Details
Reference number
427613
Salary
£42,848
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Senior Executive Officer
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DFT - Decarbonisation, Technology & Strategy Group (DTS) - Environment Strategy
Type of role
Analytical
Engineering
Science
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
2
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Birmingham, Leeds
About the job
Job summary
Do you have a good understanding of low carbon fuel technologies or related industrial sectors, with the ability to develop expertise in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production processes?
Have you got clear, confident communication skills, with the ability to explain complex or specialist information to support sound, evidence-based policy and commercial decisions?
If so, we'd love to hear from you
DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.
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 DfT: Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers
Job description
Low Carbon Fuels have been delivering substantial greenhouse gas savings in UK road transport since 2008. However, aviation remains one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is expected to make the single largest contribution to reducing its emissions on the path to net zero.
Our vision is for the UK to play a leading role in the development, production and use of SAF, enabling net zero flying and supporting the creation of thousands of green jobs. Increasing the use of SAF is a key part of the Government's strategy to reduce aviation emissions. In the King's Speech, the Government committed to introducing a Bill to establish a Revenue Certainty Mechanism (RCM) for SAF producers, helping to unlock investment in UK-based production facilities.
We are seeking a Technical & Policy Adviser with knowledge of low carbon fuel technologies, production processes, and commercial feasibility to support the development and implementation of the RCM and wider LCF policy. The post holder will play a key role in shaping the design of complex and high-impact policy instruments, working across government and with external experts to develop, test and refine technical and commercial options that balance cost-effectiveness, investor confidence, and sustainability outcomes.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:
* Providing expert advice on LCF technologies, including feedstocks, conversion pathways, process efficiency and lifecycle emissions to inform policy development and commercial design across SAF and other LCF applications.
* Support policy teams in developing the RCM by translating complex technical concepts into actionable policy insights, ensuring alignment between engineering realities and commercial/policy design objectives.
* Co-ordinating technical due diligence on proposed SAF production contracts, ensuring robust delivery assumptions and drawing on technical specialists with experience delivering similar CfD-style schemes across industry and government (including DESNZ).
* Supporting analytical colleagues in scrutinising production costs (capital and whole-life) and key technical drivers, such as plant scale, technology readiness and site-specific factors, for SAF and other emerging LCF technologies.
* Engaging with industry and technical experts, testing design assumptions, gathering intelligence, and commissioning research to build a strong, evidence-based policy framework.
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.
Person specification
Essential qualifications/licenses:
* A degree in a relevant technical discipline (e.g. Chemical/Process Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry) at BEng/BSc level or equivalent (i.e. 'Level 6').
You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
* A good understanding of low carbon fuel technologies or related industrial sectors, with the ability to develop expertise in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production processes.
* Experience analysing technical and/or commercial information to inform decisions on project feasibility, timelines, or investment planning.
* An ability to assess delivery assumptions, such as construction windows, technology readiness, and scale-up potential, and advise on their realism and impact.
* Strong collaborative skills, with experience working across disciplines and engaging effectively with technical experts, policy/commercial teams, and industry stakeholders.
* Clear, confident communication skills, with the ability to explain complex or specialist information to support sound, evidence-based policy and commercial decisions.
Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 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.
Qualifications
A degree in a relevant technical discipline (e.g. Chemical/Process Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry) at BEng/BSc level or equivalent (i.e. 'Level 6').
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Making Effective Decisions
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £42,848, Department for Transport contributes £12,413 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.
* DfT prioritises investing in our project delivery professionals, because successful projects begin with skilled people. We offer funding for industry recognised qualifications e.g. APM PMQ, PRINCE2, and MSP, alongside leadership programmes. You will have access to targeted technical training, support for project delivery accreditation, and potential funding toward Chartered Project Professional (ChPP). From day one, mentoring, coaching, and the Government Online Skills Tool (GOST) are available to support your learning and development throughout your career in DfT.
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 qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
The selection process for this role will be:
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 2: Interview with a Presentation
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:
* A good understanding of low carbon fuel technologies or related industrial sectors, with the ability to develop expertise in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production processes.
* Experience analysing technical and/or commercial information to inform decisions on project feasibility, timelines, or investment planning.
* An ability to assess delivery assumptions, such as construction windows, technology readiness, and scale-up potential, and advise on their realism and impact.
* Strong collaborative skills, with experience working across disciplines and engaging effectively with technical experts, policy/commercial teams, and industry stakeholders.
* Clear, confident communication skills, with the ability to explain complex or specialist information to support sound, evidence-based policy and commercial decisions.
The sift will take place week commencing 29th September 2025
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
Behaviours – (Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the big picture and Delivering at Pace)
You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the Behaviour Seeing the Bigger Picture. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview
The interviews will take place week commencing 13th October 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
Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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.
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 : Jack Bewsey
* 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