About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

The Adult Social Care (ASC) Group in DHSC leads on all matters relating to adult social care in the department. Creating a sustainable adult social care system that is built around the needs of people, and meets the needs of an ageing population, is one of the biggest challenges our society faces. The government has a 10-year vision to reform adult social care and make it fit for the future – you can find out more in the People at the Heart of Care white paper, published in December 2021.

Diversity and inclusion are two of our biggest priorities and we recognise they are a work in progress. We aim to establish a workforce which reflects the society we serve, and DHSC welcomes applications from all. We are especially interested to hear from gender diverse, disabled, LGBTQ+ candidates, care leavers and candidates from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, including Black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups. We also welcome applications from people with experience of social care, such as working in the sector, being an unpaid carer, or drawing on services. People with lived experience help us improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and become a more inclusive place to work.

We are looking for a Grade 7 to head up the ASC Briefing team. This fast-paced team sits at the heart of Social Care Group (SCG) and has responsibility for coordinating and overseeing all cross-cutting commissions, briefings, and Parliamentary business on behalf of the whole of SCG. This includes leading on drafting high-profile publications such as government responses to Select Committee reports and producing written briefings for ministerial meetings. We are a very cross-cutting and outward-facing team that works collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure SCG meets its Parliamentary obligations and communicates departmental policy in a coherent and compelling way to the social care sector and general public. We are an agile team that prides ourselves on our inclusivity, creativity, team spirt, personal and professional development. 

Job description

Adult Social Care is an area with high parliamentary and public interest. We are looking for a Grade 7 to lead the Briefing team and ensure Social Care Group’s briefing products are strategic, tailored and tell a compelling story to articulate government policy. This is a team leadership role where the successful post-holder will line manage three direct reports and be responsible for all of SCG’s cross-cutting briefing products, requiring the successful post-holder to work collaboratively with policy teams across SCG and DHSC.

This is a very cross-cutting role and has exposure to the full breadth of adult social care policy, providing the post-holder with a fantastic opportunity to be right at the heart of a major government priority area. This is a fast paced, autonomous role that offers an excellent opportunity for extensive line management experience, to develop leadership skills, and to build and utilise relationships with a range of stakeholders to meet business objectives, including influencing and persuading colleagues to prioritise commissions to meet tight deadlines.

Role responsibilities

As the Parliamentary Business & Briefing Lead, you will:

• Shape, provide direction and lead the ASC Briefing team to be an agile and high-performing team that provides a high-quality service to SCG and DHSC.
• Line manage one SEO and two HEOs, providing them with stretching objectives and opportunities to develop their skills and careers.
• Build relationships and collaborate with teams across SCG to ensure products are well drafted and bring together the most appropriate content to tell a compelling story that articulates government policy.
• Be responsible for drafting and, where required publishing, high-profile products such as Select Committee responses, ensuring content reflects wider government priorities and communicates policy effectively with relevant audiences.
• Plan and oversee high priority commissions, including ministerial meetings, that cut across the whole of SCG, developing a coherent narrative and providing strategic challenge to policy teams where appropriate.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement across the team, such as new processes and ways of working to support team effectiveness and performance.
• Be an active leader in the team and wider division, championing diversity, welcoming challenge, and positively role modelling inclusive behaviours.

Person specification

Key skills and experience required for the role

Applicants should be able to demonstrate: 

• Exceptional written communication, with an ability to tailor products and communication to relevant audiences and for different purposes.
• Managing multiple competing priorities across a team, prioritising team resource and your own time where it is most needed, balancing team wellbeing and morale.
• Working flexibly and being adaptable to steers from Ministers and senior leadership to flex your style and approach as necessary.
• Seeing the big picture to ensure that policy work is consistent with and complementary to ongoing activity and wider government activity to develop a coherent narrative.
• Managing a business area that provides a high-quality service that has manageable plans, proactively managing risks and identifying solutions where necessary.
• Delivering through others to meet business objectives and forward plan to mitigate against periods of high volumes of activity where possible.
• Build relationships and rapport with others to support delivering your own work objectives, and those of your team.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,116, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £14,341 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

Sift date: expected W/C 22/04/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 06/05/2024

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores.

Applications will be sifted on CV, Behaviours, and an Online Test.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended to give yourself enough time to complete your full application), the closing date for the tests and for submitting your full application is 23:55pm on 19/04/2024. If you fail to complete the online test and submit your full application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

An initial sift based on Communicating & Influencing may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths. 

To find out more about working in the department, please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here.

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance. 

Further Information

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DHSC 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.

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

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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. 

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.