Policy and Engagement Manager

Can you build effective working relationships with cross-Government colleagues?

Are you confident in building productive relationships, influencing across organisational boundaries, and helping partners align around shared objectives?

Do you want to help shape the Government’s response to crime and policing on the rail network?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Every day millions of passengers and rail staff rely on the railway being safe and secure. In this role you will help shape the Government’s response to crime and policing on the rail network, working closely with the British Transport Police (BTP), and the rail industry. You will be the lead for the recently launched Safer Railway Scheme, and will be responsible for managing the ongoing continuous improvement of the scheme in collaboration with BTP and the rail industry. You will lead on the relationship with rail industry representatives delivering security on the railway, and attend rail security industry meetings on behalf of the Department.

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 and 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 DfT: Working in Policy , Civil Service Careers

This is a high-profile role with unusual access to both policy development and operational delivery. You will see the direct impact of your work on passengers and rail staff, gain experience of Ministerial and legislative work, and build relationships across government, policing and the rail industry. You will often work on fast-paced policy in response to live incidents.

You will also lead on replying to correspondence on policing, crime and security on the rail network, ensuring responses are detailed and sensitive to the content, that can often be directly from victims of crime.

If you want to, you will also have the opportunity to join the division’s on call rota, which attracts an additional supplementary payment, paid monthly, and overtime.

This will be available after a period of 6 months once you have passed your probationary period.

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

• Support the development of rail crime and policing policy
• Support the department’s operational relationship with the British Transport Police
• Work with internal and external partners to identify risks, resolve issues and align activity around shared objectives.
• Provide high-quality advice, briefing and correspondence on rail crime and policing matters
• Play a role in incident response, both within and outside your immediate remit.

Colleagues are expected to work with a degree of flexibility, meaning responsibilities may change to support priority delivery.

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.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

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 Behaviours

Stage 2: Written Policy Exercise

Stage 3: Interview

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 each the following Behaviours; Working Together and Delivering at Pace
• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount)

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Behaviour - Working Together. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift will take place from Monday 16th November 2026.

Stage 2: Written Policy Exercise At assessment stage, you will be invited to complete a written policy exercise. The assessment will take place online via Microsoft Teams. You will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Technical: Policy Profession Standards and Descriptors: Democracy 2.1. - Working with Ministers Level 1 – Developing

The assessment stage will take place from Thursday 26th November 2026.

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to the assessment.

Candidates successful at assessment stage will be invited to interview.

Stage 3: InterviewAt interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Working Together, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, See the Big Picture
• Technical – Policy Profession Standards and Descriptors: Strategy 1.1. - Policy Context and Purpose Level 1 - Developing
• Policy Profession Standards and Descriptors: : Democracy 2.1. - Working with Ministers Level 1 – Developing

The interviews will take place from Thursday 10th December 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.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

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

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.