About the job

Job summary

The Order to Cash (O2C) function is one of the 12 areas of the finance taxonomy within DWP.

The O2C team manage the Accounts Receivable (AR) which is administration debts owed to the Department. Invoicing and debt collection is outsourced to Shared Services Connection Limited (SSCL) and the O2C team deliver a DWP wide Accounts Receivable governance, challenge and control function, challenging the end-to-end process to ensure debt is actively managed, and recovery maximised.

Places for Growth and Social Mobility

As part of the Places for Growth Programme, we are committed to delivering a more geographically diverse Civil and Public Service that will better serve the public and ministers. As part of this initiative, we are continuously reviewing how we recruit into each location.

Postings

Posting will be made in merit order by location, this will be based on the geographical requirement at the time. A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location. Successful candidates will be posted to a specific role and will have the opportunity to express a preference as part of the selection process, although final decisions may come down to business need, and the skills and development needs of candidates. Standard promotion rules will apply, and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP. The roles available will be based in:

• Blackpool – Peel Park, Brunel Way, FY4 5ES.
• Leeds – Quarry House, Quarry Hill, West Yorkshire, LS2 7UA.
• Manchester – 2 St Peter's Square, M2 3AA.
• Newcastle – Benton Park View, NE98 1BA.
• Sheffield – Hartshead Square, South Yorkshire, S1 2FD.

Hybrid working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job description

The successful candidate can expect to be involved in:

• Monitor and challenge SSCL’s performance and the AR debt position across the Department.
• Monitoring and challenging individual business unit Admin Debt levels, debt collection inactivity, and assuring SSCL referrals for invoices that have exhausted the debt collection strategy.
• Master data set-up and maintenance – own AR Product and Services Catalogue.
• Improve Global Design Principle compliance to continuously increase the maturity of the AR service line.
• Identify and sponsor business process change, working with stakeholders to implement.
• Provide AR service line subject matter expert advice and guidance ensuring processes across DWP are fit for purpose.
• AR service line reporting to internal and external stakeholders, for example business unit SPOCs, Financial Control and Policy, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury (HMT) etc.

Experience of managing Public Money in relation to the Order to Cash service along with previous experience of working with applications such as Excel or Qlik Sense would be advantageous but not essential to the role as training will be provided.

Key responsibilities for the post include:

• Leading the department’s relationship with HMT.
• Advising and influencing related policy and decision making in relation to administration debt.
• Value for money considerations and long-term strategy & plans, providing challenge when appropriate.
• Feeding up strategic risks and decisions to other finance teams, ensuring they can understand the whole picture and are aware of significant risks or decisions required as they emerge.
• Stakeholder responsibilities on cross-cutting financial exercises such as allocations, spending review, efficiency challenges for Disability Benefits and Housing Directorates.

The post holder will need to be adaptive and work with a wide range of stakeholders to meet the varying needs from policy, HMT and central finance teams.

Person specification

A strong candidate for this role should be able to demonstrate the following Essential Criteria:

Lead Criteria: 

• Lead Criteria: Previous experience of working in an Accounts Receivable role. 
• The ability to influence and make positive impacts through excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including building and maintaining networks and relationships.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to put complex financial issues into layman’s terms for non-specialist audience.
• Provide support, advice, financial expertise, and management of resources to help deliver key objectives and meet priorities.  
• Experience of working in a continuous improvement environment involving process analysis, problem solving and service improvement.
• Proven experience of working with and analysing complex data sets to obtain business insight, using analytical applications.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Written Application

Stage 1 Sift 

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

A strong applicant will be able to demonstrate clearly in their Personal Statement, within the 1,250 word count, how their skills and experience meet the Essential Criteria that is outlined in the Person Specification in the advert.

We recommend that you make full use of the word count to demonstrate as well as you can, how you meet the criteria for the advertised roles. We are interested to hear about what and how you have achieved your deliverables in your application content.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Essential Criteria "Previous experience of working in an Accounts Receivable role." Candidates who pass this will progress to a full sift on the remaining Essential Criteria.

Candidates who are successful at the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview.

Stage 2 - Interview:

This will take place via Microsoft Teams and should take approximately 40 - 50 minutes.

You will be assessed on your experience against the Civil Service Behaviours listed below:

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service

You will be asked Behaviour based questions. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview offering a more inclusive approach. We will assess both what candidates are good at and what they enjoy.

The Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.
An example of a Behavioural question would be.

Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer. It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

WHO

• What the task/work was,
• How you approached the task/work/situation and
• what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve?

Or

STAR

• What was the Situation?
• What were the Tasks?
• What Action did you take?
• What were the Results of your actions?

Sift and Interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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 applicant’s 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.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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.