Deputy Director External Engagement

The Deputy Director for External Engagement will oversee and guide the implementation of effective visits, events and external engagement as part of an effective communication strategy. You will have a significant leadership role facilitating ways to inspire and engage colleagues building a brilliant, high-performing organisation. You will be part of a senior team ensuring high performance, delivery and innovation.
You will be responsible for teams developing and delivering effective audience focused communications which support Government and departmental priorities.
As Deputy Director for External Engagement, yours will be a key role in telling the transport story effectively through partners.
You will be able to see the bigger picture and understand political, economic, social, environmental and technological impacts of communication approaches.
You will provide support, advice and challenge to senior leaders and you will influence and inform stakeholders inside and outside of Government.
You will have a track record in delivering high profile communications strategies, be able to identify risks and opportunities and be comfortable operating in a fast-paced news environment.
You will be able to develop highly effective teams, leading with energy and enthusiasm, creating a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness enabling a swift response to changing circumstances.
You will provide support, direction and development to your team and champion innovation and creativity.
The Communications Directorate comprises around 80 staff. You will report to Wendy Fielder as Director of Communications and be part of the directorate’s senior team.
You will also play a key role in the broader leadership and development of the organisation. You will be a senior leader and work with the Department’s network of agencies and other bodies to help coordinate communications opportunities.
You will also be part of the leadership of the Government Communication Service (GCS)., You will have responsibility for leading the external affairs and visits and events teams, overseeing the development and implementation of plans and proposals and ensuring alignment with departmental goals and objectives. External engagement is crucial to building and maintaining relationships with influential individuals and organisations for the public benefit. You will also have responsibility for the Directorate’s business support function.
Setting strategic direction
As part of leading your function you will consider the bigger picture, including the social and political context, being flexible and responsive to a rapidly changing world and understanding the changing needs of public audiences. You will spot and manage reputational risks, display judgement and political acumen, articulate a clear plan of action, foster innovation and provide calm and authoritative leadership for your team.
Deploying campaign communication
You will be responsible for overseeing advice on external engagement with individuals and organisation to support understanding and behaviour change for the public good in support of policy goals.
Trusted advisor fostering collaboration and influence
As a senior communications adviser at DfT you will lead your team in providing expert communications advice to senior leaders.
You will be expected to build effective relationships in and outside the department with policy and operations counterparts in the Civil Service, and with political colleagues as well as external organisations.
Understanding context
You will be able to understand and interpret the political and cultural operating context inside and outside the Civil Service to help inform your advice and lead your teams. This includes the environment and the sector in which the Department for Transport operates.
Building capability
You will role model continuous professional development and ensure your teams have the capability and skills they need to deliver. As a leader within the Government Communication Service, you will play an active role in raising professional standards and improving efficiency more broadly. You will work alongside senior leaders in the directorate to foster best practice.
Leading beyond the function
As a senior leader within the Department, you will play your part in leading the organisation, including taking on corporate roles and projects which support the GCS and Civil Service’s corporate agenda. You will work to improve diversity and inclusion in your Department and across the profession and create an environment where everyone can flourish., The application will include:
o 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.
o 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
Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
Selection Process and Shortlist
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:
o 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.
Informal Discussion
Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to Wendy Fielder prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process
Interview
You will be asked to attend a panel interview 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 five behaviours will be used at the interview stage:
o Leadership
o Seeing the Big Picture
o Delivering at Pace
o Communicating and Influencing
o Changing and Improving
Further information about Success Profiles can be found here:
Interviews are expected to take place face to face in our Birmingham office, all shortlisted candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation.
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 27th October 2024
Shortlist - w/c 4th November 2024
Staff Engagement Exercise - c15th November 2024
Panel Interviews - w/c 25th November 2024
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
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
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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:
o UK nationals
o nationals of the Republic of Ireland
o nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
o 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)
o 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)
o individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
o 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).

The Government Communication Service is determined to ensure that the profession is representative of modern Britain and welcomes applications from the widest range of people of different backgrounds, cultures and experiences. You can find out more by visiting Civil Service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The successful candidate must therefore be able to demonstrate their capabilities and experience in the following areas:
+ You should have a range of experience which makes you suitable for this role. This could include overseeing events and visits delivery, or working at a senior level in an external/public affairs brief, but this shouldn’t be your only experience. We are looking for a candidate who understands the changing media landscape. Ideally you will have had some experience of working in, or closely with, media/press teams and can therefore demonstrate awareness of how to spot risks and opportunities.
+ You will have a track record in delivering high profile communications strategies, be able to identify risks and opportunities and be comfortable delivering at pace.
+ You will be able to see the bigger picture. You will be able to demonstrate an insight into the dynamics and issues surrounding the Department and the Government and bring this into the effective delivery of strategic communications delivery for the public.
+ You will be able to confidently lead change and improve your team and ways of doing things. You will be able to develop highly effective teams, leading with energy and enthusiasm, creating a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness. You will be able to proactively champion and lead change, seeking innovative new approaches that create a culture of innovation, flexibility and responsiveness.
+ You are a leader who has highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to establish credibility quickly with a diverse network of senior stakeholders and to present issues simply and effectively, both orally and in writing.
+ You will use your influence to make a positive difference across the Civil Service and externally. You will be able to demonstrate experience of acting as a source of expertise and innovation to set professional standards, creativity and driving continuous improvement in communication delivery.

As a member of the SCS you will be leading teams working on a hybrid basis. Currently, the expectation is that you will spend more than 60% of your time in the workplace. Some travel to other DfT workplaces may be required

£76,000
For existing Civil Servants, internal candidates the usual pay rules should apply, i.e. if moving on level transfer the salary will remain the same, if successful on promotion the salary will be the higher of either 10% pay increase or the pay band minimum.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP, Alongside your salary of £76,000, Department for Transport contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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.
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).