Aviation Skills Policy Lead

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 298763**Salary**:

- £39,428- National salary - £39,428 and London salary - £43,316**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- DFT - Aviation, Maritime and Security Group (AMS) - Aviation**Type of role**:

- Communications / Marketing
- Policy
- Project Delivery**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 1Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Birmingham, Leeds, LondonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
Would you like the opportunity to work in a challenging policy area that could help shape the aviation workforce of the future?

Can you think creatively about complex policy problems, using a wide range of evidence to provide well-founded advice?

If so, we’d love to hear from you

**Job description**:
The Aviation Directorate in the Department for Transport (DfT) works to maintain the UK’s position as a world leader in aviation. We work hard to support a strong aviation sector that helps the UK exert its influence across the world. Working across the sector we ensure that investment, trade, jobs and social opportunities, which aviation enables, allow our country to thrive - connecting all the regions of the UK with an increasingly globalised society.

The Aviation Skills team, which sits within the Aviation Directorate, works to ensure the aviation workforce is more skilled, diverse and accessible, and has the skills needed to grow sustainably and thrive in the future. We are responsible for a range of policies and projects that support this aim. These include our Generation Aviation programme, aimed at inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals so that the workforce is robust, sustainable and able to grapple challenges facing the industry - including decarbonisation and adapting to new technologies like automation and Artificial Intelligence.

As part of the Generation Aviation programme, we manage our Reach for the Sky challenge fund, a unique competition in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority that provides funding to charities and non-profit organisation to make aviation accessible to all. It also includes our research projects exploring, for example, how we ensure that we have the right skills in the UK to capitalize on emerging technologies that could help decarbonise and improve air transport.

We work with a wide range of colleagues across DfT, including economic advisors, communications managers and policy officials working on other transport modes. We also work closely with a range of external stakeholders, both in government (particularly DWP, DfE and DBT) as well as the aviation industry in the UK and internationally.

This is an exciting role that will give the post-holder contact with Ministers, aviation industry experts, and official across Whitehall. It will allow the post-holder to engage with complex policy challenges and lead on substantial elements of the aviation skills agenda.

**Responsibilities include but are not limited to**:

- Lead on Future Skills. This will require working with researchers, stakeholders within the Aviation Directorate, cross-Whitehall partners and industry to build our understanding of the future skills needs of the aviation sector, particularly as it evolves in response to emerging technologies (e.g. hydrogen and electric aircraft);
- Work with our Aviation Ambassadors, other Government departments, outreach partners, third party organisations and internal stakeholders to design and deliver events which promote the Aviation Sector as a fulfilling and inclusive place to work;
- Lead on Skills Outreach and Events. This will include designing a robust work programme, ensuring the outreach activity of the Department and external partners is strategic, inclusive and reportable. This will include countersigning oversight of the Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund;
- Leading on policy work to improve the accessibility and take up of apprenticeships and training. This will include building on the findings of independent research on options for addressing the high cost of accessing the commercial airline pilot profession.
- Supporting the work of a UK led Global Aviation Skills Taskforce, through stakeholder engagement and policy development particularly on future skills.
- Represent the department and/or support senior official or Ministerial attendance at events including outreach activities, industry events, air shows and award ceremonies domestically, and internationally when required;
- Ensuring delivery of robust and comprehensive suite of skills research and monitoring and evaluation, working closely with analysts, to develop critical evidence base that informs policy for Ministers;
- Supporting the Grade 7 to shape and deliver both the domestic and international programme of work on aviation skills;
- Line management of at least one HEO.

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