Deputy Director – Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling - Department for Transport

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Job Description

The Department for Transport places a very heavy emphasis on analysis in its decisions and this role is absolutely central to the analysis of the Department, as TASM sets the principles and parameters for appraisal and forecasting. The Permanent Secretary and Executive Committee take a keen interest in TASM’s work, given its impact on investment decisions and therefore on the Department’s credibility.

TASM is a friendly, multi-profession team sitting at the heart of the Department’s analytical community in Analysis Directorate. It is made up of around 30 economists, transport modellers and operational researchers.

The Analysis Directorate strives to ensure that every DfT policy and decision is driven by high-quality data, research and analysis. They take a strategic view of the Department’s analytical requirements and provide support and challenge to teams across the DfT family. They provide cross-cutting work that sets the analytical standards, supports evidence gathering and makes innovative use of new analysis. They ensure the Department:

  • Takes decisions based on robust evidence that reflects the latest data on the economy, society and on sound strategic thinking.
  • Is well placed to deliver future transport needs by understanding social and economic trends and anticipating strategic challenges and opportunities.
  • Is informed by cross-cutting and bespoke research to help shape policy formation, inform operational activities and evaluate outcomes.

The Department’s wider analysis community, for which the Analysis Directorate is the central hub, has deep expertise in a range of disciplines including economics, statistics, transport modelling, social research, evaluation, operational research and data science.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

  • Developing the transport evidence base and ensuring policy decisions across the department are underpinned by sound economic analysis.
  • Advising colleagues, ministers and DfT’s investment, Strategy and Executive Committees on transport economics and modelling.
  • Developing, improving and governing DfT’s Transport Appraisal Guidance (TAG).
  • Leading the Economic Centre of Excellence to robustly assure the quality of analysis underpinning major investment and spending proposals.
  • Driving the modernisation programme for the Department’s strategic modelling capabilities.
  • Building strong relationships with experts and practitioners across the transport economics and modelling community.
  • Engaging with key policy and operational stakeholders within and outside the DfT to build confidence in our analytical framework.

Responsibilities

You will lead an influential and inclusive team to ensure that DfT’s decisions are underpinned by relevant, trusted and robust analysis. You will take lead responsibility for:

  • Development of the Department’s capability on transport modelling and appraisal, embedded in the Transport Analysis Guidance – our best practice guidance used to support decisions on billions of pounds of investment across the country.
  • Enhancing the evidence base on which our guidance and policy decisions depend.
  • Providing DfT strategy and policy teams with evidence on future trends in, and drivers of, national strategic transport outcomes using DfT’s strategic transport models.
  • Leading innovation in our internal modelling to harness the potential of new analytical methods and push the boundary in terms of speed and capability of strategic transport modelling.
  • Engaging with external transport experts and users on the Green Book and the Transport Analysis Guidance to ensure that both are interpreted and applied appropriately for investment decisions.
  • Ensuring the Department remains outward-facing and engaging, and that our appraisal and modelling programmes look ahead to ensure our analysis remains relevant, robust and trusted.

As a leader, you’ll inspire innovation, champion inclusivity, and foster external engagement and collaboration across the team and wider analytical community. You will be directly responsible for the work of three Grade 6s who report to you, and their teams of around 30 analysts.

You will work with senior policy officials in DfT and are expected to play a broader leadership role across the transport sector, advocating for DfT’s appraisal framework and forging relationships with key academics, experts and appraisal practitioners.

In addition to leading an analytical division, you will play an important cross-cutting role as one of the Department’s Senior Analysts, helping to lead, inspire and shape the culture of DfT’s 400-strong analytical community.

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