable them to deliver often complex requirements.
4. With the Senior Management Team provide leadership and guidance to a range of stakeholders by establishing and building strong partnerships and encouraging collaborative working with the wider service team and key stakeholders (internal and external).
5. Represent the DVSA at key stakeholder meetings as subject matter expert to enhance and strengthen the Agency's profile. This could include, but not exclusively, networking events, conferences, and exhibitions.
6. Maintain an awareness of external factors (including; industry changes/issues, government initiatives and current and proposed legislation) which impact the service. Communicating such information and any subsequent changes to the Service Manager and subsequently Directing Board.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills set out in the Civil Service Line Management Standards.

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.

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

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 35 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.

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).

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th November 2026

487487

Senior Executive Officer

Permanent

Policy
Quality
Strategy

1

Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Swansea

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

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.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

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 dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

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.

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.

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: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

• Name : Jessica Williams
• Email : jessica.williams@dvsa.gov.uk

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