Rail Reform Policy Lead

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.
Do you have effective communication skills with experience of delivering policy from consultation through to legislation?
Are you a strong leader with excellent experience of or the potential to motivate and empower a team to overcome complex policy challenges?
Would you relish the chance to be involved with our high-profile Rail Reform Programme, helping make a difference to millions of rail passengers every single day?
If so, we have a fantastic opportunity for a Policy professional to join our Financial, Commercial and Access Reform Division, and we would love to hear from you!, The Government has committed to overhauling the railways in Great Britain, putting passengers at the heart of the service. It has already delivered legislation to bring passenger services into public ownership as existing contracts expire. In the next stage of reform it will establish Great British Railways (GBR) as a new public body to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient services; along with ensuring safety and accessibility.
This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of one of the largest change programme in Government to develop and deliver new policy that will have a big impact. A vital part of rail reform will be reform of the existing rules, regulations and processes for how operators such as freight and open access get onto the GBR managed infrastructure and how much they pay to access it.
The post sits within the access, funding and future passenger services policy division within the rail reform directorate. We lead on core policies, working with Ministers to shape the future rail model including how GBR will work effectively with the private sector and deliver benefits for passengers, taxpayers and freight users. We are an open and supportive team and work flexibly together to deliver in a changing environment.
In this role you will lead on reform of the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) in access and charging. This is a complex and controversial policy area and you will be working at pace to develop policy for inclusion in the proposed Rail Reform Bill. You will work collaboratively with colleagues across the Directorate, Great British Railways, the Rail Regulator and can expect to engage and present, what will potentially be seen as controversial policy proposals and ideas, to senior industry stakeholders.
This is a fantastic challenging and rewarding opportunity to influence policy, and to shape a key part of a major Government programme.
Responsibilities
Will include but not be limited to:
+ Leading and delivering reforms to the role of the regulator within the access and charging framework, that meet Ministers ambitions for a simpler, more efficient and integrated publicly owned railway under the new Great British Railways, that maximises value for both its customers and taxpayers’.
+ Lead, manage and develop your team, setting a clear direction and empowering and supporting them to identify and deliver the most appropriate options and outcomes for those reform workstreams your team is responsible for.
+ Lead the development of policy from initial development through to preparation of your teams section of the public consultation on reforms, ensuring cross-Government agreement and the subsequent Government response.
+ Lead on their own parts of the primary legislation to deliver reforms, ensuing they have anticipated the likely controversial parts of the legislation and prepared appropriate responses, so Ministers are well prepared for Parliamentary debates.
+ Manage stakeholder relationships and maintain these throughout the policy development process, communicating our position with confidence, impact and influence; and creating an open, honest environment for industry to engage with government.
For full details see role profile.
If you would like to find out more about what it's like to work at DfT Rail, please click here.
Further information on policy roles in the Department can be found here https://careers.dft.gov.uk/policy, You will have the option to be based in London, attracting the London salary or Leeds or Birmingham attracting the National salary. If based in Leeds or Birmingham regular travel to our London office will be required for key meetings, Parliamentary sessions and team events.
A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Leadership
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Delivering at Pace, + Experience of working on the development and delivery of policy, through consultation to legislation.
+ Strong leadership skills, with experience of leading your own or a virtual team at pace to deliver policy, setting a clear direction and keeping them focussed on priorities.
+ Experience of communicating effectively with ability to deliver difficult messages to a range of stakeholders choosing the most appropriate communication method to the circumstances.
+ Ability to use creative and strategic thinking skills to make effective policy decisions and present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.
The sift is due to take place from 19 December 2024.
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 13 January 2025.
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.
+ a presentation (details will be provided with sift results/48hrs before interview).
This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices (for personal circumstances or reasonable adjustments). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, 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.
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
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We are looking for a confident and experienced policy professional with excellent leadership skills who can lead a team at pace, setting a clear direction and empowering and supporting them to reach their full potential.
You will have experience of delivering complex policy through Whitehall clearance processes culminating in legislation.
You will display excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience of presenting complex technical information to a diverse audience including senior officials.
You will be someone with strong personal impact who can look beyond the norm and see the bigger picture, who has a strategic approach to make effective decisions and present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks.

Alongside your salary of £54,857, Department for Transport contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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.