AddressDetails
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Operational Delivery
Quality
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
- Do you have a degree in an engineering discipline, with a keen interest in automotive safety and environmental compliance?
- Are you looking for a graduate scheme with the opportunity for international travel, insight from the industry’s best and on the job training while also earning a salary?
- Have you got the ambition and drive to become an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer?
- Does a scheme where you have regular access to subject experts, mentors, and Civil Service benefits appeal to you?
If you are looking for the next step in your career and professional development, our Graduate Scheme could be for you.
We have an exciting new role for Graduate Policy Engineers to join the Department for Transport (DfT) International Vehicle Standards (IVS) As a Graduate Policy Engineer you will start a journey that may take you around the world, working on some of the most advanced policy development, your contribution to national and international policy will improve the safety and environmental impact of the automotive sector across the world.
About Us
This role will be with the International Vehicles Standards Team, which is the division in the Department for Transport responsible for setting the standards that new road vehicles must meet. This team negotiates international type approval regulations that set the safety and environmental requirements for automotive products. They commission cutting edge research to provide a strong evidence base and inform negotiating positions, aiming to shape regulatory developments to achieve UK government aims. The International Vehicles Standards Teams work is primarily through the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. The UK has been engaged in this forum for over 60 years’ and has built an excellent reputation, working with other governments, industry, and non-governmental organisations to develop harmonised regulations.
They advise and support Ministers in developing new vehicle standards policy, developing new legislation to introduce in Parliament and supporting enforcement agencies in ensuring those standards are complied with.
Job description
Joining the VCA and DfT Graduate Scheme as a permanent member of staff will open doors to many opportunities tailored to you. Working collaboratively with UK and overseas manufacturers and policy experts, you will be at the centre of our work, making a direct impact on vehicle safety and environmental compliance, with the resulting benefit on society. As an IVS Policy Engineer you will spend your first two years embedded within the VCA where you will learn about the application of national and international standards.
Your day to day will involve on the job training with internal and external placements on offer. Our diverse schedule and global links enable graduates to experience some of the world’s most innovative ideas and methods within the automotive industry. To gain this level of insight, extensive travel will be an essential part of the scheme. You will be at the forefront of vehicle safety and environmental testing and type approval, working with products long before they reach the market. Your knowledge and skills can take you all over the world, working with leading industry experts and facilities.
At the end of your two-year initial training, you will transfer too International Vehicle Standards where you will continue your training to specialise in national and international policy setting the standards that new road vehicles must meet. The teams negotiate international type approval regulations that set the safety and environmental requirements for automotive products. They commission cutting edge research to provide a strong evidence base and inform our negotiating positions, aiming to shape regulatory developments to achieve UK government aims. Their work is primarily through the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations. The UK has been engaged in this forum for over 60 years’ and has built an excellent reputation, working with other governments, industry, and non-governmental organisations to develop harmonised regulations.
They advise and support Ministers in developing new vehicle standards policy, developing new legislation to introduce in Parliament and supporting enforcement agencies in ensuring those standards are complied with.
As well as having a core network of colleagues to support you on your journey, graduates will be allocated a mentor who will be on hand for any advice and guidance needed. Thereafter, we promote graduates to gain Incorporated or Chartered engineering status over the following two/three years, with support and training available throughout to achieve this goal.
Person specification
To apply for our Graduate Scheme, you will need:
- Keen to progress your academic knowledge towards the application of vehicle type approval
- Understand the underpinning technical principles relevant to vehicle systems and their associated technology
- Ability to plan and manage own work with others constructively, to explain ideas and proposals clearly and to discuss issues objectively and constructively
For further information, please see the attached role profile.
Additional Information
A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For the first 2 years the successful candidate will sit in VCA but will be sponsored by the International Vehicle Standards (IVS) team within Department for Transport Central (DfTc). There will be opportunity, in this time, for you to be involved in placements (related to your training) in both VCA and IVS. Following successful completion of the first 2 years there will be a promotion opportunity and for the final 2 years (and for the foreseeable) this role will permanently move to sit within the IVS team.
Development Opportunities
Training opportunities to develop knowledge on:
- Vehicle type approval and automotive legislation.
- Technical automotive subjects relevant to type approval.
- Automotive management systems
- Personal skills, such as people management
- Colleague knowledge sharing.
- Access to a broad network of eLearning through the Civil Service
- Attending external training courses to develop knowledge if candidate can demonstrate the value created to the agency in doing so.
Licences
Qualifications
- Educated to degree level, or equivalent, in an IMechE accredited degree (Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering), or any engineering discipline closely linked to those, including degrees with a focus on technologies relevant to automotive technology. Equivalent qualifications from a mutually recognised accreditation body will also be considered.
- Educated to degree level, or equivalent, in an electrical / connected and automated vehicle / technology orientated discipline in a relevant field of study, through a higher education programme that is accredited by the IET.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- GSE - Applying Knowledge
- GSE - Developing/Maintaining Expertise
Benefits
Your wellbeing is important to us, which is why we are pleased to offer a wide range of benefits to all our colleagues, inside and outside of work.
Find out more about the ways you can benefit in our candidate pack.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Our 2-stage selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
Stage 1: Initial Experience-Based Sift
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
In this stage, we carefully review all applicants CV & Personal Statement to shortlist candidates who meet the experience indicators and possess the necessary qualifications.
How to Apply
To apply you should provide a CV and Personal Statement. We will assess the following experience indicators from your CV & Personal Statement so you should tailor both to clearly explain how you meet them.
- How have you applied your engineering knowledge (can be from any part of your life including work, studies, or interests)?
- An example of how you have used your experience of analysing data or documents and reporting on findings.
- What is your approach to working individually and as a team?
Your Personal Statement should be a maximum of 1000 words and we recommend a minimum of 250 words for each of the bullet points above.
Some guidance to help you with your application can be found in the candidate pack below.
Stage 2: In-person Assessment
The final stage involves an in-person assessment, where selected candidates will be invited to visit one of our premises.
- A written exercise of applying their knowledge against legislation that is provided
- Practical exercise of assessing vehicles in a workshop environment
- Interview
- Group Exercise
Sift and Interview
The sift is due to take place from 11th March 2024.
Interviews are likely to be held from 25th March to 5th April 2024.
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.
You are encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
Your technical skills will be assessed against the Government Science and Engineering Framework, please click here to find out more. We will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process.
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 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.
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 dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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 cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.
Further Information
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.
Pre-employment Checking
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.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
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
