About the job

Job summary

Are you an experienced leader who can develop and lead the implementation of business change initiatives within DWP, creating a resilient and sustainable organisation that puts our people and customers first?

The Workplace Transformation Programme (WTP) is set up to transform where and how we work, delivering a smaller, better and greener estate over a 10-year period.

As a department, we are committed to modernising our services and supporting managers and employees to deliver a truly inclusive working environment that enables smarter working. WTP will enable the department to be more efficient, greener and to work smarter to support the wider government priorities for getting people back into employment, deliver long-term savings and meet sustainability commitments. This includes how we use our workspaces, technology, people and culture.

The New Ways of Working team is responsible for the development and implementation of the behavioural and cultural changes, ensuring the benefits for the department are maximised in the delivery of the Department's Workplace Transformation Programme.

To hear more about the role from Andrew Goodman, WTP Senior Responsible Owner, and Natalie O'Connell, WTP Programme Director, please see the Candidate Pack at the bottom of this job advert. You can also join us for the Virtual Engagement session, This is an opportunity to hear directly from Andrew and Natalie who will provide an overview of the role and hold a Q&A session.

Virtual Engagement Session

Date: 14th August 2024 Time: 13:30 – 14:30 - Join here

This virtual session is an opportunity for you to find out more about the role and what it's like leading the New Ways of Working team. 

Job description

You will be accountable for leading business change initiatives across DWP that will realise the benefits associated with smarter working and the workplace transformation programme, to deliver a more affordable, flexible, and inclusive place to work.

Your key responsibilities are, but not limited to:

• Develop and lead the implementation of a business change framework for Workplace Transformation that provides alignment across all activity enabling cultural and behavioural change in the workplace for DWP.
• Drive and embed activities to maintain the British Standard PAS3000 Smarter Working accreditation across DWP and to design the change frameworks to support the range of roles and locations in the department.
• Define and lead strategic planning and interventions to enable new ways of working, applying an evaluation approach to implementation, and engaging with senior leaders in the programme, the wider organisation and working closely with analysts, HR and digital colleagues.
• Lead the adoption of best practice from across government and similar complex organisations and apply current research to deliver vibrant communities and productive workplaces to support office attendance.
• Establish and implement a model for better local day to day management of the workplace that enables business groups in sites to convene to manage their workplace and estates needs and supports the establishment and running of vibrant communities.
• Influence across the DWP organisation to understand and determine how change and people benefits will be realised over the longer term to deliver the strategic aims of the programme and sustained change, through provision of guidance and awareness for leaders.
• The ability to lead a portfolio of activity through matrix management, setting the direction of work, maintaining strategic alignment and gathering intelligent data and insight to inform strategic decision making.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of leading people centred system change at scale, to drive cultural and behavioural change through multi-disciplinary teams, preferably within People and Estates transformation or a complex Change Programme.
• Proven ability to develop and translate strategy into action, setting a clear and compelling vision, that teams (direct and indirect) can align behind to deliver and using data and insight to inform direction of plans.
• A proven track record in systematically identifying, analysing and communicating with senior stakeholders, using appropriate channels, to ensure all those impacted by the change are engaged, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests.
• The ability to work in an environment of uncertainty and to see the big picture, making strategic connections across a complex landscape of business change impacts in large-scale, complex organisational programmes.
• Track record of building highly effective relationships, particularly at a senior level, collaborating across a challenging agenda, using relationships and professional networks to add measurable value to the organisation and to engage at board level.
• Excellent leadership skills with a track record of developing high-performing, diverse and dispersed teams through effective leadership and role modelling. 

As this is a Business Change role you should hold a relevant change management qualification or willing to work towards, including but not limited to; 

• APM Change Management Practitioner
• Change Management Institute – Master
• Major Projects Leadership Academy
• PMI Project Management Professional
• Project Leadership Programme (PLP)
• APM Chartered Project Professional
• Level 6 Project Management Degree Apprenticeship

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%

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.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process outlined below:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;

A supporting statement (maximum 1250 words) explaining why you want to work for DWP in this role; how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification. 

For more information about this role and the selection process, please see the candidate pack attached to the advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.