About the job

Job summary

Are you a great communicator who enjoys helping others?

Can you work under pressure while managing multiple tasks?

Do you have excellent attention to detail?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

As a Customer Service Officer, you will support managers in the daily operations of the Creative Services studio to deliver innovative, creative solutions that support DVLA’s brand and strategy.

You will support the Customer Service Manager in allocating work from the shared inbox while overseeing the processes the AO’s go through, keeping track of workflow progress and monitoring key milestones.

This role includes line management of 5 people at Administration Officer level, taking responsibility for tasks such as annual leave, sickness absence and performance reviews.

You will engage with stakeholders on a regular basis, attending (not leading) meetings with designers and photographers to discuss their requests, and representing the Customer Service Manager where necessary. You will listen to requirements and advise stakeholders, manage their expectations and discuss potential solutions where initial requests may not be feasible.

This is a challenging, varied role in which you will network and engage with a variety of colleagues across DVLA. It is also a fantastic opportunity to gain line management skills if you have not managed anyone previously, and we will fully support you to develop in this area.

Responsibilities  

Your responsibilities will include but will not be limited to: 

• Day-to-day management of electronic workflow processes within the studio, overseeing the entry and exit points to ensure delivery of work requests within SLA defined timescales.
• Maintain Microsoft Planner, SharePoint and Excel spreadsheets with the Customer Service Manager, to ensure the timely and accurate input and distribution of workflow data.
• Work with Design Managers and the Customer Service Manager to assign design work, based on individual skillset, taking into consideration existing schedule, priorities, and individual workload, including enforcement activities for overdue items.
• Undertake quality assurance activities to support the Creative Services Quality Assurance Officer in ensuring all design products consistently meet agreed quality and branding guidelines, and are delivered to brief, budget and deadline – promoting a “right first time” culture within the design team.
• Support the delivery of excellent customer service by developing strong working relationships with all stakeholders to facilitate effective service delivery.

For further information about the role please see the attached role profile. 

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week. 

This role will be based in Swansea, and we will be operating a hybrid working model that allows you to work between home and on-site giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work, subject to business needs and this also allows for ongoing support, development, and collaboration with colleagues. 

Therefore, the expectation is that you will spend a minimum of 60% of your working time based at your principal workplace (DVLA). We would encourage you to discuss the working arrangements for this role with us during the recruitment process. 

Person specification

We are looking for a team player with a passion for providing a high standard of customer service.

You will have strong communication skills and the ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders on a regular basis. You will be a good listener, able to receive, understand and interrogate information, and must be confident to think on the spot and encourage consideration of alternative ideas if initial proposals are not feasible.

You must have a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel as you will be using it to perform daily tasks.

You should have strong decision-making skills and a good eye for detail so that you can review designers’ work and ensure a high-quality result for customers.

Excellent time management skills are essential. You will be adaptable, flexible and able to reassess priorities at short notice, delegating tasks where appropriate. You must be highly organised and able to oversee your team’s workloads in addition to your own. Being able to work under pressure while multi-tasking is vital to succeed in this role.

Due to the evolving nature of the business, vacancies can become available at any time. Therefore, this campaign may create a reserve list to fulfil demand if it arises which will be held for a period of 12 months. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. 

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role  
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance 
• Generous average employer contribution of 27%, depending on rate of salary and chosen pension scheme 
• 25 days holiday, increasing by one day each year up to 30 days pro rata 
• Access to the staff discount portal 
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.   

 

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.

For this role you will need to submit a CV and personal statement of up to 1000 words. We need to understand how your skills and experience meet all the essential criteria for this role. You can use any part of your life to demonstrate your skills and experience, but it must be relevant to the role. You can refer to your work experience, education, hobbies, or interests. 

You can decide the best way to structure your personal statement. You may choose to address each of the essential criteria on their own. Or you can give one example that covers all the essential criteria we are looking for. Click here for further guidance on submitting your CV and personal statement. 

It is essential when submitting your personal statement that you provide as much detail as possible, within the word count, against the essential criteria outlined below as this will be used in conjunction with your CV to assess candidate suitability to move to the next round in the recruitment process. 

For your CV and personal statement, please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following essential criteria: 

• Managing a busy, demanding workload
• Working to deadlines while multi-tasking and managing changing priorities
• Communication with a variety of stakeholders
• Working with Microsoft Excel

The sift is due to take place on 25th and 26th January 2024.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 12th February 2024. 

This interview will be conducted via Microsoft Teams, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. 

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 

If invited to interview, this may consist of a range of question types. These could include questions around behaviours and how you would respond in any situation as well as specific examples of things you have done. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

• An interview

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within. 

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.  

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

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.