Vocational Technical Policy Manager

Government Recruitment Service; West of England; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

25 days annual leave

Flexible working

Job summary

Government Recruitment Service, on behalf of the DVSA, is seeking a Vocational Technical Policy Manager to lead the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training. You will shape policy and work with internal teams and industry partners to ensure services meet customer needs.

You will provide trusted advice, influence stakeholders, and drive decision-making to deliver efficient, effective policy and services while representing the agency at key events and forums.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership and the ability to translate policy, legislation and regulations into effective services.
• Experience engaging with internal teams and external partners to shape vocational testing and training standards.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and support decision-making processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the vision for vocational policy and standards and communicate it to teams and stakeholders.
• Design and develop services from inception to implementation, focusing on customer outcomes.
• Define standards and service levels for vocational driving tests and related products.
• Provide leadership guidance to senior stakeholders and collaborate with internal and external partners.
• Represent DVSA at meetings and external events to strengthen the agency's profile.

Job description

Can you provide strong leadership while maintaining high standards across vocational driver testing and training?

Have you got the ability to understand customer needs and translate policy, legislation and regulations into effective services?

Are you confident building relationships, influencing stakeholders and working collaboratively with industry partners?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

This is a key leadership role within the wider Vocational Service team, helping to shape the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, using your understanding of vocational driver testing and training, customer and industry needs, policy, legislation and regulation to support the delivery of effective and efficient services.

You will also provide advice and influence stakeholders throughout decision and policy-making processes, helping to ensure vocational testing and training continues to meet the needs of customers and industry.

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: Working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Civil Service Careers

As a Vocational Technical Policy Manager, you will play a key leadership role in shaping the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work with internal teams, industry representatives and external partners to understand customer needs and ensure services align with relevant policy, legislation and regulations.

You will provide trusted advice, influence stakeholders and contribute to effective decision and policy-making, helping to ensure vocational driver testing and training services are efficient, effective and continue to meet the needs of customers and industry.

Vocational Technical Policy Manager

Company: Government Recruitment Service

Salary: £45,900 to £45,900 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Bristol

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 2 Nov 2026

Closing date: 15 Nov 2026

Summary

Can you provide strong leadership while maintaining high standards across vocational driver testing and training?

Have you got the ability to understand customer needs and translate policy, legislation and regulations into effective services?

Are you confident building relationships, influencing stakeholders and working collaboratively with industry partners?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

This is a key leadership role within the wider Vocational Service team, helping to shape the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners, using your understanding of vocational driver testing and training, customer and industry needs, policy, legislation and regulation to support the delivery of effective and efficient services.

You will also provide advice and influence stakeholders throughout decision and policy-making processes, helping to ensure vocational testing and training continues to meet the needs of customers and industry.

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: Working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Civil Service Careers

As a Vocational Technical Policy Manager, you will play a key leadership role in shaping the quality, integrity and standards of vocational driver testing and training.

You will work with internal teams, industry representatives and external partners to understand customer needs and ensure services align with relevant policy, legislation and regulations.

You will provide trusted advice, influence stakeholders and contribute to effective decision and policy-making, helping to ensure vocational driver testing and training services are efficient, effective and continue to meet the needs of customers and industry.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Head of Vocational Policy to develop the vision for vocational driver testing and training policy and standards and ensure this is effectively communicated to the immediate and wider policy and service teams and relevant key stakeholders.
• Design and develop the vocational testing and training service from inception of legislation through to implementation and if necessary, closure; ensuring that the customer is at the heart of any decision making. Working with the Service Team, ensure that the business benefits these developments were designed to bring are achieved.
• Define the standards, quality, expectations, service levels and any required process specifications for the vocational driving test and associated products ensuring that operational or delivery staff and/or third-party partners understand what is required of them to enable them to deliver often complex requirements.
• With the Senior Management Team provide leadership and guidance to a range of stakeholders by establishing and building strong partnerships and encouraging collaborative working with the wider service team and key stakeholders (internal and external).
• Represent the DVSA at key stakeholder meetings as subject matter expert to enhance and strengthen the Agency’s profile. This could include, but not exclusively, networking events, conferences, and exhibitions.
• Maintain an awareness of external factors (including; industry changes/issues, government initiatives and current and proposed legislation) which impact the service. Communicating such information and any subsequent changes to the Service Manager and subsequently Directing Board.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills set out in the Civil Service Line Management Standards.

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.

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