About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill 1 Communications Lead role within the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) Customer Service Assurance Team (CSAT). You will have an opportunity to work for a large government department in a key leadership role, where you will lead the DRS Communications Team.

DRS is a large and diverse service of nearly 2,800 colleagues based in England, Scotland and Wales. We provide a service that allows our customers to challenge benefit decisions by asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration or to submit appeals against benefit decisions.  

We work with our customers to understand their individual circumstances, collate and interpret evidence and make decisions that have real life impact. This is particularly important for our vulnerable, customers where making the right decision on a benefit entitlement can enable them and their family to participate fully in society. 

The Communications Lead role is part of the wider enabling team within DRS. Our principal role is to design, develop and deliver communications through a wide range of channels, advising senior leaders and stakeholders and supporting colleagues to deliver our business within the parameters of our communications strategy. 

The role is challenging and exciting and we are looking for a highly organised individual with excellent interpersonal skills and a keen eye for detail. You should be digitally competent, proactive, resilient, adaptable to last minute change and comfortable working at pace.

Our core values are - We Care, We Deliver, We Adapt, We Work Together, We Value Everybody.

We have an inclusive environment, where we want colleagues to thrive by being themselves at work. We understand the benefits of people who feel supported, empowered, valued and respected. We have development and talent programmes including specific programmes for underrepresented groups and we actively support all of our people in achieving their full potential. Our commitment is to have a workforce that truly reflects our society and the communities we serve.

The following link provides further information about careers within the Civil Service https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/dwp-how-to-apply/

Job description

• In this role you will be required to work across all our business areas, carrying out a wide range of communication activities to help DRS deliver its core outcomes and to become a more digital organisation.
• Creativity, pro-activity and a can-do attitude are essential, as is the ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously and at pace, bolstered by digital prowess and experience of working within the Government Digital Services (GDS) accessibility guidelines, to make our digital services accessible to people with disabilities (a legal requirement).
• You will need to be an experienced communicator who can build and maintain good working relationships and develop a strong understanding of all available media so you can advise on the best messages, methods and channels to reach and influence our audiences.
• You will also be responsible for developing and implementing our Digital Transformation Strategy to support our journey towards being digital by default. 
• You will lead a small Communications Team, building individual and team capability by personally coaching and mentoring colleagues and developing an environment of equality, inclusivity and trust where people can be their very best.
• The role will involve occasional travel to other DRS locations. 

Person specification

Candidates must be able to demonstrate they can meet the following essential criteria:

• Experience of working with digital tools across a mix of channels to communicate and engage within an organisation and across it's diverse stakeholder network. (Lead Criteria) 
• The ability to plan, implement and evaluate communications and to gather and use insight to inform communication approaches. 
• Strong inclusive leadership and coaching skills. Able to identify and support the development needs of themselves and others to reach the standards of the Operational Delivery Profession and DRS digital capability requirements. 
• Demonstrable experience of Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and other Microsoft Office products is crucial to this role, including the ability to edit, stream and create closed captions for video and to adapt documents to meet accessibility standards.   
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate confidently, concisely and coherently to a variety of audiences. 
• Confident in stakeholder management and experienced at working collaboratively to build and maintain effective relationships across a range of different roles and grades within the business.  
• Excellent organisational skills; you will be proactive, resilient, adaptable to last minute change and comfortable working at pace. 
• For jobs based in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable

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%
• Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Competitive maternity, paternity, and parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme with emphasis on wellbeing
• Career and Personal Development through Operational Delivery Profession
• Employee discount schemes 

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.

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.

Selection will be by:

• Written application
• A video interview

The closing date for the written application is 23:55 on 18th February 2024.  If you fail to complete the written application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Written Application

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a Personal Statement in no more than 1250 words detailing the relevant skills and experience you can bring to the role, based on the criteria set out in the Person Specification.    

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. You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several essential criteria.

You may not be able to meet all the essential criteria, but please ensure you; evidence the key personal requirements; what have you done that is relatable to the requirements? You do not have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used.

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

• (Lead Criteria) Experience of working with digital tools across a mix of channels to communicate and engage within an organisation and across it's diverse stakeholder network.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview.

Interview

Candidates who successfully pass the written sift will then be invited to interview. This will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and will last approximately 40-45 minutes.

Further details regarding the process will be included in the invite to interview.

During the interview you will be asked questions to test your experiences in 4 (Level 3) Behaviours; 

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Leadership
• Changing and Improving

You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. The Behaviour and Strength based questioning explores what the candidate can do/has done, as well as their potential.

An example of a Behaviour question would be;
Tell me about a time you have set about improving customer service, giving a sense of pace and criticality of success? How did you ensure this activity achieved its objectives whilst keeping costs under control? What tools and techniques did you use?

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed, or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain.

It is difficult to prepare for Strength type questions, however you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.
While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.

If you have any questions about applying for this role please contact: warbreckhousedbu.drsrelationshipandrecruitmentteam@DWP.GOV.UK

Sifting is due to take place between 19th February 2024 and 1st March 2024. 

Interviews are due to take place between 18th March 2024 and 28th March 2024. 

Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. 

Preparing for the Interview

Further information about the process can be found in the Candidate Pack.   
  
If you withdraw your application at any stage, it will not be progressed any further.  

After the Interview

Once all interviews have been completed, candidates will be notified of the outcome by email. The successful candidates will be offered a posting based on their preferred location and will be notified of a start date following successful security checks. The posting offer will be made in strict merit order.

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.

The reserve list may also be used to offer future permanent opportunities, not necessarily restricted to the current locations included in the advert. They may also extend to permanent opportunities which arise across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order to all candidates remaining on the reserve list. The location and job role would be fully explained to you. Refusal of the offer would not change your reserve list position. 

Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP.

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

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.

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.

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 Adjustments

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.