Job Description

The National Distribution Centre

The National Distribution Centre (NDC) provides a critical logistics and supply chain service to all public sector prisons including the collection, storage and delivery of a wide range of products. Products stored and carried include goods from commercial suppliers, raw materials into workshops and a wide range of internally manufactured products. As part of the Ministry of Justice, the site also supports other front line delivered services where required.

The in-house NDC fleet is designed to operate on a specialised demount system which is largely governed by challenges that arise from physical vehicular access restrictions across the prison estate, necessitating a mix of vehicle types and heights. The fleet delivers to the public sector prison estate on a national 5 day working week basis, operating a single shift system, supported by nights out as and when required.

The current logistics and supply chain solution for prisons has been operating in much the same way for many years. Challenges including prison capacity increases, aging technology, limited space and sustainability pressures are all contributing to an environment where specific focus needs to be given to the future shape and scale of the logistics function, to deliver transformational change linked to the adoption of new technology and the efficiencies that can be delivered.

Commercial

The Logistics and Supply Chain function sits within the Commercial Directorate within the MoJ. The Ministry of Justice has one of the largest and most complex spending profiles in central government. Each year we spend more than £5 billion with our suppliers and it’s our job to help coordinate the sourcing of what we need. We support the management of our contracts across the department, its agencies and non‑departmental public bodies.

Commercial is responsible for coordinating procurement and contract management across the MoJ, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Commercial is organised into category teams, each with an interesting portfolio of contracts and diverse customers and suppliers to manage. We also have systems, programme management office, supplier relationship and risk management teams who work across all areas.

Role Summary

The Senior Fleet Engineer provides expert technical and operational leadership across all elements of fleet engineering, fleet management, and vehicle compliance within the Ministry of Justice. The postholder ensures that fleet operations are safe, efficient, cost‑effective and fully aligned with relevant legislation, MoJ policy, and Transport Unit standards.

The role is responsible for delivering technical guidance, managing fleet engineering services, supporting sustainable fleet development, and working collaboratively with stakeholders across the MoJ, contractors, and local transport coordinators.

Key Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

Fleet Management & Technical Expertise

• Provide effective fleet management advice to the Ministry of Justice within agreed resources and budget constraints.

• Deliver best-practice technical advice to all fleet users.

• Develop and maintain an up‑to‑date knowledge of vehicle legislation, engineering developments, environmental requirements, and emerging technologies relevant to MoJ fleets.

• Provide oversight and guidance for vehicle design specifications, acquisition processes, and delivery of fleet assets.

• Ensure efficient and environmentally responsible use of fleet vehicles, MHE and plant equipment.

• Investigate and evaluate alternative fleet management data systems to support improved performance and governance.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to the Health and Safety at Work Act and all relevant MoJ safety policies.

• Support the Health, Safety & Training (HS&T) Manager to ensure safe systems of work (SSOW) and robust risk assessments (RA) are in place and followed.

• Promote safe engineering practices across fleet and maintenance operations.

• Ensure compliance with Transport User Guidance across all vehicle activities and users.

• Report any vehicle‑related incidents, risks, or non‑compliance issues promptly through appropriate channels.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, effective working relationships with all key stakeholders including Commercial, Transport Unit managers, contractors, and service users.

• Engage positively as an ambassador for Commercial and the Transport Unit at Branston.

• Liaise with local transport coordinators and operational teams to provide expert advice and resolve technical issues.

• Work with colleagues to identify opportunities for consolidation or optimisation of fleet activities.

Sustainability & Future Fleet Development

• Support MoJ strategic objectives on sustainability, including assessment and implementation of alternative‑fuel vehicles.

• Contribute to planning and delivery of future fleet projects and environmentally efficient fleet solutions.

• Provide input into the acquisition and transition planning for new and future vehicle technologies.

People Leadership & Management

• Provide effective leadership and management of the Fleet Engineering Services Facility.

• Manage attendance, performance records, and HR requirements within the team.

• Develop team capability through coaching, training, and technical guidance.

• Promote a positive and professional working culture aligned with MoJ values.

Management Information & Reporting

• Produce, analyse, and maintain fleet management information to support operational and strategic decision-making.

• Review fleet activities across Transport Unit and Commercial to identify improvements and efficiencies.

• Monitor engineering performance and provide regular updates to senior management.

• Ensure records, technical data, and engineering compliance documentation are accurate and maintained.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alternations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Essential Criteria

• Please note this is a full‑time, onsite only position (no remote or hybrid options)

• Proven experience in fleet engineering, vehicle management, or a similar technical transport environment.

• Strong understanding of fleet legislation, safety standards, and engineering best practice.

• Ability to provide technical guidance to both specialists and non‑technical users.

• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills.

• Experience managing or overseeing engineering facilities or fleet operations.

• Ability to analyse data, interpret technical reports, and develop solutions.

• Knowledge of environmental and sustainability considerations relating to fleet operations.

• Demonstrated commercial experience in a similar role.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience within government or a regulated operational environment.

• Engineering qualifications (e.g., IMI, IRTE, NVQ Level 3 or above in vehicle engineering).

• Experience with alternative-fuel or low‑emission vehicle technologies.

Application Stage

An initial sift will be performed against the following elements and will be assessed against the Civil Service success profiles framework:

Experience

• CV

• Statement of Suitability (up to 750 words): this should be based around your experience the key responsibilities and essential criteria

Behaviours

We will assess your application on the following behaviours (250 words). Please use the STAR method in your examples.

• Managing a Quality Service

• Leadership

• Making effective decisions

Please note in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift against CV, Statement of Suitability and lead behaviour of “Managing a Quality Service".

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview and will be assessed on the selected success profile elements at the interview stage.

Interview stage

The interviews will be held at National Distribution Centre, Burton Road, Branston. DE14 3EG.  The site is shared with B&Q distribution, please follow the road signs for MoJ once entering the site and report to the security gate where you will be directed to the reception to sign in.  The interviews will be held on an Industrial Site and all staff and visitors are required to wear Hi-Vis Vests whilst moving around site; these will be provided by security on arrival, please ask for a vest if not offered one.

There is one interview stage for this vacancy which will be held in person and as part of the interview process you will be required to provide evidence on the following, and will be assessed against the Civil Service success profiles framework:

Behaviours

• Working together

• Changing and Improving

• Delivering at pace

Experience

At interview there will be questions around your similar experience of managing a service and leading a team.

Strengths maybe assessed at the interview, and these are not shared in advance.

To learn more about the Civil Service success profiles framework and how they are assessed please click here.

Please use STAR approach to structure your examples for both the application and interview for behaviours. Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.

Situation: Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.

• Where are you?

• Who was there with you?

• What had happened?

Task: The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.

• What was the task that you had to complete and why?

• What did you have to achieve?

Actions: What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I" rather than “we" to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Results: Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.

• What results did the actions produce?

• What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?

• Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.