About the job

Job summary

Are you from a Learning, Skills, HR or talent background?

Are you passionate about developing others and creating the best environment for people to flourish?

Are you exceptionally organised and can keep projects on track?

If so, come join us as a Capability and Skills Manager.

The Strategic Capability and Talent Development team is core to ensuring DWP Digital has an effective, motivated, and diverse workforce which continues to deliver valuable services and products to citizens.

Your role will be creating, delivering and/or managing across a range of specific capability and talent initiatives, managing projects, and collaborating with colleagues to ensure we achieve the best outcomes.

Job description

Our portfolio is all encompassing and includes:

• Setting strategy and direction for the organisation’s capability
• Ensuring we have the right foundations – including Job Descriptions; career frameworks; career pathways; and the mechanism to capture skills
• Producing insightful reporting to shape and drive the right people decisions
• Being instrumental in having the best employee experience and initiatives across the employee lifecycle and for all roles at all levels
• Weaving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion throughout the organisation
• Building talent pipelines; apprenticeships; training schemes; and development programmes

You will ensure that “Our People Offer” is established, communicated and tracked effectively.

“Our People Offer” which is part of DWP Digital’s Business Plan, informs and defines how we optimise our investment in our people and ensures there is a single place that outlines our plans across areas including culture and environment, engagement, talent, learning and development, DE&I, skills, and recruitment.

You will have the opportunity to use your broad expertise in a similar position – for example L&D, HR, Talent – to ensure that “Our people Offer” for DWP Digital is clear; deliverables remain on track; progress is monitored and communicated; and the priorities are right.

Your experience in developing accurate and efficient reporting and being able to present information in a clear and engaging way for senior stakeholders and colleagues across the organisation will be a critical enabler to achieve this. 

For all elements of your work, it’s imperative that you work closely with stakeholders across Digital, including our profession experts “Heads of Role” and the Community of Practice teams; senior leaders; external suppliers and partners; other government departments; and of course your team mates within Digital Capability. It’s therefore essential that you have exemplary communication skills and like working with people!

You will

• Drive projects to deliver to the ambitions set out, including managing specific Capability initiatives end to end or owning specific deliverables
• Track and maintain progress of “Our People Offer” and co-ordinate regular reviews, reports and presentations
• Build strong relationships with key people across the organisation which will facilitate you maintaining a thorough understanding of the current and future business needs and being able to ascertain and propose where changes or re-prioritisation is needed in “Our People Offer”
• Research and understand digital skills for now and the future, within the organisation, wider Government and the industry, especially for priority roles, to shape our plans and decisions
• Work alongside colleagues to help ensure that our job descriptions, career pathways and skills capture are effective, align with best practice and our processes
• Support and/or oversee central departmental activity where needed – such as links into other teams such as L&D, our team inductions and away days

This is a really exciting and varied role where there is a lot to do but you will be part of creating a big positive impact - making sure our existing activity is the best it can be and anything new we do is both brilliant and in line with insight, need and priorities.

If you can handle lots of information and detail, meet tight deadlines but be flexible and adaptable when things change, remain resolute and proactive when facing challenges, and produce fantastic and engaging presentations, then please apply.

Person specification

As part of the application process, you need to demonstrate you meet the following Essential Criteria:

• Strong experience of working in a capability-build environment – for example, in Learning & Development, HR or Talent and setting up people strategies or initiatives.
• Experience of planning and managing projects, applying the relevant governance and analysing data and performance to deliver to budget in a timely manner.
• Experience of building relationships and managing stakeholders at all levels, from a wide range of backgrounds across a complex and/or large organisation.
• Ability to effectively evaluate and review; drive changes where appropriate; and continuously learning from insight and feedback.
• Experience of being able to lead, inspire and engage others - including those not in your direct line management - to deliver and drive excellent standards.
• Excellent communication skills – able to present information to stakeholders through a variety of formats.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring. 
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

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 

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.

Salary Information

Pay for this role is from £40,201 to £43,347.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of three parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.

3. Personal statement up to 1000 words. 

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.

You will be provided with one combined overall assessment score for both your CV and Personal Statement.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview

If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification.

You will be asked to do a 10-minute presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview. 

Interviews will take place from Late-February onwards.

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.

Further information:

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

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.

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 DigitalRecruitment.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.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page

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.