Overview
The Department for Transport (DfT) policy profession has a community of over eight hundred policy experts working on a diverse range of topics, and this is a great time to be joining us!
Roles in transport policy will have a massive impact on the future of the UK and the prosperity of its people as we recover from Covid-19. DfT leads billion-pound infrastructure projects such as HS2, helping to connect our towns and cities more effectively to level up and grow our economy. We’re supporting the uptake of electric vehicles, and research into clean, low carbon technologies such as hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels which will help us meet the Government’s net zero commitments.
Our work on international travel and trade – and showcasing the UK’s transport expertise – helps demonstrate our global impact and leadership. And, we‘re ensuring existing services such as our road, walking, bus and cycling networks allow people and goods to make the journeys they need to.
DfT’s Ministers place their trust in our policymakers’ views to help them make crucial decisions. As a policy professional, it will be your job to provide honest, impartial, objective and accurate advice to our Ministers so they can take the right decisions for the country, shaping our transport system for years and decades to come.
Work at the heart of government is ever-changing so it’s essential that policy professionals are proactive, energetic and feel comfortable in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. Our policy-makers come from all walks of life, all types of backgrounds and all ages. We encourage a variety of ideas to ensure our policy-making is the best it can be. We would love for you to consider working with us.
What you could be doing
Your advice will involve proposing ideas and solutions for tackling the issues of the day. When you are crafting your policy advice, you’ll have to weave many things together: expert opinions, analysis, and the views of stakeholders (to name a few), and identify approaches that you’re confident will work in the real world.
To be a truly effective policy-maker, you’ll need to apply knowledge and skills in:
- developing and using a sound policy knowledge base (evidence).
- understanding and managing the political context (politics).
- planning from the outset for how the policy will be delivered (delivery).
- bringing all of this together to support our Ministers and the wider Government.
What our Policy professionals say about working for DfT
Gemma Dooley, Data Protection Policy, (Strategy, Policy & Comms) DVLA
“My role is to provide advice to both internal and external stakeholders…”
Lewis Young, Policy Advisor, Mark Management Team, DVLA
“Working in the policy environment is very varied. On a day-to-day basis…”
Jaclyn Williams, Parliamentary & Strategy Team, DVLA
“This year I joined our Ministerial Correspondence team on a temporary…”
Does the DfT Policy Profession sound like the opportunity you have been waiting for? Visit Working for the Department for Transport to see what vacancies we currently have available. We look forward to welcoming you on board.