DfT seeks new top level Director General for Transport Strategy

The Department for Transport is to appoint a new high level Director General for Transport Strategy. The newly created position is intended “to provide strategic leadership across a multi-modal and cross-cutting portfolio” says the Department. The role will have responsibility for cross-cutting themes, including transport strategy, science, AI, data and decarbonisation agendas.

The role has been created following Jo Shanmugalingam’s recent appointment as Permanent Secretary at the Department, and reflects her thinking about how the DfT should function.

“The new DG role repurposes the Second Permanent Secretary position, previously held by Jo, and will report directly to the Permanent Secretary,” a DfT spokesperson told LTT. “This delivers a cost saving efficiency as no headcount increase to DfT’s senior leadership team.”

As second Permanent Secretary, Shanmugalingam was appointed to provide leadership of a number of high-profile areas including the decarbonisation, technology and strategy group.

The salary offered for the new DG appointment is at SCS pay band 3 at £130,000,plus employer contribution of £37,661 to the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

The appointment is open to both internal DfT and wider Civil Servant applicants and outsiders, in a process run from the Cabinet Office and will be determined by formal panel interview overseen by a Civil Service Commissioner. “We anticipate the recruitment process will conclude by early November, with the successful candidate expected to take up the role shortly thereafter,” the DfT said.

An eight page ‘Candidate Pack’ accompanying the job advertisement includes a diagram indicating where the new role will sit in the DfT organisational chart one rung below the Permanent Secretary (see next page). The appointee will join the seven existing Director General positions, all of them traditionally seen as fiefdoms looking after different modal areas like Rail (split between three DGs), Roads, Local transport, Aviation and Maritime and Corporate functions.

Looking after the integration of these and cross-cutting issues would seem a challenging task for the new DG, whilst also balancing politically-set overall policy objectives against effective delivery. A new Integrated National Transport Strategy policy statement is currently awaited, on which Danny Williams has been leading, with him holding director level roles in teams under two different Director Generals.

The recruitment brochure for the new DG includes a ‘welcome message’ from the Permanent Secretary herself.

Jo Shanmugalingam says “This is a pivotal moment for transport in the UK. The Government is driving forward an ambitious agenda with transport at its heart - from reforming public transport through public ownership of rail and locally controlled bus services, to delivering major infrastructure projects like HS2 and the Lower Thames Crossing. We’re modernising our airspace, expanding our airports, and leading the way on decarbonisation and tech transformation internationally,” the Permanent Secretary continues.

“Transport has never been more central to national priorities, and is the engine behind the Government’s growth mission, central to unlocking housing, and with a vital role in the transition to Net Zero. This role will be instrumental in shaping that future across Government and with industry, working closely with the Secretary of State.”

“As Director General for Transport Strategy, you will lead the Department’s bold, long-term vision for a sector that underpins daily life across the UK and beyond. You’ll steer high-impact, fast-paced work across transport strategy, AI, data, science and decarbonisation - driving innovation and change at scale.

This is a unique opportunity to shape how people and goods move in the future, and to lead one of the most exciting and influential portfolios in Government... If you are a talented senior leader interested in this opportunity, I would love to hear from you.”

The role will report directly to the Permanent Secretary and be a key member of the DfT’s Executive Leadership team, which is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Department and providing governance and oversight of all its work.

The DG group includes responsibility for the following teams: Strategy and Private Office, Environment Strategy, Analysis, Science, Innovation and Technology, UK International and Trade, and Communications.

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