
Customer Insight Specialist
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Customer Insight Specialist at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in Newcastle upon Tyne
About the role
- Details
- Reference number
- 474123
- Salary
- £30,485
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
- Job grade
- Executive Officer
- Contract type
- Permanent
- Business area
- DVSA - Corporate Affairs
- Type of role
- Customer Insight
- Market Research
- Social Research
- Working pattern
- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
- Number of jobs available
- 4
- Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Location
Birmingham, Bristol, Chadderton, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Swansea
About the job
Job summary
Can you use best practice research methods to find out the views of our customers and use the findings to make strong recommendations?
Are you skilled at building and maintaining strong working relationships?
Do you have experience of customer driven change and improvement activity, with a passion for making sure customers receive an outstanding service?
If so, we'd love to hear from you!
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.
Were 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 Kings 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 DVSA.
Job description
Join DVSAs Customer Insight team and help shape services around the needs of our customers. As a Customer Insight Specialist, youll lead and support qualitative and quantitative research, turning customer feedback and data into meaningful recommendations that improve driver and vehicle services. Working with stakeholders across the agency, you'll design research approaches, develop questionnaires, analyse findings, and share actionable insights, ensuring the customer voice is at the heart of everything we do.
Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to:
- Taking responsibility for qualitative and quantitative customer research to support the Customer Insight Manager.
- Designing insight briefs and specifications to assist managers with the procurement, selection and management of third-party customer research agencies.
- Collaborating with stakeholders from across the breadth of the agency and be responsible for writing research briefs, designing questionnaires and reporting results that support their stakeholders needs, including using compelling PowerPoint presentations and interactive Power BI dashboards.
- Provide advice using specialist knowledge to requestors of insight, recommending the most appropriate methodology and ways to conduct the research.
- Managing self and tasks, prioritising work, and providing regular performance and project updates to line manager.
- Providing advice and guidance to stakeholders and making recommendations on how to get the best customer insight to inform customer-led product and service development.
- Managing, designing and reporting on own projects within the DVSA insight programme to support DVSAs services and products.
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
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Knowledge of customer research methods, questionnaire design, analysis and reporting
- Experience of, or ability to learn how to interpret qualitative and quantitative data, providing conclusions and recommendations
- Experience of, or ability to learn, specialist software packages (e.g., Qualtrics, PowerBI)
Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
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.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £30,485, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £8,831 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .
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 Kings 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 .
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
How to apply
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
The selection process for this role will be:
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement and Lead Behaviour.
Stage 2: Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
Stage 1: Sift
At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Behaviours you will be asked to provide a 250 word statement on the following Behaviours: Delivering at Pace
- Experience you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
- Knowledge of customer research methods, questionnaire design, analysis and reporting
- Experience of, or ability to learn how to interpret qualitative and quantitative data, providing conclusions and recommendations
- Experience of, or ability to learn, specialist software packages (e.g., Qualtrics, PowerBI)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile element, Delivering at Pace . Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The sift will take place week commencing 31st August 2026.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Behaviours Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace and Managing a Quality Service
- Experience
- Strengths
The interviews will take place from 1st October 2026.
This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams, details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site .
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change
Further information on the selection process
We will also hold a 12 -month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
Pre-employment Checking
If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:
- Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
- Threats or acts of violence
- Illegal activity or substance misuse
- Sexually explicit material
- Extremist views or affiliations
Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. Its not about judging your personality or lifestyle - its about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail whats being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Ben Bell
- Email : Ben.Bell@dvsa.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here