Deputy Director Aviation Policy

Job summary

We are looking for an exceptional leader to join the Aviation Directorate as Deputy Director for Aviation Policy. This is a high‑profile and strategically significant SCS1 role at the heart of shaping the UK’s long‑term aviation policy, commercial strategy, and regulatory oversight.

The postholder will lead major cross‑government policy programmes; steward key relationships with airports, airlines, and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA); and ensure the UK maintains a competitive, resilient and consumer‑focused aviation sector.

You will work closely with the Director of Aviation and play a central role in the senior leadership team for a Directorate of around 110 staff. This role requires exceptional judgement, strong commercial awareness, and the ability to lead through complexity, managing diverse teams and influencing senior stakeholders across government and industry.

Job description

Key Responsibilities include:

• Provide Strategic and Commercial Leadership Across the Directorate

Set a clear long‑term vision for aviation policy development, embedding commercial insight into decision‑making and driving strategic coherence across the Directorate. Lead the Directorate’s Strategy Board, guiding strategic priorities and ensuring the organisation can anticipate and respond effectively to emerging challenges, opportunities, and ministerial direction.

• Oversee Commercial Monitoring and Market Analysis

Lead the Directorate’s commercial monitoring function, ensuring robust analysis of aviation market performance, risks, and trends. Strengthen capability in assessing competition and commercial behaviours across the aviation sector. Lead policy responses to emerging commercial issues, including airline insolvency and market disruption.

• Lead Airport Engagement and Cross‑Government Coordination

Oversee the Directorate’s strategic engagement with major UK airports, identifying emerging policy challenges and coordinating robust cross‑government responses. Support senior officials and ministers in their engagement with airport leaders and ensure consistent, joined‑up messaging on key aviation priorities.

• Lead the Aviation Council and Associated Sub‑groups

Lead the Department’s work on the Aviation Council and its sub‑groups, including Freight and Competitiveness. Shape compelling policy narratives on the economic value of air freight and identify targeted policy options to support growth, innovation and long‑term sector resilience.

• Sponsor the Civil Aviation Authority and Strengthen Governance

Lead departmental sponsorship of the CAA, ensuring strong relationships with senior leadership and effective governance, assurance and accountability arrangements. Represent the Department on the CAA People Committee and Audit Committee, coordinate the CAA Sponsorship Board, and oversee allocation of CAA grant funding.

• Lead Consumer Policy and Legislative Reform

Lead work to improve aviation consumer outcomes, including accessibility, strengthened consumer rights, and reform of the ATOL scheme. Oversee development of primary legislation to enhance the CAA’s consumer enforcement powers and lead secondary legislation to modernise consumer protections.

• Provide Cross‑Directorate Policy Leadership and High‑Quality Ministerial Advice

Provide responsive, forward‑looking policy support across the Directorate, including contributions to cross‑government strategies and commissions. Ensure alignment with wider government priorities and lead responses to major industry, regulatory and infrastructure challenges. Provide clear, authoritative advice to ministers.

Person specification

You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Deputy Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

• Strategic leadership and organisational impact
  Proven experience operating at senior level, setting long‑term strategic direction and leading large, multidisciplinary teams through complex and high‑profile policy, commercial or regulatory challenges. A strong track record of building inclusive, high‑performing teams and driving delivery across multiple, competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Policy design, regulation and legislative delivery
  Extensive experience of designing, shaping and delivering high‑quality public policy, including work in complex or regulated sectors. Demonstrable experience of leading or contributing to regulatory reform, primary or secondary legislation, and coordinating delivery across government, arm’s‑length bodies and external partners.
• Commercial insight and market understanding
  Strong commercial and analytical capability, with experience of working closely with private‑sector organisations or commercially regulated industries. Proven ability to understand market dynamics, commercial incentives and competition issues, and to use robust analysis to inform strategic decisions, manage risk and respond to market disruption.
• Governance, sponsorship and assurance
  Significant experience of governance and sponsorship, including oversight of arm’s‑length bodies or similar organisations. Ability to establish strong assurance, accountability and performance management arrangements, while maintaining effective, constructive relationships with senior leaders
• Stakeholder engagement and influencing Ability to engage and influence effectively at senior levels across industry, regulators and wider government, building credibility with external stakeholders and leading high profile sector engagement, councils or forums. Substantial experience providing clear, authoritative advice to senior officials and Ministers in politically sensitive or high profile policy areas, with the ability to simplify complex issues, exercise sound judgement under pressure, and balance evidence, risk, consumer interests and wider government priorities.

• Programme, financial and risk management
  Demonstrated experience of leading major programmes or portfolios, managing significant budgets, and ensuring robust financial and delivery governance across multiple workstreams. Strong risk management skills, with the ability to anticipate issues and take decisive, evidence‑based action.
• Sector and contextual expertise
  Experience in aviation, transport, economic policy or other commercially regulated sectors is highly valued, as is experience working with or within regulators. Familiarity with consumer policy, accessibility, or enforcement frameworks would be a strong advantage.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Transport contributes £23,465 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.
(Leave is Pro rata basis for part time/job share)

Staff Wellbeing

Flexible working including part-time or term-time 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).

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

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on Sunday 1st March 2026

The application will include:

• 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.
• 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

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

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.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order 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, we will also be using the following four behaviours at the interview stage:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Further information about Success Profiles can be found here:

We intend to hold the interviews face-to-face in London; however, we would consider virtual options if required. All shortlisted candidates will receive a scenario 30 minutes before their interview.

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: Sunday 1st March 2026

Shortlist: C11th /12th March 2026

Panel Interviews: W/C 23rd March 2026

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Reserve lists

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

Further Information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

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.

Should candidates like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact: Liam.Pearce@dft.gov.uk

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:

• 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.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 : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. 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; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

DD Aviation Policy CiP Opens in new window (pdf, 2206kB)449069 Deputy Director Aviation Policy Accessibility Pack Opens in new window (docx, 23kB)