Head of Stakeholder Engagement, International and Briefing

Can you keep calm under pressure?

Do you have extensive experience supporting a developing business sector?

Can you lead a team to get things done quickly and take people with you?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Within OZEV, the Vehicle, Consumer, and Strategy (VCS) division is creating the conditions for increased EV ownership with vehicle incentives, cyber security, and public engagement alongside supporting corporate functions for the rest of the directorate.

Leading the Stakeholder Engagement, International and Briefing Team, managing a team and overseeing high-profile correspondence, Parliamentary Questions and Ministerial Invitations. You will provide strategic direction, quality assurance and briefing support for Ministers and senior leaders, working across government and with external partners.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop expertise in electric vehicles, charge point infrastructure and transport policy, while building relationships with senior stakeholders, industry representatives and international partners in a fast-paced and influential environment.

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.

Find out more about what it's like working a Working in Policy , Civil Service Careers

Read more in the Benefits section below!

The transition to zero emission vehicles receives significant public and parliamentary scrutiny. The role holder will be responsible for ensuring clear communication of the Government’s policies and plans to a range of stakeholders, through different products and approaches. Key to this role is the ability to lead and manage others, and communicate confidently at all levels, from Ministers to industry leaders.

• Lead the team responsible for Ministerial and external engagement on zero emission vehicles, including advising on management of stakeholder relationships.
• Through your team, deliver high-quality responses to a variety of parliamentary questions, correspondence, Ministerial briefings and debate packs.
• Develop and maintain strong links across government departments and industry, to understand emerging issues which may impact the zero emission vehicle transition.
• Work closely with DfT press office to ensure media outlets receive accurate and timely information.
• Work closely with teams across departments responsible for transport and energy to inform international negotiations and ensure they align with UK commitments around zero emission vehicles.
• Work with teams across DfT to advise on bilateral and multilateral international engagement, to inform and shape UK domestic policy development.
• Oversight of and management of the SEIB team.

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.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths 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, personal statement.

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at the first 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 (1,000 word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Experience working in an external facing communications or engagement role.
• Experience developing and maintaining strong, effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, maximising the opportunities to achieve organisational objectives.
• Experience leading teams directly or indirectly, and delivering high-quality outcomes through others.
• Experience writing and copy-editing high-quality texts to deliver succinct messages on complex issues.

The sift will take place week commencing 14/09/2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Communicating and influencing, working together, leadership, and delivering at pace.
• Strengths

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing 28/09/2026.

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.

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 the How 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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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.

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.