3841 - Head of Road Safety Delivery, Strategic Road Network

Job summary

The Strategic Road Network (SRN) is one of Wales’ most significant public infrastructure assets, valued at approximately £18 billion. Although it represents around 5 per cent of the total road length in Wales, it carries approximately one third of all traffic and is critical to economic growth, community connectivity, access to essential services and the delivery of Welsh Government transport, climate and wellbeing objectives.

This post sits within the Strategic Road Network Division and forms part of a wider programme to strengthen Welsh Government’s capability as a highway authority. You will join a team delivering high-impact national infrastructure programmes across Wales, responding to complex challenges including road safety, climate resilience, changing travel behaviour and increasing demand on the network.

Job description

As Head of Road Safety Delivery for the Strategic Road Network, you will have line management responsibility for a Road Safety Engineer at SEO level. You will provide strategic oversight, technical governance and assurance for road safety across the SRN. The role is central to translating ministerial commitments and policy ambitions into effective, evidence-based safety interventions that reduce fatal and serious injuries on Wales’ trunk roads.

You will work closely with Ministers, senior officials, technical specialists, delivery partners and external stakeholders to ensure that trunk road safety interventions are well-governed, aligned with international best practice and consistently delivered. This is a high-profile and influential Grade 7 role with direct impact on public safety outcomes across Wales.

You will have oversight of the Welsh Government’s role in the Suicide and Self Harm Action Plan for the SRN and work with stakeholders to implement programmes of work.

You will also work closely with the Road Safety Policy team to ensure full alignment between policy and trunk road delivery, maintaining a strong two‑way relationship where policy direction informs programmes of work on the Strategic Road Network, and operational delivery insights from the programmes of work on the trunk road actively shape future policy development.

Person specification

What You Will Be Doing?

As part of the Network Management function, you will provide leadership across the SRN to ensure road safety policy is implemented effectively, consistently and at pace. Your work will support the delivery of Safe System principles, national road safety programmes and major infrastructure schemes, ensuring alignment with Welsh Government policy, statutory duties and industry best practice.

Policy Delivery, Governance and Assurance

• Lead the strategic delivery of Welsh Government road safety policy on the Strategic Road Network, ensuring alignment with ministerial priorities and statutory obligations.
• Provide governance, assurance and compliance oversight to ensure trunk road safety interventions are evidence-based, well-governed and consistent with national and international best practice.
• Provide expert advice and briefings to Ministers, senior officials and Senedd Committees on road safety matters as they relate to the SRN.

Technical Oversight and Risk Management

• Provide senior technical leadership for road safety engineering across the SRN, embedding Safe System principles into infrastructure, investment and operational decisions.
• Assure major programmes and schemes to ensure compliance with road safety standards, risk management requirements and best practice.

Delivery of National Road Safety Programmes

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for national road safety initiatives on the SRN, ensuring effective implementation and measurable impact.
• Oversee monitoring, evaluation and performance reporting, providing clear assurance to Ministers and senior officials.
• Coordinate delivery across Welsh Government, Trunk Road Agents and key partners.
• Oversee the funding requirements for Road Safety and Suicide and Self harm prevention programmes for the SRN.

Stakeholder and Cross-Government Engagement

• Represent Welsh Government in UK-wide and international road safety forums, ensuring Wales remains aligned with emerging best practice.
• Build effective relationships with the Head of Road Safety Policy and stakeholders including enforcement partners, and external bodies to support delivery and public confidence.

Leadership, Workforce and Capability

• Provide leadership and development for the SRN road safety function, managing the Road Safety Engineer, and wider Trunk Road Agent roles, ensuring sustainable workloads and high professional standards.
• Lead workforce planning and capability development across Welsh Government and Trunk Road Agents, reducing reliance on external consultancy.
• Line management responsibility for a Road Safety Engineer.

Licences

A valid UK driving licence is required

Qualifications

You will be a Chartered or Incorporated Civil Engineer, Transport Planner, or a professional with experience in road safety. This should include experience of undertaking road safety studies, appraising and implementing mitigation measures, and applying road safety legislation in practice. A good understanding of Safe System principles is desirable.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Using your technical knowledge of road safety delivery, how would you provide assurance that road safety interventions are being delivered consistently, safely, and in line with policy, standards and road safety industry best practice?
• The technical criteria will be assessed at Stage 2 using a case study and an interview question based on the case study. The case study and the interview question will be provided at the time of invitation to interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,098, Welsh Government contributes £17,700 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. 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. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage processStage 1Application FormStage 2Interview

Pre-sift

In the event of many applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Experience 1. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months in line with WG policy.

Merit order

In the event of two or more candidates having the same total score, the following list will be used to determine a merit order/which candidate will be appointed.

• Experience criteria
• Technical criteria
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil 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.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Transport and Digital Connectivity
• Email : est-nmdmailbox@gov.wales

Recruitment team

• Email : SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales

Further information

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's website.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk