Senior Policy Advisor

Can you shape policy and influence decisions that make a real difference?

Have you delivered results through collaboration, analysis and sound judgement?

Are you a proactive and curious professional looking for your next challenge?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

The Department for Transport is at the heart of some of the UK's most ambitious and high-profile initiatives, shaping the future of transport across the nation. From major infrastructure projects and transport innovation to improving connectivity and supporting economic growth, our work impacts millions of people every day. As part of our Policy Profession, you will join a supportive and collaborative community, providing trusted advice, developing evidence-based solutions and helping to deliver meaningful outcomes for citizens, businesses and communities across the UK.

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: Policy opportunities at the Department for Transport - Department for Transport Careers

As a Senior Policy Advisor, you are expected to work with a degree of flexibility, meaning responsibilities may change to support priority delivery.

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

• Leading policy advice for Ministers, other Government Departments (including Cabinet Office, No10 and HM Treasury) and senior officials, including but not limited to: Ministerial briefings, Parliamentary business, freedom of information requests and correspondence.
• Supporting senior managers with policy creation/implementation.
• Gathering information, including engaging with internal and external experts, and bringing it together to deliver high quality oral and written briefing.
• Developing and maintaining good working relationships with departmental, cross-Government and external stakeholders to support policy development and delivery.
• Making clear recommendations on complex questions, working with stakeholders in a fast-moving environment, managing ambiguity and handling the dynamics of multiple competing priorities.

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.

Open Session:

Would you like to find out more about the role, what it’s like to work in our department and guidance on how to apply?

If so, we are organising an open session where you can virtually 'meet the team' on Tuesday 10 November 2026, 13:00 - 13:40. Please use the following link - SEO Policy Advisor: Recruitment information session

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 personal statement

Stage 2: Assessment - Policy exercise

Stage 3: 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:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Leading discrete projects and taking forward your own initiatives to support the delivery of policy objectives.
• Compiling, analysing and interpreting evidence to inform policy development and decision-making.
• Communicating complex or important messages effectively, adapting your approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
• Producing high-quality written work to tight deadlines, ensuring accuracy and attention to detail.

The sift will take place 16 - 18 November 2026.

Stage 2: Assessment

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:
• Pillar One: Strategy – using evidence and analysis. Generating, assessing and applying evidence and analysis to understand the context and develop new strategies
• Pillar Two: Democracy – understanding and supporting good governance. Understanding and supporting good governance and accountability through the production of robust and challenging advice to inform decisions

Government Policy Profession - For this role you should demonstrate a developing (level 1) ability to apply these skills. For further details about the Government Policy Profession please see About us - Policy Profession - GOV.UK.

The assessment stage will take place 26 - 27 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: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Working Together, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing

The interviews will take place 07 - 11 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 will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.