Dangerous Goods Engineer

Job summary

Do you have a keen eye for detail and take pride in your level of accuracy?

Would you embrace the opportunity to enhance public safety through effective regulation of transporting dangerous goods?

If so, we have an opportunity available within the Dangerous Goods Office and would love to hear from you!

This role will be referred to internally as Tank Engineer.

The role of the Dangerous Goods Engineer is primarily to manage and support inspection bodies appointed to inspect dangerous goods tanks and pressure receptacles. This could include providing regulatory interpretations, disseminating guidance, and organising industry liaison meetings.

The postholder will be expected to gain an understanding of the regulations and standards governing dangerous goods tank inspections, and to visit inspection bodies on site to ensure regulatory guidance is followed. A typical week could involve a number of activities as the role is varied. In addition to responding to tank-related enquiries, the Dangerous Goods Engineer will also assist in providing guidance to the Department for Transport (DfT), industry bodies and enforcement authorities. This role is also responsible for reviewing audit reports, organising liaison meetings with inspection bodies, and actively participating in standards committees or working groups to develop and refine regulations and industry standards.

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 Working for the Vehicle Certification Agency , Civil Service Careers

Job description

We are seeking an individual with strong engineering knowledge and practical experience, as these will be essential for interpreting and applying relevant regulations. The role requires good organisational skills to manage a diverse workload, along with a high level of attention to detail to ensure accurate handling of data. Strong communication skills are also important, enabling effective engagement with industry stakeholders, government bodies, and the public. The ability to tailor communication to different audiences will be crucial.

The Dangerous Goods Office is currently modernising its work processes, systems, and tools to enhance efficiency and deliver better value for money. The postholder will be expected to actively contribute to this improvement initiative and will have the chance to influence the way in which the office operates in future.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Develop an understanding of the regulatory framework for dangerous goods and a detailed knowledge of the regulatory provisions for tanks and pressure equipment
• Become familiar with the administrative process for appointing inspection bodies (AIBs), ultimately taking responsibility for this workstream
• Answer dangerous goods enquiries from industry and the public in a concise, accurate and timely manner
• Review UKAS accreditation visit reports and bring any significant non-compliance to the attention of your colleagues as appropriate
• Monitor AIB activity on the DfT/VCA tank certification database and periodically audit selected work
• Prepare timely management alerts and reports on audited activity, including improvements where appropriate, and analysis of database activity and trends
• In conjunction with colleagues, liaise with AIBs to arrange witnessing of inspections and tests, ensuring that over time all AIBs and locations are sampled, including overseas locations if necessary
• Contribute to the development and documentation of systematic workflow procedures
• Make considered contributions to improve the dangerous goods regulatory regime, participating in meetings as appropriate, including overseas if necessary
• Develop competency in other VCA DGO workstreams sufficient to cover for colleagues when required
• Work within VCA Quality Management System to ensure high quality standards are maintained

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills set out in the Civil Service Line Management Standards.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile attached. 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

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

• Excellent communication skills using a variety of media as appropriate (verbal, written and in-person)
• Experience of either dangerous goods regulations or tanks (e.g., pressure vessels), and/or familiarity with related legislation
• The ability to comprehend, absorb and retain significant amounts of regulatory and technical detail
• Practical experience in the application of engineering test requirements
• Strong attention to detail when checking documentation and accuracy in data entry
• Ability to answer enquiries effectively, ensuring that sound advice and accurate information is given in a timely manner.
• Customer focused, with the ability to understand and respond to the needs and expectations of both external and internal stakeholders.
• Good IT skills – MS Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Adobe

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.

The position involves regular travel within the UK and may occasionally require overseas travel which would also include overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

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

Qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor, or willingness to undertake training and examination
Qualification in engineering or technical discipline equivalent to NQF Level 3; or equivalent experience within engineering or technical discipline.

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.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Government Science and Engineering Career Framework - Building and applying knowledge (Complying with requirements/standards)
• Government Science and Engineering Career Framework - Building and applying knowledge (Developing / Maintaining Expertise)

Benefits

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 attached.

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.

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 (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Experience of using your judgement and excellent attention to detail to make effective decisions on compliance against standards and regulations.
• Experience of managing your own workload to meet challenging deadlines.
• Experience of providing, clear, precise and up to date information to external stakeholders.

The sift will take place between 19/08/2026 - 21/08/2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Working Together, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions
• Experience – (list Experience criteria here)
• Technical – Government Science and Engineering Career Framework:

1. Building and applying knowledge (Complying with requirements/standards)

2. Building and applying knowledge (Developing / Maintaining Expertise)

The interviews will take place week commencing 07/09/2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. 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 a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

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

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 are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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.

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

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 basic (or equivalent) 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 : Ziyad Akhlaq
• Email : ziyad.akhlaq@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

VCA Candidate Pack Dangerous Goods Opens in new window (pdf, 6040kB)Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 187kB)