About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill a unique and challenging Grade 7 role as Chief of Staff within the Risk and Resilience Directorate. 

The Risk and Resilience Directorate is made up of a number of diverse areas. It primarily leads the Department’s response to major incidents, and in the past has led DWP’s contribution to Ukraine, the Royal Funeral, industrial action and a range of payment related issues.

The Directorate also develops and holds plans for disruption, the security of service delivery, special operations, and delivery of a range of operational services. Additionally, it is the home of the Public Inquiry Team, coordinating the Department’s response to high-profile inquiries such as the Covid and Horizon inquiries.

The Directorate has recently merged with the Risk Management Division, which is responsible for the Department’s risk management strategy, setting clear accountabilities and guidance with the aim of promoting effective decision-making across DWP.  

The Chief of Staff reports directly to the Director, Risk and Resilience.

The successful applicant will be required to hold Developed Vetting (DV) clearance or be willing to go through the vetting process.

Job description

As Chief of Staff, you will build effective and trusted relationships with the Director, Deputy Directors and Senior Leadership Team, acting as a trusted advisor and representative. You will also oversee and manage the directorate’s corporate strategy and activities, including recruitment, people and capabilities activities and financial planning.

Key Role Responsibilities

• Oversight of the close support to the Senior Civil Servant ensuring their time is used effectively on the most pressing issues and using your judgment to make decisions on other issues.
• Acting as a trusted counsellor to the Senior Civil Servant and being an active member of the senior leadership team
• Undertake a strategic work force plan and associated recruitment to ensure the directorate has the appropriate capabilities and capacity.
• Monitor and develop the directorate’s people activities with a particular focus on resilience, development and wellbeing, with a view to building organisational capability and improving people survey scores.
• Oversee and manage corporate strategy and activities, including recruitment, people and capabilities activities and financial planning.
• Leading and having responsibility for the smooth running of the Directors Office, providing leadership and building strong relationships across the wider DWP community.

 Our Mission

The Department for Work and Pensions is one of the biggest government departments, delivering vital services to some of the most vulnerable people in society. As part of the UK’s biggest public service department, we make sure that millions of people receive their State Pension and working age, disability and ill health benefits each year.  

Change and Resilience Group (CRG) lead on the Department’s portfolio of Change programmes and projects. We work in multi-disciplinary teams to continually improve how we do things and deliver our services with minimal disruption to DWP customers. More information can be found in the Candidate Information Pack attached and you can also find out more about Working for DWP here.  

Find out more about DWP Change and Resilience Group here:

We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make Change and Resilience Group as diverse as possible, and we particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Person specification

The Essential Criteria for this role are:

Essential Criteria

• Experience of providing direct personal support to a senior individual.
• Be self-motivated and resilient, able to work calmly under pressure with proven ability to cut through complex and time sensitive issues.
• Have effective stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience in dealing with and influencing senior colleagues; and a confident leadership style that can demand respect from a wide range of key stakeholders.
• Successfully lead planning processes setting a clear vision, objectives, and milestones.
• Experienced in creating and delivering strategic workforce plans to ensure a team has appropriate capabilities and capacity.
• Very strong written and verbal communication skills, and the confidence to review the work of other, often senior colleagues effectively and sensitively.
• Effective line management – getting the most out of a team while supporting their development and wellbeing. 

 Desirable criteria

• An understanding of Government Crisis Management Functions.
• Developed Vetting or a willingness to undertake DV: National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 Additional Information:

• Due to the nature of this post, it requires the postholder to work out of one of the DWP Change hubs. These are located in: Birmingham Arena Central, Blackpool Peel Park, Glasgow Atlantic Quay, Leeds Quarry House, London Caxton House, Manchester St Peters Square, Newcastle Benton Park, Sheffield Kings Court, Pontypridd Treforest Ty Taf.
• For vacancies in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.
• You will be asked to complete a location preference as part of your application. Successful candidates will be posted in merit order based on your location preferences (within reasonable daily travelling distance) and the geographical requirements of the business. Dependent on your position on the merit list, if none of your location preferences remain at the point we make a job offer DWP may offer you a role at an alternative advertised location. If we are unable to offer you a role in any of your preferred locations, and you are unable to accept a role at an alternative advertised location, we will add you to the reserve list if one is being held.
• Relocation costs for anyone voluntarily moving will not be reimbursed.
• 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.

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, Strengths and Experience.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Work Strengths Test.

Civil Service Jobs will check if you have an applicable banked test score.

• If you do, you won’t be invited to the test.
• If you don’t, you will be invited to the test, and must take it.

If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

The online application will include:

• A CV setting out your career history – this will NOT be used in the sifting process. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​
• A personal statement (maximum 1250 words) explaining why you want to work for DWP in this role; how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria.

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the essential criteria thoroughly as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc.

Please complete the online test and written application as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is Monday 10th June 2024 at 23:55. If you fail to complete the online test and written 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 Civil Service Jobs website. 

Please note that when you make your application online, you will be asked to complete diversity monitoring information.

Shortlist

Your application will be assessed to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role. The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your personal statement of 1250 words. This will be assessed against the essential criteria within the advert.

Feedback will not be provided at the sift stage.

The Interview

This will be a blended interview. It will take place remotely via an MS Teams video call which should take approximately 45 minutes. You will deliver a presentation on the lead behaviour which is Leadership and then be asked a mixture of behaviour and strength questions. 

A blended interview aims to be a conversation offering a more inclusive approach. The behaviour and strength-based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, whilst also understanding their potential.

Presentation

Candidates will be asked to prepare and deliver a 5-minute presentation to the panel. This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment. Details of the presentation will be given to candidates on invitation to interview - no visual aids will be permitted.

For more advice around how to answer behaviour and strength questions and an indicative timeline for the sift and interview dates, please see the attached Candidate Information Pack. Please note that any dates given are subject to change.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 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 or Disclosure Scotland 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. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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.

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.

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. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.