HR Business Consultant

Job summary

Are you an experienced HR Professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced, busy environment?

Do you enjoy building strong, influential and lasting relationships with a broad range of stakeholders?

Are you able to extract information to provide evidence that supports the agency’s strategies?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) plays a vital role in keeping Britain’s roads safe and efficient.

DVLA’s Human Resources and Estates Directorate is at the heart of our organisation, supporting around 6,000 full time and part-time employees. We foster a workplace where our people can thrive, develop, and make a real difference every day. Our team is dedicated to championing talent, wellbeing, and innovation, ensuring that DVLA remains a great place to work and a driving force for positive change across the nation.

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 DVLA.

Job description

We are looking for a positive, professional HR Business Consultant to join our HR team here at DVLA. You will be the face of HR out in the business, providing HR business consultancy support and advice. You will act as a critical friend, coaching and appropriately challenging the business, advising on people related issues. You will support managers with people related issues and queries, as well as upskilling people to develop leadership capabilities.

You will analyse data, using it to identify people issues within the business and suitable solutions.

This is an exciting, fast-paced and varied role in which no two days will be the same.

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

• Work with business areas to support the delivery of the people plan.
• Coach managers to effectively handle people issues, including performance management, staff engagement, and conduct
• Develop strong and influential relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to identify local business issues across all HR disciplines that require HR solutions
• Monitor actual workforce numbers to ensure business areas are meeting workforce targets and highlight any areas of concern
• Liaise with the HR policy team and subject matter experts on commonly identified HR policy and practice issues within the business, working together to produce resolutions and quality assure the consistent application of HR policies and practices
• Manage distinct HR projects, instinctively incorporating HR and business metrics to quantify impact
• Drive continuous improvement and act as a change agent, seeking best practice from both within and outside the Agency when supporting HR-related change in the business area
• Analyse HR management information to inform business intelligence and implement actions to continuously improve the business

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

We are looking for a confident, articulate and resilient HR professional who can effectively balance drive and sensitivity. You will be comfortable offering appropriate challenge and suggesting alternative ideas.

You are a curious person and can analyse data and management information (MI) to identify people-related issues. You will utilise and present this information to the business as evidence to underpin your advice and guidance.

You will have excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage your key stakeholders, building robust relationships based on trust and capability, enabling you to identify suitable solutions to issues that arise.

You are a team player with a collaborative style, and can bring others together with the resilience and determination to achieve goals and drive continuous improvement. You will be able to articulate the benefits of change and encourage others to recognise these. You will support business managers and provide coaching on people matters whilst role modelling HR values.

For this role you will need to be CIPD qualified at level 5, or willing to work towards this once in post.

Additional Information

We welcome applications from candidates who can speak Welsh and English. Welsh language skills would be useful in this role, but it is not an assessment criterion so it won’t put you at any disadvantage during recruitment if you aren’t a Welsh speaker. Please note that the assessment process will be held in English.

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 32 hours per week over 5 days.

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.

There will be a requirement for occasional travel to our Birmingham office which will involve 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 do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,663, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency contributes £10,331 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.
• 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, Strengths and Experience.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's experience, 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:

• Experience of working in a HR environment / advising on HR policies and procedures.
• Using data / HR management information to make informed decisions resulting in operational business improvements.
• Developing strong and influential relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to identify business issues that require a HR solution.
• Coaching leaders to deal with people issues.

The sift will take place from 05/02/2026

Stage 4: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving
• Experience
• Strengths

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

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

This interview will be conducted in person at our Swansea office. 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

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.

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.

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service within the last 12 months, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage.

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.

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 : Cameron Hopkins
• Email : Cameron.Hopkins1@dvla.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: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 223kB)