Location: Ayr, Barnsley, Basingstoke, Bexleyheath, Birmingham, Bury St Edmunds, Chadderton, Chichester, Coventry, Derby, Dumfries, Featherstone, Glasgow, Hayes, Lee-on-the-Solent, Leicester, Livingston, Norwich, Portsmouth, Potters Bar, Reading, Redditch, Sheffield, Southampton, Wednesbury, Wetherby, Winchester, Worthing

You have just contributed to ensuring that Britain’s roads are one of the safest in Europe. How did you do that?

You’re at an MOT garage to review their compliance. They are very busy and the equipment is faulty.

You use your hard-earned industry knowledge and experience to assess, monitor and improve the standards within and around the MOT industry. You make a compelling argument as to why they need to fix the equipment.

The MOT garage owner is not happy, but you keep a level head to explain the consequences of continuing with the faulty equipment.

You are a DVSA Vehicle Examiner – MOT Specialist.

About Us

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

We’re working hard to

• Make roads safer
  
• Improve services for our customers
  
• Make road transport greener and healthier
  
• Harness the potential of technology and data
  
• Grow and level up the economy

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 Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

We are looking for self-motivated individuals to join our professional enforcement team as a Vehicle Examiner – MOT Specialist, with positions based at various locations across the UK.

Vehicle Examiners contribute to the integrity of road safety and standards to keep Britain moving safely and sustainably.

What did you do this week?

• I visited an MOT Testing station and re-inspected a recently tested vehicle.
  
• I carried out an Audit at an MOT Testing Station to ensure it was operating correctly.
  
• I carried out a Statutory MOT Appeal test following a complaint on the standards of the MOT.
  
• I qualified a new MOT Tester following a successful demonstration test.
  
• I investigated the issue of fraudulent MOT test certificates.
  

I made a difference to the safety of our roads.

A typical Vehicle Examiner – MOT Specialist will also

• Travel to MOT Testing stations to check compliance and give advice to people in all MOT roles.
  
• Analyse data for MOT garages, carry out off-site reviews and plan work actions, including carrying out mystery shopper investigations.
  
• Write in depth reports and, where necessary, issue Temporary Suspension Notices or Advisory Warning Letters.
  
• Answer technical queries from customers, offering advice, guidance and education as required.
  
• Follow operating instructions and procedures.
  
• Present evidence on behalf of DVSA in Court

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.

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

You will have experience in the repair, maintenance or inspection of at least one type of vehicle, if not multiple, along with the relevant qualifications.

You must be able demonstrate your knowledge and experience in the diagnosis and assessment of vehicle components for serviceability.

This is a hands-on technical role where an eye for detail to spot defects and problems is highly important.

The Vehicle Examiner role can be physically demanding, which could include working in inspection pits and getting in and out of vehicles.

This is an excellent opportunity to access a new career path. Don’t worry, we won’t expect you to be an expert in the role straight away. Rest assured; we will provide you with all the training you need. What we particularly need from you are several core skills such as:

• Resilience - this is a public facing role and can, at times, be a difficult job. You may be required to have difficult conversations and take action that may affect the income of a person or to prosecute at court. We support each other to cope with difficult situations, but it's important you understand what this job entails, and lone working is part of this.
• Teamwork - individually you will be the professional contact representing the DVSA, but you will work with a team to coordinate your work focus. It's essential that you're the kind of person who can work effectively with others.
• Communication -you must be a good communicator. You will be looked upon as the example. You will have to keep a level head and be able to give advice and education effectively and pass that on to others.

Additional Information

There will be extensive training on all aspects of the role. Some of the training will take place in our training centres, usually in Bristol or Manchester. Please note: the 18-week training course is completed on a full-time basis, which is non-negotiable.

The postholder must meet the credible witness status in court proceedings on behalf of the DVSA. Any convictions or material casting doubt on the reliability of a witness could harm DVSAs chances of a successful prosecution and damage the reputation of the agency. Please note, as part of our onboarding process we facilitate social media and online checks.

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

Due to the nature of the role, there may be a requirement to travel to other DVSA locations, with the potential for overnight stays for which additional payments are made. This may also include working outside of normal hours - prior notice will be given.

Whilst we welcome applications from candidates seeking part time/flexible working hours there will be a business requirement for candidates to work a minimum number of hours for specific locations.
You will have the opportunity to discuss your preferred working pattern upon successful offer and before starting the training course. While we will work hard to try and accommodate flexible working, unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that all requests can be agreed, as working patterns will be subject to the business needs.

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

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.

Flexible Payment & Overtime Options

On completion of a probation period, there are several flexible deployment options which examiners can apply for, in addition to the salary and technical payment, ranging from £1,263 to £3,367 per year.

The options are based on the examiner’s availability outside of normal business hours to help deliver DVSAs key services. Applications will be assessed against the business need at the time.

There may also be overtime options available, dependant on location and business needs.

Licences

Full and current car driving licence.

Qualifications

You must have 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.
Other Motor related qualifications may be acceptable, please see attached qualification list.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
  
• Making Effective Decisions
  
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• DVSA - Technical Competency Framework - Knowledge of Vehicles
  

Benefits

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.