Are you a strong analytical leader with excellent team-working and communication skills?
Do you want to work on some of the key issues facing the rail industry?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
These roles offer a rare opportunity to influence major investment decisions and operational policies in a sector undergoing transformational change. Your analysis will directly inform high-profile government decisions, improving outcomes for millions of passengers and supporting wider economic and environmental goals.
DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.
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 and 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 DfTc.
Open Sessions
Would you like to find out more about the roles, the teams and what it’s like to work in our department? If so, we are organising an open session where you can virtually 'meet the team' on Friday 5th December at 3pm. Sign up here.
Job description
The UK’s transport system is vital to the economy, supporting millions of daily journeys for work, education, healthcare and leisure. The Department for Transport plays a central role in delivering the Government’s priorities, including a major programme of rail investment aimed at boosting economic growth and decarbonising the transport network. Economists are essential to this work, using analytical tools to assess the costs and benefits of rail schemes and providing evidence-based recommendations to senior decision makers. We welcome applicants with strong experience in economic analysis.
The rail industry is also undergoing significant reform, creating an opportunity to shape how analysis informs policy and improves outcomes for passengers and taxpayers. You will join a welcoming, multidisciplinary Rail Analysis directorate of around 65 analysts, led by two Deputy Directors. We are recruiting analytical leaders for both the Strategy and Services Analysis (SSA) team and the Rail Enhancements Analysis (REA) team to deliver high-quality analysis on key aspects of the current and future rail system.
In this role, you will lead and support your team, champion analytical work across the directorate, develop colleagues’ capability, and help ensure analysis is prioritised and delivered effectively.
The SSA Passenger Services Analysis team leader will manage a team providing quantitative analysis for the Rail Services Group and the Public Transport and Local Group. The work focuses on the day-to-day operation of passenger rail services, including business planning, timetable changes, contract design, and analysis to inform decisions on the future of passenger rail.
There are also two Economic Adviser roles in the Rail Enhancements Analysis team. These roles apply economic theory to support major rail investment decisions. With a significant future investment pipeline, it is vital that advice to senior decision makers is based on robust analysis demonstrating alignment with government priorities. Postholders will lead cost–benefit analysis and clearly communicate complex findings to decision makers.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Delivering complex quantitative analysis on rail investment, policy and strategy.
- Communicating this complex analysis to wider analysts, stakeholders and senior policy officials, including the accounting officer, ministers and special advisers.
- Working with the wider Rail Analysis team to ensure collaborative working, implementing best practice guidance, whilst being innovative and engaging with wider developments such as artificial intelligence, culture change in the organisation, or in the working relationships between the Department and the wider rail industry.
- Being responsible for line managing other analysts and will demonstrate good people skills and visible leadership qualities.
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
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
Essential qualifications:
To be eligible for these positions, you will need to hold the membership in line with or be eligible to join:
- the Government Economic Service (GES) profession
- the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) profession
- the Government Statistical Service (GSS) profession
- the Government Social Research (GSR) profession
For further information on Qualifications, please see the qualifications below.
You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.
Required experience:
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- You will have experience of handling complex quantitative data sets and using quantitative analysis and evidence to influence decision making, and the ability to apply economic theories and techniques to a range of problems.
- You will display excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing and the ability to clearly present complex technical information to a diverse audience. You will be a trusted adviser, with the credibility to influence and challenge effectively to manage expectations.
- You will confidently engage to build positive working relationships with analytical and policy colleagues and internal and external industry partners.
- You will be very organised and adopt a flexible working approach to accommodate and respond to shifting priorities and deadlines.
- These roles are suitable for an experienced analyst who is keen to develop expertise in transport economics, but no pre-existing transport experience is required.
- While we welcome applications from individuals eligible for a range of government analytical professions, the roles require strong quantitative analysis techniques.
- The role will require you to work independently, lead and manage projects, and confidently communicate analytical concepts and outputs for projects where you will be the primary analyst working with stakeholders.
- You will have experience of working in another government economist or analytical role.
- You will come with experience of stakeholder management, developing and driving key relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- The role requires communication and organisation skills suitable to working in a fast-paced policy environment, where you will face competing demands and challenging deadlines.
- Existing rail specific technical modelling expertise is not necessary, but the role will require you to develop an understanding of various models.
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 8th December 2025
