About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

In DHSC’s Electives Directorate, we are proud to focus on one of the Government’s top delivery priorities. We are supportive, solutions-focussed and our teams work hard to understand the challenges facing the electives system and how we can improve patient outcomes and experience. In particular, we work with NHS England and others to set direction for the elective system for the future and ensure timely delivery of targets set out in the elective recovery plan. 

We are looking for individuals who are keen to grip a stretching brief in a priority area, to shape projects and policy direction as part of a supportive and high performing team. 

Across two Deputy Director led teams where we are recruiting for new team members, we focus on the following:

• Delivery of the priorities set out in the Elective Recovery Plan, using excellent understanding and analysis of data, impactful presentation of quantitative and qualitative evidence and generating insights and solutions.
• Providing updates and advice to Ministers to assess progress on delivery, exploring variation and solutions and working closely with our excellent analytical team and colleagues in NHS England.
• Gripping the different elements of the electives system to understand delivery and the challenges and opportunities that exist - including on theatre productivity, diagnostics, outpatients, referrals, funding, choice, patient experience and more.
• Getting to grips with the big strategic questions in electives so we can ensure that future policy and spending decisions are grounded in evidence and credible insights.

 

The Directorate is a great place to work, with a fast-paced and challenging brief which would suit individuals who like getting to grips with broad, challenging issues to find solutions. The roles would suit individuals who might be looking to learn new skills and approaches to policy, delivery and performance in public services. 

The directorate is a friendly, supportive and welcoming place to work on an interesting and high-profile policy area

Job description

The HEO role will require working closely with senior officials and Ministers, departmental colleagues, NHS England, and a range of other stakeholders to understand, develop and deliver elective policy. 

This will include leading high-quality responses to commissions, including briefings, PQs and correspondence and ensuring information for Ministers, senior leaders, and parliament is accurate and up to date in a fast-moving environment.

As a HEO delivery advisor, you will be drafting briefings to update Ministers and seniors on delivery, supporting assurance of NHS England’s elective commitments and support work with analysts to provide analysis for ministerial meetings.

You will be involved in supporting stakeholder engagement, quantitative and qualitative research, and co-ordinating fact-finding.

This is a fast-paced and stretching role, which will allow you to develop a wide range of skills across policy development, project management, operational response/delivery and stakeholder engagement.

Our teams work flexibly to ensure that individuals have stretching objectives and wide-ranging portfolios.

Person specification

• Play a supportive role in building and managing effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to inform understanding of electives policy and delivery, including building up good working relationships with NHS England programme/policy teams. 
• Delivering high quality briefings, advice and support to ministers.
• Opportunities to become expert in a range of interesting areas.
• Working with our excellent analytical team to identify evidence gaps and apply evidence and insight to delivery or policy questions.
• Developing a range of core policy or delivery skills useful to progression in the electives directorate or elsewhere.
• Supporting work to deepen understanding of the system and development of policy proposals.

Being actively involved in promoting a positive and inclusive culture across the directorate. 

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential:

• Excellent organisational skills, including an ability to be self-starting and to balance and prioritise competing priorities to delivery on tight timescales or respond to urgent requests
• Excellent communication and stakeholder skills.
• The ability to see, comprehend and manage the bigger picture across the broader elective space.
• A strong team player, happy to support and work effectively alongside team members of all grades, experience and backgrounds with a commitment to development of self and team.

 

Desirable:

• Experience in project management or co-ordination of policy project
• Experience of preparing submissions, presentations, and written briefings for senior officials in a way which presents detailed information succinctly and clearly.
• Experience of working with data, especially to provide based outcomes – confidence in working with analytical colleagues to analyse, interpret and draw insights from data and other evidence.

We are proud of our team’s diversity and inclusiveness and would encourage all candidates who might be uncertain that they fit all the criterion to reach out to the hiring manager for a discussion.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,188, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £8,690 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.

Sift date: W/C 01/04/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 15/04/2024

Interview location: By video.

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on Statement of Suitability and Behaviours.

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, delivering at pace. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviour and Strengths.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

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

Further Information

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to DHSC 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

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.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

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.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.