About the job

Job summary

Can you demonstrate experience delivering regulatory or investigative services within a safety-critical, compliance, licensing, enforcement, transport, or public safety environment?

Have you successfully led complex incident investigations, managed casework, and produced high-quality evidence to support regulatory reporting or legal proceedings?

Are you confident using data, metrics, and analytical tools to identify trends, inform operational decisions, and improve regulatory outcomes?

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

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team at the forefront of improving safety, compliance, and public confidence. As part of a newly established role, you'll help shape the future direction of the function, working alongside skilled professionals on high-profile and impactful work. The team values innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, offering a supportive environment where you can influence outcomes, develop your expertise, and make a meaningful contribution from day one.

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

Shape the future of transport in the UK. Join DVSA's Connected and Automated Mobility Services (CAMS) team and play a key role in regulating the safe use of self-driving vehicles on Britain's roads. As an In-Use Regulation Service (IURS) Investigation Specialist, you'll lead complex investigations, influence the development of a pioneering regulatory framework, and work with government, industry, and enforcement partners. This is a unique opportunity to help deliver the future of road safety in a dynamic and high-profile environment

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

• Support the development and implement the In-Use Regulation scheme for automated vehicles.
• Support the delivery of the operational model and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the IURS, including incident triage, case management, escalations, and closure.
• Support in-use reporting activities from Authorised Self Driving Entities (ASDEs) and No-User-in-Charge Operators (NUiCOs), working with DVSA Digital partners to maintain secure, compliant data flows and analytics.
• Act as Senior Investigation Officer on multi-disciplinary incident investigations (from traffic infractions to serious collisions), liaising with the Vehicle Certification Agency (CVA), law enforcement, local authorities, and statutory investigators.
• Undertake and lead on investigations where the business dictates. This will include scoping the investigation/audit, conducting full and thorough investigations in-line with legislation and internal procedures, carrying out testing, and production of quality investigation reports.
• Act as DVSA's the IURS subject matter expert with the Department for Transport (DfT)/Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Senior Investigation Manager (Post Collison lead) IURS Investigation Specialist; 2025 01 19 v1 (CCAV), VCA, local authorities, operators, and other government bodies on IURS service matters and joint delivery.
• Manage relationships with all internal and external stakeholders in order to meet the expectations and values of DVSA and the Civil Service.
• Liaise with other Government Departments and Police Forces where their involvement in investigations is required and to facilitate the effective flow of intelligence within the law enforcement community.

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.

You can be based at any of the above locations, however if your chosen location is Yeading/Uxbridge please note:

This role is being advertised in Uxbridge, however the contractual base will be Yeading.

While estates work is being carried out in Yeading all posts are being temporarily based at Uxbridge. Successful applicants will start with us at our Uxbridge location.

Please be aware that all employees will be required to work from the Yeading site once it reopens in 2028.

Employees based at Uxbridge will receive a London Weighting allowance of £4,000. This allowance will continue when the location moves to Yeading.

Person specification

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:

• Experience leading regulatory, criminal, or compliance investigations in safety-critical environments, managing casework and producing high-quality evidence-based reports.
• Strong analytical skills, including using data, metrics, diagnostic tools, and sensitive evidential information to support robust regulatory decisions and investigations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience working across government, industry, and enforcement partners, alongside developing capability in yourself and others.

Qualification/ Professional Memberships

• Hold or be prepared to work towards Advanced Professional Certificate in Investigative Practice (or equivalent) covering evidence handling, interviewing, and case management.
• A vocational related qualification in Motor Vehicle: Maintenance & Repair at level 3 or IMI ATA registration at diagnostic technician level or IRTEC registration at advanced technician level or Engtech registration.

Additional Information

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services.

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.

Other Requirements:

• The ability to travel is essential, with occasional overnight stays.
• Limited international travel may be required.
• There may be an occasional requirement to work late evenings or weekends to support service delivery activities.
• Full driving licence is essential.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

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.

Licences

Full UK Driving Licence

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,663, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes£10,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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 (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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 candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), 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

Stage 2: 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:
  
  • Regulatory service delivery experience in criminal investigations, in a safety-critical or compliance environment (e.g., licensing, enforcement, transport, or public safety).
  • Proven ability to lead incident investigations, manage casework and produce high quality evidence for regulatory reporting.
  • Proven ability in data-driven delivery: defining metrics, assuring data quality, analysing vehicle or traffic enforcement data, using diagnostics tools for example - event data information for decisions; familiarity with secure handling of sensitive evidential data.
  • Strong stakeholder management across government, local authorities, industry, and the public; able to communicate complex, technical or legal concepts clearly.

The sift will take place from Tuesday 27th October 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

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

• Behaviours - Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions and Changing and Improving.
• Experience

You will also be required to participate in an assessment to assess the Behaviour Making effective decisions. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place from Wednesday 11th November 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 [email protected] 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.

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.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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) (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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).

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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window)and theCivil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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 : Matthew Thompson
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treatedin accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission