About the job

Job summary

The Deputy Director for Talent and Apprenticeships is part of the senior leadership team in the Capability, Learning and Talent Directorate of People and Capability Group. It is a strategic role which delivers key components of the Department’s People Strategy: a continuously learning organisation and leaders who coach, inspire and empower our people to deliver.

In this role, you will lead two centres of expertise and will operate across the whole of DWP and wider-Government, with significant visibility to a broad range of senior, high-profile stakeholders within DWP and across Government.

This is a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference to the future of our department and offers a great mix of strategic, long-term thinking and real-world delivery.

If you are confident that you can provide strong professional leadership, create and sustain long-lasting, trust-based senior relationships at a time of continued change and transformation for DWP, then we would very much like to hear from you.

​This is a part-time role, designed to be an opportunity for part-time working at a senior level and the portfolio is weighted accordingly.

Job description

What are my responsibilities?​

• ​Provide and role model engaging and inclusive senior and visible leadership to both your teams and stakeholders as well as actively contributing to the wider leadership of the Department to build trust and respect at all levels.​
• ​Create, influence and sustain effective, trust-based relationships with a broad range of high-profile senior stakeholders including the Permanent Secretary, the DWP Executive Team, senior leaders across DWP, the Cabinet Office and wider-Government. ​
• ​Deliver a talent strategy that supports DWP’s strategic outcomes and delivery of our People Strategy, ensuring that the department is making full use of talent schemes to support the development of high potential individuals.​
• ​Personally support the DWP Executive Team to develop the SCS Pay Band 2 (Director-level) cadre across the department, supporting conversations on their development and succession planning. ​
• ​Work closely with HR Directors, providing them with the tools and expertise needed for the effective running of talent and succession planning conversations and processes for the SCS Pay Band 1 (Deputy Director) cadre in DWP.​
• Design and lead a new DWP SCS Strategy, working in partnership with relevant Centres of Expertise, to bring coherence to all SCS activity and articulate a clear annual cycle for SCS activity in DWP, supporting the development of quality SCS data and insight.​
• Set the strategic direction of the apprenticeship agenda across the department, ensuring high-quality apprenticeships are embedded into our skills and capability strategies and supporting the wider cross government apprenticeship reform agenda.​
• Ensure the delivery of quality apprenticeships across DWP, working closely with suppliers and stakeholders and connecting to strategic workforce planning.​
• Through your behaviours and ways of working make DWP an inclusive place where people feel safe to challenge and can be their best.​

Person specification

This is a high profile and demanding Deputy Director role which requires an ability to work at pace, think strategically and operationally, engage in complex problem solving, and work with others across DWP and beyond. ​

• Be an excellent, experienced leader with the ability to work at pace and to think both strategically and operationally to make the right connections and deliver the right outcomes;​
• Have a track record of successful, impactful delivery at a senior level in the HR/People profession in relation to talent and/or organisational capability. This experience will preferably be in a large and complex organisation;​
• Be confident in system leadership, with the ability to implement and translate strategy into action, setting a clear and compelling vision, that teams and stakeholders can align behind to deliver;​
• Be able to build a wide range of effective and influential relationships at all levels, both internal and external, working across boundaries to engender trust, build capability, and provide support and challenge; ​
• Have excellent communication and influencing skills, using your networks and drawing on data and using internal and external expertise, to build a compelling narrative on talent that is engaging, easy to understand and delivers the required outcomes;​
• Be a great leader of people and have a passion for building high performing teams through developing capability, coaching and creating an inclusive and collaborative culture which values diversity and encourages openness, approachability and sensitivity.​

Applicants must be a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD or willing to work towards this.​

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, Strengths and Experience.

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

• Upload your CV and Personal Statement setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years
• Your personal statement should be no more than 1000 words outlining how your personal skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria.

For more information about this role and the applications process, please see the candidate pack attached. If you require an accessible version, please contact SENIOR.RECRUITMENT@DWP.GOV.UK.

To find out more about DWP, the role and the application 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.