Location: Birmingham, Leeds, London

 

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Are you experienced with designing, commissioning and delivering social research and evaluation projects?

 

Can you identify solutions to deliver evidence or advice to policy in a fast-paced environment?

 

Do you have experience of social research and evaluation methods?

 

Would you like to shape the future of the Department for Transport?

 

If so, then we would love for you to apply!

Who is the Head of Strategic Roads Social Research and Evaluation?

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a complex, high-profile programme of work, taking a strategic approach to social research and evaluation in roads. This role would suit a strong social researcher who is looking to build their leadership skills and multidisciplinary work. 

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of key Government and Departmental missions, such as growing the economy, promoting safety and creating a green transport network, through high quality research and evaluation.

A key priority will be designing, delivering and assuring a range of high profile, strategically important research and evaluation programmes. This includes designing and delivering the Road Investment Strategy (RIS) programme evaluation. This will be a large, multi-year, multi-stranded evaluation, complex in terms of scale, methods and stakeholder engagement. This evaluation will deliver crucial evidence for the department, to ensure we have a robust assessment of the impacts of the RIS programme, to make the case as to why funding is needed to maintain the existing network as well as deliver new schemes. 

You will also be responsible for designing, delivering and assuring research and evaluation projects to support the wider strategic roads and smart motorways agenda. This includes working other analysts (including National Highways) to develop a cohesive evidence base, commissioning new research and providing advice to policy colleagues in how to use evidence appropriately.   

You will be embedded in a multidisciplinary analytical team, REME (Roads Economics, Modelling and Evaluation), working with a range of professions in DfT and National Highways (social researchers, evaluators, economists and transport modellers, statisticians). REME is a friendly and inclusive team of around 20 analysts, with a strong focus on learning and sharing expertise. We have analysts in Birmingham, Leeds and London, and National Highways also have offices in Birmingham. We are looking to expand our representation in Leeds and Birmingham teams further. 

DfT have around 300 staff based in the state-of-the-art Colmore Building in Birmingham and 400 staff based in Wellington Place in Leeds. Both offices have a growing community of analysts, regularly holding events (e.g. learning and development) and active engagement with other government departments.

We use our multi-disciplinary expertise to provide creative and innovative analytical insights and assurance in policy making - helping make travelling on roads smoother, safer and cleaner - now and for the future.  

The team aims to ensure that relevant, robust and trusted evidence is at the centre of policy making, lessons are learnt through policy evaluations and investment decisions provide value for money. There are lots of opportunities to make strategic suggestions and develop ways of working, both within your team, and in terms of working with other analysts and policy colleagues.

Responsibilities

Key duties of the role include:

• Providing analytical leadership. Provide overall leadership for the portfolio of research and evaluation activity in the roads directorates.
• Providing expert advice to deliver impactful research. Ensure that research and evaluation is targeted on policy needs; shape work with stakeholders to create impact.
• Identify solutions to deliver evidence or advice to policy in a fast-paced environment. Manage a portfolio of work, to advisory roles, or lighter-touch, creative analysis.
• Take a strong approach to prioritisation, making recommendations for where research/evaluation can have the most impact or address key areas of risk and stakeholder concern, or where work can be stopped or reduced.
• Provide advice and suitable quality assurance to ensure social research and/or evaluation are fit for purpose. This includes DfT products as well as products commissioned by others.
• Collaborate with other analysts and analytical disciplines, including economists, statisticians and transport modellers within roads and across DfT, as well as delivery agencies, academics and other stakeholders.

For an in-depth insight into the role please refer to the Role Profile.

Find out more about working within policy at the Department for Transport:https://careers.dft.gov.uk/policy/  

This role is suitable for an experienced social researcher who is ready for a challenging, policy-facing role. You will need to be confident working with a range of stakeholders and be good at structuring problems to find the best way forward.

To be successful as the Head of Strategic Roads Social Research and Evaluation, you will have: 

• Broad experience of social research and evaluation methods.
• Experience in designing, commissioning and delivering social research and evaluation projects.
• Experience of working with policy and other stakeholders to identify what evidence is needed and targeting research and evaluation on decision-making. 
  
  

Additional Information 

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.  

Occasional travel to other DfT offices will be required.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this role you will need to either be a member of the Government Social Research (GSR) profession, or demonstrate how you meet the qualification requirements, as outlined in the Government Social Research Membership & Eligibility Guidance: Government Social Research Membership and Eligibility Guidance - GOV.UK

Qualification requirements are dependent on whether candidates are eligible for GSR professional membership under the qualification route or the experience route:

Qualification route:

• Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with an additional postgraduate degree.
• The degree must include a substantial research methods component, comprising around 30% of the modules taken on the course.
  
  

Experience route:

• Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with an additional postgraduate degree, in any subject; OR a degree equivalent such as the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice.
• In addition to the above qualification, applicants must also have at least 4 years' experience of social research practice, which may consist of working in a research agency, market research agency or a specialist research team.
  
  

In your application, please remember to include details on:

• Any social research modules taken as part of your undergraduate or postgraduate degree.
• Any relevant professional qualifications you hold, such as the MRS Advanced Certificate or equivalent.
  
  

You will be asked to provide proof of qualifications should you be successful at sift.

You must meet the criteria listed out under the Eligibility section, under Additional Information. This can be either holding the relevant qualifications or having the relevant experience that has been listed.

You will be asked to confirm which route you are applying via at a later stage of the application form.

Do you hold a Government Social Research Membership?

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  
  

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

• Technical Skills
• Using and promoting social research
  
  

Alongside your salary of £54,857, Department for Transport contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Please note, the above example is based on the National minimum salary. The employer pension contribution will be 28.97% of your specific salary.  

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

 

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

 

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Job contact

• Name: Emily Sumner
• Email: [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email: [email protected]