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Inspector
Job summary
Can you help raise the quality of walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure across England?
Do you have the technical expertise to assess scheme designs, interpret drawings and promote inclusive, high-quality active travel provision?
Have you worked in highways, transport planning, urban design, spatial planning, accessibility or sustainable transport, and influenced delivery with local authorities or partners?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Active Travel England is the government’s executive agency responsible for making walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyday short journeys. Our inspections team will help embed new standards, identify good and poor practice, support local authority capability and ensure schemes meet the needs of all users. This is an exciting opportunity to join a specialist team shaping better streets and healthier, more inclusive communities.
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: Active Travel England roles: Active Travel England - Department for Transport Careers
Job description
Active Travel England is seeking experienced transport, highways, planning, design and accessibility professionals to help build its inspection function. You will support improved walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure across England by assessing schemes, promoting high design standards and strengthening local authority capability. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with active travel expertise, strong technical and stakeholder skills, and a commitment to creating healthier, more inclusive communities.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Work with a range of stakeholders to ensure ATE’s inspection functions are well understood and embedded in design practice
- Deliver the scheme inspection regime, highlighting examples of good and poor practice, and engaging with local authorities to raise standards
- Ensure that a range of needs are considered when inspecting and advising on scheme design including children, older people, women, disabled people and people from a range of ethnic backgrounds
- Help support local authorities to enable them to design and deliver high quality active travel infrastructure
- Be part of a team of talented inspectors who can make an impact at the scheme level as well as by influencing the policy agenda
- Prepare data for monitoring and tracking of scheme assets
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
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
Essential qualifications:
- Eligible for, working towards, or currently holding membership of a relevant chartered institute, such as ICE, CIHT, CILT, RTPI or CMLI.
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Technical knowledge of active travel design, including the ability to interpret scheme drawings, support the development of technical designs, and apply relevant standards and guidance such as Manual for Streets, Inclusive Mobility and LTN 1/20.
- Experience in the design, delivery or supervision of highways, transport, urban design, spatial planning, accessibility or sustainable transport schemes.
- Experience working with stakeholders, including local authorities, to influence delivery, raise standards and ensure inclusive outcomes for all users.
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.
Occasional travel may be required to visit and support local authorities, inspect schemes, engage with delivery partners and understand site-specific issues. This may include travel to other offices, project sites and local authority (including MCAs/MSAs) areas across England, and may 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.
Visa Sponsorship
DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £44,241, Active Travel England 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 (opens in a new window).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 (opens in a new window).
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, Behaviour and Personal Statement
Stage 2: Presentation and 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:
Behaviours – you will be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the following Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing
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:
- Technical knowledge of active travel design, including the ability to interpret scheme drawings, support the development of technical designs, and apply relevant standards and guidance such as Manual for Streets, Inclusive Mobility and LTN 1/20
- Experience in the design, delivery or supervision of highways, transport, urban design, spatial planning, accessibility or sustainable transport schemes
- Experience working with stakeholders, including local authorities, to influence delivery, raise standards and ensure inclusive outcomes for all users
The sift will take place week commencing 29/07/2026.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Behaviours – Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Communicating and Influencing, Leadership
- Experience
You will also be asked to complete a presentation exercise as part of the assessment process. You will be given time to prepare immediately before the interview.
Further details about the presentation exercise will be provided on the day.
The interviews are expected to take place from the week commencing 10/08/2026.
This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided should you be selected for interview.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
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, although there may be occasions when these dates change.
Further information on the selection process
We will also hold a12-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
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 are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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.
If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.
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
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 : Becky Phillips-Melhuish
- Email : becky.phillips-melhuish@activetravelengland.gov.uk
Recruitment team
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.ukIf 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 Profile Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)Salary range
- £44,241 per year