About the job

Job summary

Family separation is never easy. The Child Maintenance Service helps parents, who are unable to make a private financial agreement in support of their child(ren)’s living costs, ensure and at times enforce, the legal responsibility to provide financial support. Our mission is to ‘get money to children’ because it makes a real difference to children’s lives.

Child Maintenance Service is not only undergoing a significant period of change as we drive forward our transformation agenda, but in tandem, we continue to deliver a politically significant and fundamentally crucial service to millions of separated families around the country who depend upon the work we do. Our story over the last two years is one of impressive progress and improvement.

Despite the progress we’ve made, we are unashamedly ambitious about what more we can achieve and the difference we can make for the families who need us. Child Maintenance Service is an amazing place to work. Walk into any one of our service centres and you will be overwhelmed by the passion and commitment that our people have for supporting our customers.

Working as part of a small team supporting the CMS Delivery Assurance Senior Leaders, this Senior Leader Support role will provide the opportunity to work within a changeable and demanding environment, supporting Senior Leaders on a day-to-day basis to ensure the smooth running of the business.

Job description

This is a fast-paced and challenging role that requires an individual with strong organisational skills. The post holder will have proven engagement skills, working with stakeholders locally and across CMS.

Key responsibilities include:

• Collaborating with stakeholders at all levels, both within CMS and the wider DWP to support Senior Leaders across a full range of business priorities
• Manage actions and responses to Senior Leader’s e-mails, prioritising correspondence based on importance and urgency, ensuring that systems are in place for all e-mails and correspondence to be dealt with effectively and within deadlines
• Work collaboratively to organise Senior Leaders time via an efficient diary management system, ensuring that all scheduling conflicts are resolved immediately
• Collating information, producing briefing material and ensuring the Senior Leaders have all relevant documents in advance of all meetings
• Perform Secretariat duties for Senior Leaders as required; capturing actions and decisions, taking accurate minutes, and following up on outstanding actions as required
• Using own initiative to take ownership of discreet areas of work such as administering recruitment activity, travel booking and other adhoc activities, seeking input and involvement of other stakeholders as appropriate

Person specification

This is what you will be assessed against, and should align your personal statement to.  Your evidence will be assessed against the following essential criteria. You must ensure you provide specific examples to demonstrate these criteria in your personal statement.  Candidates will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Highly organised with strong planning and prioritisation skills, having the ability to work flexibly and at pace to meet rapidly changing priorities with competing deadlines at short notice and to very short timescales (Lead Criteria).
• Strong interpersonal/communication skills, both face to face and in writing with senior leaders and cross departmental stakeholders. 
• High levels of judgment on a broad range of issues, often dealing with varied and highly sensitive matters, in line with organisation/business priorities, purpose and vision.
• A proven track record of building and maintaining collaborative working relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels, driving outcomes through others.

Benefits

Working for DWP will include benefits such as learning and development tailored to your role, an environment with flexible working options, a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity and a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%, Civil Service pension.

CMS is committed to the Wellbeing of all colleagues, support includes Wellbeing conversations, dedicated Wellbeing Advocates in each Service Centre to develop and deliver health and wellbeing initiatives and ‘Hotel CMS’, our own Intranet site offering a wealth of information, guidance and support.

We Value Everybody is one of our five Core Values here in CMS. We have active National Network Groups for Race, LGBGT+, Disability, Carers, Wellbeing, Faith & Belief and Age. Our monthly People Group meeting draws these groups together to listen, act, and update CMS Directors with our plans.  

CMS Colleagues have the opportunity to join HASSRA, a vibrant and successful organisation that provides a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly). It also has an important part to play in helping us achieve a healthy work-life balance and wellbeing in the workplace.

Working hours - The contracted working hours for the Department are 07:45 hours to 20:00 hours, Monday to Friday, and 08:45 hours to 17:00 hours on Saturday.  Employees are contracted to work a specific number of hours per week within the above times.  Employees will be required to work the number of hours per week for which they are contracted. For example, for full time employees this will be 37 hours net (42 hours gross including meal breaks). For part-time employees it will be less.

Access to flexible working hours scheme will be available.

Please refer to the candidate pack for further information contained in this section of the advert and more information in relation to the Benefits of working for DWP.

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.

Stage 1: Application & Sift​

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete an anonymised CV and personal statement of no more than 1000 words. 

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

Use your 1000 word Personal Statement to describe how you meet the Essential Criteria as detailed in the job advert.

The CV is an on-line tool, there is no requirement to upload your personal CV.  When giving details of your employment history, you should include details of work you have completed and projects you have been involved in.  However the CV is not scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement.

Your Personal Statement should contain no more than 1000 words. The layout is entirely your choice, you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criterion separately; however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several of the criteria. Please share with us what makes you suited to this role. We would like to find out what you can do, the skills you hold and the life experience or passion that you have that could be aligned to the criteria listed within the Person Specification.

The sift panel will use the information in your Personal Statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the Essential Criteria outlined in the advert. ​

Important Information Regarding Anonymisation​

Due to the DWP’s use of anonymised recruitment practices it is not possible for applicants to upload/attach a CV; any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.

When entering information relating to your employment history you will be asked to remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your CV/Personal statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.​

Sift​

The sift panel will use the information in your Personal Statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria outlined in the advert. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Criteria:

• Highly organised with strong planning and prioritisation skills, having the ability to work flexibly and at pace to meet rapidly changing priorities with competing deadlines at short notice and to very short timescales

Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift where all applications will be assessed and sifted against all the essential criteria outlined in the advert.

Please note depending on the volume of applications we may choose to invite candidates straight to interview and dispense with the sift stage. For this reason, the timeline for the interview window is subject to change depending on the approach we choose to take.

Stage 2: Interview

Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be a blended interview via Microsoft Teams.

The blended interview will consist of Behaviour and Strength questions. The Behaviours being assessed at interview are:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together      

All elements of the interview will be via video link, and the whole process should take approximately 30 - 40 minutes.

A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview, offering a more inclusive approach.

The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.

Please refer to the Candidate Pack for further information.

Approximate sift and interview dates:

Sift Period: 30/07/24 - 09/08/24
Interviews: 22/08/24 - 28/08/24

Sift and Interview dates are subject to change.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

Tenure in post

Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months following completion of the appropriate apprenticeship unless on promotion. 

Reserve lists

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. If you are placed on a reserve list if your application is successful but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances*. 
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

*Note -  Exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual Part Time Working Pattern and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health.

Any further appointments made from the reserve list will be allocated in merit order.

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/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 

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.

DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified – as determined by the business. To support this aim you may be required to undertake a work based qualification, which may be in the form of an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time, you agree to take this job on the basis that you may be required to undertake a work based qualification; a candidate’s failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract. 

Important 

If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.

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.