About the job

Job summary

Do you want to be part of an energetic, innovative team and bring your skills to one of the biggest changes to the administration of the Civil Service in decades? 
 
We’re looking for people who are flexible, intuitive and are comfortable taking high levels of volume, speed and complexity in their stride. 
 
A number of exciting new roles have come up in the Synergy Programme, a cross-departmental group formed in response to the Government Strategy for Shared Services  which sets out departmental ‘clusters’ to drive efficiencies, increase buying power and improve the quality of shared services in government.  
 
The Synergy Programme is the largest of five departmental clusters, comprising the Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Home Office. The Department of Work and Pensions hosts the Synergy Programme. Your work will impact the procurement arrangements for Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP) and Business Process Services for the next 15 years, impacting over 50% of all Civil Servants – that’s 230,000 people across the four departments and arm’s length bodies. 

Synergy will support the delivery of critical Government services by enabling faster, more efficient and intuitive HR, Finance and procurement transactions, based on user needs. It will also deliver better data reporting to underpin decision making. 

If you’re someone who can use your experience to streamline procurement to drive out error, waste and duplication we want to hear from you. Most importantly, we’re looking for applications from people who can demonstrate a passion for our core ambition: delivering a once in a generation, transformed service that Civil Servants will use as a result of the Synergy Programme. 

Job description

Successful candidates can be expected to be involved in the following: 

• Providing business support for Synergy Programme Directors Office. 

• Develop a keen understanding of the Directors objectives, effectively prioritising meetings and events. 

• Responsible for managing the Diary and calendar ensuring briefings/information is requested or cascaded to the appropriate team members to action. 

• Provide a high standard of customer service in a dynamic and often unpredictable environment, balancing external demands with those of the Programme. 

• Organisation of the Director's travel and accommodation requirements in line with current DWP business travel and expenses policy. 

• Ensure the Director is fully prepared for meetings by collating papers/requesting relevant briefings as required, providing secretariat support when required. 

• Work collaboratively across teams within the cluster departments and beyond to support the delivery of business objectives and priorities. 

• Be able to build and maintain good stakeholder relationships/networks to provide excellent customer service. 

• Co-ordinate forums, steering groups and meetings on behalf of the PD/ SRO to ensure actions are implemented and recommendations are progressed. 

• Act as initial point of contact for all general enquiries relating to SRO/ PD and ensure the detailed requests are communicated in a timely manner. 

Person specification

Essential 

Experience of either: 

• Working in a Private Office environment, or 

• Briefing Senior Officials or Ministers (LEAD CRITERIA) 

• Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to work methodically and prioritise work to ensure nothing critical is missed.  

• Experience of successful stakeholder engagement, ability to work quickly and efficiently ensuring the Directors have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their job. 

• A strong track record in developing relationships with a variety of stakeholders to understand priorities and be able to use influence and leverage when necessary. 

• A strong track record in managing a high-quality service, and the ability to manage competing priorities, dealing pragmatically with sometimes conflicting priorities. Ability to work independently but also as an effective team player. 

• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and Microsoft teams or equivalent. 

• Proven communication skills – a high level of verbal and written English to ensure messages are clearly accessible and understood. 

• The ability to assess the needs of a wide variety of requests, using your analytical skills to manage them in the most effective way. 

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%

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

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

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.

Applications should be made via CS Jobs. You will be required to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test. 

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 test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 6th August 2024. If you fail to complete the online test 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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and 1000 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

A CV is requested but will not be assessed, so please put the bulk of your evidence in your personal statement

Sift

Selection will take place by sift based on the person specification. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria:

• Working in a Private Office environment, or 
• Briefing Senior Officials or Ministers

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview (online via Teams)

At interview, we will select based on behaviours. The behaviours we will select on are:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating & Influencing

The interview will also include Strength questions.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.