About the job

Job summary

DMA Leeds handles all DWP’s statutory appeals to the Upper Tribunal, provides legal guidance to front line decision makers through the Decision Makers Guide (DMG), Advice for Decision Making (ADM) and the Child Maintenance Decision Makers Guide (CMDMG) and manages a complex case guidance service for decision makers.   

DMA Leeds sits within Policy Group. It is a team of experts that provide a wide range of highly specialised services across DWP to ensure that Social Security Benefits and Child Maintenance operate in compliance with the legislation, whilst effectively reflecting their intended policies. The team achieve this through working closely with policy, lawyers, operational delivery staff and the tribunal services to achieve accuracy, fairness and consistency in decision making.   

This role provides a great opportunity for people looking to develop their leadership and management experience with a motivated, friendly and supportive team. 

Job description

The G7 Manager will support the senior lead, manage and motivate a team of around 60 people. They will have direct line management for 3 members of staff and will have a wide range of varied responsibilities including: 

• Working to ensure the resilience of the team, ensuring all are fully trained, developed and engaged in their roles. 
• Oversight of the technically complex benefit issues the team manages. 
• Identifying emerging issues and trends which might impact on the work of the team or the wider Department. 
• Promoting team-based performance systems and fostering team spirit and engagement. 
• Building and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships (with key policy, lawyers, service excellence, disputes resolution and operational colleagues) to promote and support the work of DMA and ensure DWP operations are compliant with legal requirements. 

There will be a strong emphasis on leading, recruitment, upskilling, coaching and motivating the team to build resilience. The post holder will also need to be someone comfortable dealing with complex information, confident in their judgment with the ability to effectively communicate their decisions and reasoning to others, while respecting the expertise in particular areas of social security law available to them in the wider team. 

We particularly welcome people from ethnic minority backgrounds applying as they are under-represented groups in DWP. To understand more about DWP and Policy Group – and full information on applying for this vacancy - you must read the attached Candidate Pack.  

Person specification

The successful candidate should be someone who: 

• Can operate as an empowering leader, supporting the team to develop and continuously improve. 
• Has the ability to delegate decisions where necessary, and work with team members who are the leading experts in the department in their particular field. 
• Has strong interpersonal and people management skills with a proven track record of building resilience, flexibility and capability in teams.   
• Has strong written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex issues clearly and concisely.
• Has experience of stakeholder management skills including in contentious or high-profile areas. 
• Can analyse data, including imperfect data, to make decisions, presenting complex information with clarity and authority to influence outcomes. 

Benefits

We have a broad benefits package to support your work-life balance which includes:    

• Volunteering and charitable giving 
• Discounts and savings on shopping, days out and more 
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it’s even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference 
• Sports and social activities 
• Learning and development, including coaching, mentoring, progression opportunities and guaranteed 5-days learning per year 
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity 
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of over 26% 
• Annual Leave entitlement of 25 days rising to 30 days over time 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

There are two elements to the selection process comprising of a sift, and the interview stage. Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below and not the published behaviours listed in this advert (they will be assessed at interview). 

Stage 1: Sift

Your Personal Statement should not exceed 1,250 words and we advise you to take advantage of the full word count. 

We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances. 

Experience Key Criteria: 

• Demonstrable experience of leading and supporting teams through periods of change and uncertainty. 
• Demonstrable evidence of building strong working relationships across team boundaries and working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders to influence and engage and confidently challenge in a professional manner. 
• Demonstrable experience of strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to choose appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact, and convey complex case information to senior managers. 
• Evidence of using sound judgment to analyse information/data to identify the most effective option, taking account of wider risks and benefits. 
• Demonstrable experience of providing a quality service in a customer focussed environment. 

Job History 

You will also be asked to provide a job history as part of your application. Note that there is no capacity to upload a separate CV. Please account for any gaps in employment. The job history provides context to your personal statement and will not be assessed.  

Stage 2: Interview 

If you are successful at Stage 1 then you will be invited to an interview. The interview will comprise of Behaviour questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. The interview panel may ask you other questions such as probing questions about your behaviour examples.  

The sift will take place after the advert closes and successful candidates will then be invited to interview.

Please see the Candidate Pack for an indicative timeline. 

Important Location Information: 

Please be aware this role can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, and your office base must be: 

• Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA 

Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on geographical requirements. 

By applying you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in the specified hub location. 

The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required. 
 
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. 

The corporate hub location will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to your designated place of work or contractual Terms and Conditions.  

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.