HR Officer

Job summary

Do you have an interest HR and want to further develop your knowledge?

Can you effectively interact with a range of stakeholders?

Are you passionate about people, confident at delivering solutions to problems and communicating with different audiences?

Is it time to find a vocation where you can strike a work-life balance, have access to lots of Civil Service benefits, and will be highly regarded by your team and colleagues?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

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.

Do not just take our word for it, here is Margaret Popo, Head of HR to tell you more. Please also refer to our Candidate Pack and VCA website for more information.

Please also refer to our Candidate Pack and VCA website for more information.

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

We are seeking a HR Officer to join our HR team. The team is friendly, collaborative and delivery focussed. If you are seeking to develop your HR skills and experience, then this could be the opportunity for you. We are looking for somebody who shares our values of honesty, integrity, objectivity, impartiality, and professionalism.

You will be required to support the HR Business Partner in a range of workstreams, specifically learning and development, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing. You will need to have previous experience working in a HR role and evidence of working with stakeholders at all levels. As a HR Officer, you’ll work closely with the HR Business Partner in progressing several key HR objectives that support the organisation’s business plan.

The post offers an excellent opportunity to work in a vibrant and growing organisation. The successful candidate should understand the contribution and impact of personnel practice on organisational success, staff performance and its importance as a change agent.

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

Learning and Development

• Support, facilitate and coordinate the delivery and management of development programmes within VCA. Drive efficiency in approach to achieve excellent learner experience and customer service, considering various tools and technology to do this
• Research volunteering opportunities, developing an external network and promoting the opportunities within the VCA
• Support the HR Business Partner on work experience initiatives.
• Track and provide data on learning development interventions measuring feedback and providing reports that highlight any learning needs and feedback with the HRBP.

Diversity and Inclusion

• Work towards the organisation’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
• Creating and maintaining a Diversity and Inclusion calendar, working with the VCA Communications team to create content aligned to the calendar encouraging sharing experiences across the organisation.

Wellbeing

• The role will lead on organisation and administration of all VCA wellbeing and training events, liaising with staff, departments and external training providers.
• Track and provide data on wellbeing interventions measuring feedback and providing reports that highlight any learning needs and feedback with the HR Business Partner
• Responsible for identifying and sourcing wellbeing activities and making recommendations on suitable courses.

HR Business Partner Support

• Contribute to the development, delivery and review of the organisation’s line management training.
• Act as a notetaker in supporting a range of employee relations matters, such as sickness absence, disciplinary etc.
• Work with the HR team and key stakeholders to ensure that HR projects and plans are appropriately communicated and implemented.
• Create and maintain HR hub intranet pages in relation to learning and development, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing.
• Work with line managers to support them in facilitating the informal process of the organisation’s sickness absence policy.
• Any other reasonable task commensurate with the grade

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

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

• Worked within a fast-paced HR environment, supporting a range of workstreams to ensure that HR objectives/targets are achieved.
• Familiarity with HR policies/procedures and their practical application
• Strong collaborating and influencing skills with stakeholders ate all levels.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both verbal and written
• Excellent IT skills, including word-processing, Excel, SharePoint, and PowerPoint
• Strong organisational skills
• Able to work flexibly and sometimes under pressure to deliver a range of different areas of work simultaneously to required standards and timescales.
• Worked within a fast-paced HR environment with the ability to organise and prioritise a busy workload.
• Be able to collate, run reports and provide data.
• Interest in learning and development and/ or wellbeing, supporting people to reach their potential.

Additional Information

Level 3 CIPD qualified or currently working towards this.

Fixed-Term Appointment Working

This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis to complete a finite piece of work.

For permanent Civil Servants, this role is only available on loan, so you must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. There is no opportunity for a permanent Civil Servant to take on this role as a fixed term appointment. OGD applicants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance.

If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer, and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.

Full time roles consist of 37 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.

If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert 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.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

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). Further detail can also be viewed in the attached 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 (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Worked within a fast-paced HR environment, supporting a range of workstreams to ensure that HR objectives/targets are achieved.
• Familiarity with HR policies/procedures and their practical application.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, both verbal and written.

The sift will take place from 7th April 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

• Behaviours - Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Managing a Quality Service and Delivering at Pace
• Experience

The interviews will take place week commencing 20th April 2026.

This interview will be conducted 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

Merit List

Please note that candidates placed on the merit list will be considered for suitable positions as they arise. Being on the merit list may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role of HR Officer.

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 : Jamie Stevenson
• Email : jamie.stevenson@vca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

The Vehicle Certification Agency’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address resourcingteam@voa.gsi.gov.uk If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to complain to the Civil Service Commissioners For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 191kB)VCA_Candidate_Pack_Finance_and_Resources_Rev0 Opens in new window (pdf, 6072kB)