Details
Reference number
420398
Salary
£67,313
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 6
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DVSA - Finance Commercial and Assurance
Type of role
Audit
Governance
Internal Audit
Risk Management
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Swansea
About the job
Job summary
Would you like to shape how risk, assurance and governance support better public service delivery at the heart of DVSA?
Do you thrive on leading assurance and driving improvement across complex organisations?
Have you successfully worked with Executive and Board-level stakeholders and acted as the key liaison for external assurance providers?
If so, we'd love to hear from you
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
We're working hard to:
* make roads safer
* improve services for our customers
* make road transport greener and healthier
* harness the potential of technology and data
* grow and level up the economy
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 DVSA.
Job description
DVSA seeks a strategic leader as Head of Assurance, Governance & Risk. This pivotal role drives confidence in governance, risk, and assurance frameworks, supporting the Executive Committee and Accounting Officer. You'll lead integrated assurance, oversee risk management, internal audit coordination, business continuity, and board governance. As liaison with external auditors, you'll champion transparency and improvement. Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and governance expertise are essential to identify risks, enhance performance, and embed best practices across DVSA's programmes and operations.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:
* Maintain and keep under review a risk identification, evaluation, prioritisation and reporting process in line with best practice in both the civil service and the private sector
* Maintain a corporate risk register and update on a monthly basis ensuring the Executive and Directing Board are briefed on the level of risk exposure at all times
* Working with the Executive and Directing Board, develop an annual programme of reviews of key business processes which consider the criticality of any process or project to the business and the materiality of any potential control failure, providing confidence and independent assurance to the Accounting Officer
* Maintain a live prioritisation of processes, resources and systems with a timetable for review that can adapt and reflect emerging business issues or priorities and act as a 'maintenance schedule'
* Maintain oversight of compliance with sponsor and wider Civil Service governance requirements ensuring internal guidance is updated and communicated effectively
* Execute management responsibilities effectively, working with, leading and acting as a role model for team members and colleagues, ensuring capabilities to achieve successful delivery of business performance whilst maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the financial resources delegated in line with the Civil Service values
* Regular engagement at senior level in the agency including with the CEO, Executive Committee, Audit, Risk & Assurance Committee, Investment & Change Committee etc.
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 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.
Person specification
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
* Experience leading risk management, assurance, or business process/compliance review functions, within a complex public sector environment.
* Proven ability to investigate and analyse complex organisational issues, with experience presenting findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders, including Executive and Board members.
* Strong knowledge of corporate governance, policy compliance, and assurance frameworks.
* Demonstrable success in delivering change and improvement programmes, with a solid understanding of change management principles and public service delivery.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to persuade, and influence stakeholders and to build and maintain highly collaborative and positive relationships at all levels.
Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
Visa Sponsorship
Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Leadership
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Managing a Quality Service
* Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £67,313, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £19,500 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
* 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).
* 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King's birthday.
* Access to the staff discount portal.
* Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
* Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
* 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
* Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
How to apply:
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's 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: Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
Stage 1: Sift
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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 (1250-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
* Experience as a leader of a risk management function and/or business process/compliance review function
* Experience and proven ability to investigate and analyse complex issues, processes and systems, and to present findings in a constructive manner to a broad range of stakeholders.
* Experience and excellent working knowledge of governance and policy compliance in a large complex organisation
* Experience of delivering improvements, managing operational or structural change within an organisation and knowledge of change management principles
* Experience of successfully working with and influencing Executives or Board level colleagues
The sift will take place week commencing 8th September 2025.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
* Behaviours – Leadership, Seeing Big Picture, Managing Quality Service, Communicating and Influencing
* Experience: Experience of delivering improvements, managing operational or structural change within an organisation and knowledge of change management principles. Experience of successfully working with and influencing Executives or Board level colleagues
The interviews will take place week commencing 22nd September 2025.
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 .
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. You can read more about our reserve lists here.
During your application, you should indicate which location(s) you wish to be considered for and, if successful, you will be placed on an individual list of candidates for each location. Candidates will be held on that list and drawn from it in merit order. We advise you to carefully consider which locations you wish to be considered for. If you decline an offer for a location you have expressed a preference in or have expressed an interest in more than one location and accept an offer, you will be withdrawn from any lists you may be held on. We may also offer candidates a location that they have not expressed a preference for where we have the requirement to do so but this will again be done on the basis of your place in the overall merit order and, in this event, you will not be removed from the list if you decline.
AI Tools and Platforms
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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 as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
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 cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email for assistance.
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
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
* Name : Laura Hutchinson
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email:
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here