Smarter Working Lead

Job summary

Do you have knowledge of property or estate practices?
Have you delivered projects and worked effectively within a project environment?Can you deliver change management using recognised methodologies?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

This role will play an integral role in the strategic design, implementation and embedding of Smarter Working principles across the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The role holder is responsible for understanding the journey taken so far and developing our next steps. Working alongside colleagues across DVSA and other bodies to gather input and lessons in this field, the role holder will help shape how we adopt and employ these principles across all appropriate areas of the organisation.

This role will be the focal point for all things Smarter Working as well as being heavily involved in how we deliver these solutions as part of estate projects. The role holder will lead on Smarter Working covering the following organisational wide areas; Estates Strategy, culture, leadership, business change and the broader Smarter Working strategy for DVSA.

The role will champion the Smarter Working ethos across the organisation, promoting adoption and securing support from senior leaders and line managers. Throughout the project lifecycle, you will document progress, manage stakeholders effectively, identify and address resistance to change, and escalate issues where necessary. You will also identify and develop advocates to help deliver the programme’s objectives. Address areas of resistance to drive positive outcomes.

Find out more about what it's like working at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

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

• Lead the adoption and embedding of Smarter Working principles across DVSA, supporting culture change and ensuring working practices align with organisational strategy.
• Provide expert support to estate transition, relocation and refurbishment projects, ensuring colleagues experience smooth, well‑managed moves and effective workplace design.
• Develop clear, accessible guidance, digital tools and resources that enable managers and teams to implement Smarter Working confidently and consistently.
• Engage with colleagues through site visits, events and tailored communications, gathering insight, addressing concerns and promoting best practice.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, frontline teams, TUS and specialist functions to ensure Smarter Working is understood, supported and effectively implemented.
• Work collaboratively across Estates, Change, Communications and Inclusion teams to manage risks, resolve issues and ensure solutions meet the needs of all colleagues.
• Monitor delivery, lead post‑occupation reviews and use feedback and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement across projects and working environments.
• Act as DVSA’s central point of expertise on Smarter Working, representing the agency across DfT and wider government and promoting a culture of high‑quality, flexible working environments.

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

Required experience:

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

1. Knowledge of property or estate practices
2. Experience of delivering projects and working effectively within a project environment
3. Experience in delivering change management using recognised methodologies, including the design, promotion, delivery and embedding of change strategies
4. Experience in stakeholder management and engagement.

Additional Information

Qualifications

Change Management Practitioner (or equivalent qualification) or willingness to work towards or equivalent experience.
OR
Project delivery qualification or willingness to work towards or equivalent experience.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

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.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

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:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,241, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £12,816 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.

This includes:

• a generous annual leave entitlement
• attractive pension options with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• flexible working
• good career development opportunities
• a variety of career paths
• inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance

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 and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of the following:

1. Knowledge of property or estate practices

2. Experience of delivering projects and working effectively within a project environment

3. Experience in delivering change management using recognised methodologies, including the design, promotion, delivery and embedding of change strategies

4. Experience in stakeholder management and engagement

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile element, Experience, 1. Knowledge of property or estate practices. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The sift will take place from 14/04/2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Communicating & Influencing, Changing & Improving, Working Together and Leadership

• Experience – see attached role profile

The interviews will take place from 30/04/2026.

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. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

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

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 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 : Philip Ray
• Email : philip.ray@dvsa.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

Smarter Working Lead - JD FINAL v2 (008) Opens in new window (docx, 800kB)