JOB SUMMARY

This role provides an exciting opportunity to join the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV), a joint unit between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Transport (DFT). You will have the opportunity to be at the forefront of helping to nurture and develop the very future of global mobility. You will join CCAV in the Department for Business and Trade’s Advanced Manufacturing Directorate. Advanced Manufacturing is one of eight priority sectors identified in the ‘Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy’. This is the Government strategy central to delivering economic growth. Your work will directly feed into this mission.
The work undertaken by CCAV and its partners has already enabled the UK to assume early leadership in several aspects of the emerging connected and automated mobility (CAM) industry. Since its creation in 2015, CCAV has led the injection of joint public and private investment of £600 million R&D funding towards the development of CAM in the UK.
We are currently delivering a £66 million R&D programme to support the commercial deployment of connected and self-driving vehicles, and to fund the research and development of key technologies. We are building a pipeline of international support to the sector, supporting the UK CAM industry to attract foreign direct investment and to export its world-class solutions. This work will help to unlock the future of the UK market, which is estimated to be worth as much as £42 billion by 2035 and could create as many as 38,000 jobs in the sector.
CCAV is recruiting a senior officer to support our work on both innovation policy delivery and the delivery of our international workstream. You will be working closely with the automotive and broader transport sectors and will develop a deep understanding of the connected and automated mobility industry. You will be excited by the opportunity to help design and deliver work that has a real impact on UK industry, with an appreciation of the opportunity and responsibility this entails. This is also a role that will give you the opportunity to undertake some international travel.
The CCAV team is small, agile, friendly and dedicated. We work closely with the Department for Science and Technology, and HM Treasury, as well as other key departments and government organisations.
We will support you in developing both your policy-making and international trade toolkit, in addition to learning and development opportunities.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The successful candidate will likely follow the below portfolio split; however, flexibility will be required to deliver CCAV’s evolving business needs and you should be willing and able to operate as such.

50% International – Taking UK CAM global

• You will support the Head of International Trade and Investment in the delivery of a programme of work supporting the UK CAM sector to attract foreign direct investment and to export its world-class solutions to one or two priority international markets.
• You will work closely with HMG colleagues based in our international network of Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions in order to do this, as well as working closely with relevant colleagues across the Department for Business and Trade in the UK. You will work closely with our external delivery partners to successfully deliver this programme. You will need excellent stakeholder skills and will have a strong ability to work collaboratively across different teams.
• You will lead on a range of international trade missions, with the opportunity to lead the delegation’s travel in person. You will convene UK industry to visit target markets and trade fairs, in order to attract foreign direct investment and to export its solutions. You will work with colleagues in overseas Posts to identify relevant investors and potential customers, building a strong pipeline of engagement.
• 50% Innovation – Developing UK CAM Capability.
• You will support the Head of Innovation on the delivery of a programme of work intervening in the research, development, and delivery of CAM technologies, products, and services, ensuring CAM is safe and secure and enhances transport and mobility in the UK.
• You will work closely with colleagues across government, arms-length bodies, industry and academia, to help set the direction of government interventions, ensuring industry delivers impactful outcomes in support of government objectives.
• You will lead on a range of engagements and projects under future funding programmes, working to ensure success through stakeholder engagement, technical and project reviews, and exploitation through wider government engagement.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

We are looking for a considered, collaborative, enthusiastic and flexible candidate, who is eager and able to learn quickly. No prior knowledge of the CAM industry is required.

• Experience promoting and securing foreign direct investment into the UK and/or promoting British exports internationally. We are open to experience gained both within and outside of Government.
• Shrewd commercial awareness. You will work closely, demonstrating credibility and integrity, with a range of UK industry stakeholders, including at senior levels.
• The ability to quickly understand a complex, highly technical, disruptive industry and the opportunity it presents to the UK and global stage. You will have demonstrable ability in placing this within a shifting macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, understanding the implications of these shifts on UK industry.
• Excellent communication skills, demonstrated through verbal and written means. You should be able to clearly articulate complex areas of technical detail and policy in simple and engaging briefing.
• Effective at forming strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, across government departments, agencies and external delivery partners. You should be able to bring colleagues together to achieve a shared goal.

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

International Trade
Policy