Corporate Affairs Coordinator

Job summary

Are you looking for a versatile role where your contribution will be of great value to the impact of our Agency’s work?

Have you got an approachable and positive attitude that enables you to work collaboratively and effectively with others?

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment, balancing work priorities to deliver quality and precision in your work?

Can you forge professional relationships through dynamic communication, to ensure customer satisfaction and confidence?

We have a unique opportunity to join our Corporate Affairs team in a role that promises a diverse and insightful workload, supporting colleagues, stakeholders and customers with a range of enquiries and tasks. You will be joining the Vehicle Certification Agency at a pinnacle time, as we continue to expand our presence and expertise in the automotive industry, focusing on ensuring a safer, cleaner future through excellence. Here’s Dawn Crooks, Senior Corporate Affairs Manager, to tell you more about the team and Agency. For further information on the role and how to apply, please refer to our candidate pack and role profile.

About Us

Our work is focused on improving vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to national and internationally recognised standards. We are a part of the Department of Transport as the designated UK Vehicle Type Approval Authority. With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do, and what you could be a part of.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• 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.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Vehicle Certification Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

This role offers a versatile stream of work that will enable you a great insight into all facets of the VCA. You will be a fundamental part of the Corporate Affairs team and the wider Agency, assisting the work we do to ensure vehicles meet the required environmental and safety standards; directly impacting the lives of millions.

Daily responsibilities will see you collaborating closely with colleagues, stakeholders and customers, addressing general enquiries from manufacturers and the public seeking to understand aspects of the services provided by the VCA. You will also be involved in supporting assurance the Agency is compliant with Freedom of Information (FOI), Environmental Information Regulations and Data Protection.

A positive attitude and the ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment, where you can confidently manage conflicting priorities while offering a friendly and approachable manner, will allow you to thrive in this role and enjoy the benefits of helping those who need it.

We are passionate about supporting colleagues both mentally and physically; by offering a range of benefits and policies to ensure you can achieve a work-life balance. You will be a valued member of an organisation who cares about you, by giving the support you need to reach your full potential.

Your main duties will include but will not be limited to:

• Provide support to the Corporate Affairs Manager to log, track and process requests for information made under Freedom of Information, Environmental Information Regulations and Data Protection legislation
• Manage responses to general enquiries that come into the organisation. Ensure that they are either answered or directed to the appropriate subject matter expert in a timely way. Monitor and track enquiries to ensure that responses are provided within agreed time limits and to appropriate quality standards. Maintain appropriate records, case logs, and provide guidance to subject matter experts as required
• Respond to telephone enquiries that are not picked up through the automated phone system. Ensure that these are either answered or forwarded to the appropriate person. Monitor enquiries to ensure a timely response
• Support reception duties on a rotational basis, ensuring that visitors and deliveries are processed efficiently and professionally
• Provide support to the organisation around customer engagement and best practice.
• Support the wider Corporate Affairs team by monitoring and tracking documents and processes owned by our department to ensure they remain current and up to date. Setting up reminders and liaising directly with document owners to ensure compliance with VCA’s document management and retention policies.
• Organise, track, and monitor purchase orders for Corporate Affairs
• Provide support to the Corporate Affairs Manager in managing the annual Customer Survey
• Management of the provision of uniform, business cards, office supplies, and printing materials
• Provide support for other ad-hoc duties within the wider Corporate Affairs team as required

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.

Person specification

Essential qualifications:

Level 2 qualifications in English, i.e., GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C or equivalent.

What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• A good understanding of, and strong commitment to delivering high quality customer service.
• You are someone who gains a rapport quickly with others as you build effective working relationships with both colleagues and stakeholders.
• You have excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing and be confident dealing with colleagues and stakeholders alike using a high level of tact and diplomacy.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritise conflicting tasks whilst working to tight deadlines.
• Must be flexible, adaptable and keen to improve and to learn new skills.
• A good level of computer literacy and experience of Microsoft Office applications and tailored systems including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Additional Information

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.

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.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we are currently unable to offer Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying.

Qualifications

Applicants are required to have level 2 qualifications in English, i.e., GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C or equivalent.

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,485, Vehicle Certification Agency contributes £8,831 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:

• 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).
• 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.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

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

You can also read more in our candidate pack

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 and Experience.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
  
  
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• Experience of working in a customer-facing environment.
• Experience building and maintaining excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working well under pressure, managing multiple priorities which meet the needs of both the customer and the business.

The sift will take place week commencing 09/02/2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Communicating and Influencing, Working Together and Managing a Quality Service.

The interviews will take place week commencing 23/02/2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at ourNuneaton office - VCA Midlands Centre, Watling Street, Nuneaton, CV10 0UA. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a12 month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

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 theHow 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.

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

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 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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Pav Gill
• Email : pav.gill@vca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

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

Attachments

Role Profile CA Opens in new window (pdf, 176kB)VCA_Candidate_Pack_Corporate_Affairs_Rev0 Opens in new window (pdf, 6054kB)