Commercial Vehicle Examiner (Enforcement) – Shift Work in Ashford

Commercial Vehicle Examiner (enforcement) – Shift Work

Salary: £46,086. Advertised salary is inclusive of a base salary of £32,027 plus an annual engineering allowance of £5,000 and a shift working payment of £9,059

Location: Ashford (Kent), Bridport (Bridport post will be based in Chilcombe)

Number of jobs available: 5

Contract type: Full-time, Shift working

Working hours: 37 hours per week. This role is not suitable for hybrid working and will require the successful candidate to work solely from their designated workplace or, when required for business reasons, from other offices/work locations or visiting stakeholders. Shift pattern details may require travel to other DVSA locations, overnight stays and work outside normal hours.

As a Commercial Vehicle Examiner, your work helps keep Britain’s roads safe. You will inspect commercial vehicles, identify defects, take appropriate enforcement action and provide clear technical advice to drivers, operators and colleagues.

You could be carrying out a roadside check with partner agencies, inspecting vehicles to make sure they are safe to continue their journey. If you identify a serious defect, you will use your technical judgement to decide whether the vehicle can continue or whether enforcement action is needed. This is an important, public‑facing role where your decisions can make a direct difference to road safety.

Joining DVSA also gives you access to a wide range of Civil Service 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 King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work‑life balance.

What you could do in a typical week

• Carry out roadside checks and stop unsafe vehicles from continuing their journeys.
• Prepare clear reports based on your findings.
• Present evidence at a public inquiry or in court when required.
• Work with colleagues, partner agencies and stakeholders to support effective enforcement activity.
• Use your technical knowledge to make decisions that support safer roads.

You will also

• Analyse data to identify discrepancies, patterns and trends.
• Respond to technical queries from customers and provide advice, guidance and education where needed.
• Keep your technical knowledge up to date and take responsibility for your development.
• Contribute to team meetings, events and continuous improvement activity.
• Act as an ambassador for DVSA and road safety.

Required experience

To be successful in this role you will need experience in the repair, maintenance or inspection of at least one type of vehicle, if not multiple, along with the relevant qualifications. This is a hands‑on technical role where an eye for detail to spot defects and problems is highly important. The Vehicle Examiner role can be physically demanding, which could include working in inspection pits and getting in and out of vehicles.

You do not need to be an expert in the role from day one, as full training will be provided. We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Resilience: you will work in a public‑facing enforcement role, which may involve difficult conversations, lone working and decisions that affect drivers, operators or court proceedings.
• Teamwork: you will represent DVSA professionally while working closely with colleagues to plan, coordinate and deliver enforcement activity.
• Communication: you will need to explain technical information clearly, remain calm under pressure and provide advice, guidance and education to others.

Essential qualifications/licenses

• Applicants are required to hold a full and current car driving licence.
• You must have a vocational related qualification in Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair at level 3 or IMI ATA registration at diagnostic technician level, or IRTEC registration at advanced technician level.

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

• DVSA - Technical Competency Framework - Knowledge of Vehicles.

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.

Open Sessions

Would you like to find out more about the role, the team 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 the 5th of October 2026 at 5pm. Sign up here - Commercial Vehicle Examiner event Tickets, Monday 5 October • 5 PM - 6 PM GMT+1, Eventbrite

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 King’s 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.

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