Estates Compliance & Assurance Lead

Job summary

Can you lead quality, health and safety, and environmental assurance activities while working collaboratively with senior stakeholders to drive compliance and continuous improvement?

Do you have senior-level experience managing risk, audits, and assurance within a large organisation, delivering safe, compliant, and continuously improving working environments?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

This role sits in the Estates function, reporting to the Head of Workplace and Facilities Management and is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining DfT’s quality assurance strategy and ensuring compliance across the estate. The role ensures compliance with all relevant legislation, standards, and departmental policies while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence across all business areas. The role is also required to assist with implementing and maintaining both the Health & Safety, and Environmental management systems.

This will include working with senior leadership across the Estates team and the wider Department to lead and deliver workplace changes to make the places where people work safer, more efficient and positive places to work. It will involve working with the Health and Safety Policy function and workplace team across multiple office locations throughout the country to ensure that our workplaces are compliant. This will involve planning and implementing changes to buildings and systems as well as leading incident response and management (as the first line Health and Safety function) where Health and Safety incidents require reporting and immediate action.

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 Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

The role holder will be a strong communicator who can work collaboratively across multiple functions including, but not limited to, the G7 Health and Safety Policy Manager, G7 Sustainability Lead and G7 Customer Experience Manager. The role holder will be responsible for sharing best practice and supporting with the management of plans following assurance checks.

The postholder’s duties will include but are not limited to:

Quality Assurance

• Develop, maintain, and continually improve a Quality Management System (QMS) in line with ISO 9001 and customer requirements.
• Lead internal and external audits, ensuring corrective and preventive actions are identified, implemented, and verified.
• Monitor and report on quality performance indicators, including defect rates, customer complaints, and process non-conformances.

Health & Safety Management

• Planning and delivering proactive changes to Departmental Health and Safety in line with legislative changes.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant health and safety legislation, codes of practice, and company procedures.
• Conduct regular site inspections, risk assessments, and safety audits to identify and mitigate hazards.

Environmental Management

In conjunction with the Sustainability Lead:

• Implement and manage the Environmental Management System (EMS) in line with ISO 14001.
• Monitor environmental performance and ensure compliance with relevant environmental regulations and permits.
• Promote sustainable practices, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, and pollution prevention initiatives.

For further information on the role, please read the attached 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

The successful candidate will be expected to have significant experience in delivering compliance and assurance as well as managing Health and Safety delivery within a large, corporate environment at a senior level. Experience of strong communication and delivering improvement is essential. Experience of managing risk proportionately to deliver/create a safe, efficient and positive working environment is essential.

You will need to have the following experience:

• Quality and Assurance Management
  Experience developing and improving quality management systems, leading audits, monitoring performance, and driving continuous improvement in line with recognised standards.

• Health and Safety Leadership
  Senior-level experience delivering Health and Safety compliance, managing audits and investigations, and embedding safe working practices across complex organisations.

• Environmental and Sustainability Management
  Experience supporting environmental management systems, regulatory compliance, performance monitoring, and sustainability initiatives aligned to recognised standards.

• Risk Management and Governance
  Proven ability to manage risk proportionately, support governance arrangements, and contribute effectively to senior-level committees.

• Communication and Stakeholder Engagement
  Strong communication skills, with experience advising senior stakeholders, delivering training, and working collaboratively to drive compliance and improvement.

The postholder will be expected to have as a minimum the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety accreditation or equivalent and be willing to work towards the NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals.

Additional Information

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.

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.

Visa Sponsorship

DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Qualifications

The postholder will be expected to have as a minimum the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety accreditation or equivalent

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

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.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 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

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.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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 word count) and personal statement (750 words). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:

• Quality and Assurance Management
  Experience developing and improving quality management systems, leading audits, monitoring performance, and driving continuous improvement in line with recognised standards.

• Health and Safety Leadership
  Senior-level experience delivering Health and Safety compliance, managing audits and investigations, and embedding safe working practices across complex organisations.

• Environmental and Sustainability Management
  Experience supporting environmental management systems, regulatory compliance, performance monitoring, and sustainability initiatives aligned to recognised standards.

The sift will take place from the 09th February 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

1. Behaviours - Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together.
2. Experience.

The interviews will take online via MS Teams from the 23rd February 2026. 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. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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.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 : elliot morgan
• Email : elliot.morgan@dft.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 Pofile Opens in new window (pdf, 170kB)