Director UK, International & Trade

Responsibilities include:Relationship with the devolved governmentsShaping and implementing the Governments approach to transport in the devolved governments, including ensuring the Second Permanent Secretary can effectively fulfil her role as the Departments place lead for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This means strategically deploying the engagement and partnership teams for the three nations in policy making, stakeholder engagement and ministerial activity. It also involves ensuring the Departments investment in infrastructure studies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is delivered to time and to budget. To underpin effectiveness, the team designs and delivers a programme of work to improve capability and understanding of devolved matters and how to work with colleagues in the devolved governments.International strategy and engagementLeading the development and implementation of the Departments cross-cutting international strategy, prioritisation of ministerial and senior official international engagement, and building individual and collective international capability and skills. The Department has significant international interests, including in a range of transport-specific and other multilateral bodies. Being an engaged, capable and influential international department is critical to our success, for example in securing global action to tackle climate change. Modal teams across the Department lead on much of our day-to-day international work. UKIT ensures a joined-up and coherent approach on international matters and leads in bodies which are cross-cutting, across transport modes, particularly. the International Transport Forum (ITF), an OECD affiliated intergovernmental organisation which acts as a think tank for cross-modal transport policy. UKIT also leads the Departments overall relationship with the EU, ensuring ongoing effective implementation of DfTs responsibilities under the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA), and the team is leading the Departments input into cross-Whitehall work preparing for the TCA review in 2026.As we start this new parliamentary term, we are refreshing the Departments overarching international strategy.. This includes strengthening our international engagement teams to focus on building relationships with priority countries. These teams are a valuable resource for the whole Department in enabling effective international influencing.Trade policyLeading and co-ordinating the Departments contribution to the Governments programme to negotiate Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and on all aspects of trade policy, including addressing market access barriers. This includes working across the Department to develop the negotiating position on transport services for each country and being a dynamic part of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)-led negotiating teams throughout, including advising ministers on any trade-offs affecting transport interests.Exports and investmentWorking with DBT, the Office for Investment (OfI) and others to support the cross-government effort to boost UK prosperity through the promotion of UK exports and investment opportunities. The Department promotes the UK transport sectors exporting capability at international trade events. For example, we are co-funding the UKs presence at the Osaka Expo 2025, which runs for six months from April 2025, and delivering a transport programme for the UK pavilion. We sponsor Crossrail International, a small, specialist company, wholly owned by the Secretary of State, which provides expert strategic advice globally on developing and implementing complex rail schemes. The company seeks to leverage expertise gained through the delivery of the Elizabeth Line to generate opportunities for the UK supply chain. Investment into the UK transport sector is essential to UK prosperity. We are working to develop a pipeline of transport-related investment opportunities which our ministers can target with foreign investors.Shared leadership of Decarbonisation, Technology & Strategy (DTS) GroupIn a Group without a Director-General, the Directors in DTS work together to support the Second Permanent Secretary in personifying and promoting the Groups identity, purpose and value, including ensuring that it is well run, in line with the Departments corporate policies, procedures and practices.A consistent theme across all of the work of the directorate is effective collaboration with teams across the Department, and the ability to build trust and credibility in external relationships, including with international and other stakeholders and across Whitehall, at senior level, including representing the Department with tact and impact. The ability to develop and lead effective relationships is fundamental to the role.