About the job

Job summary

In the DHSC’s Elective Care and Cancer Directorate, we are proud of our purpose - to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer.

We are focussed on the delivery of top Government priorities relating to elective care and cancer policy and performance. Addressing waiting lists is on the Prime Minister’s top 5 priorities, delivering on the NHS’s 2022 Elective Recovery Plan. Reducing wait times and improving outcomes for cancer is a key part of that and cancer is one of the six priority conditions covered in the forthcoming Major Conditions strategy, as well as being a key part of the Department’s strategic considerations. There will be opportunities for successful applicants to take the lead on one or more major areas of our work

We are looking for individuals who are keen to grip a stretching brief within these priority areas. We are excited to offer two posts to lead and manage high performing teams, one on elective care performance and policy, and one on cancer performance and policy.

We are a supportive, inclusive and solutions-focussed Directorate. Our teams work hard to understand the challenges facing those working on elective care and cancer to improve patient outcomes and experience. In particular, we work with NHS England and others to set policy direction and ensure timely delivery of the targets set out in the Elective Recovery Plan.

Job description

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.

We are offering two roles: 

1. Grade 6 lead working on Elective Care, with responsibilities including:

• Providing high quality assurance on delivery of the priorities set out in the Elective Recovery Plan, using excellent understanding and analysis of data and impactful presentation of quantitative and qualitative evidence to generate insights and solutions.
• Providing updates and advice to Ministers in writing and in person, setting out assessments of progress on delivery, exploring variation, highlighting risks, issues and and recommend solutions, all working closely with our excellent analytical team and colleagues in NHS England.
• Gripping the different elements of the electives system to understand the existing delivery approaches and the challenges and opportunities in each area - 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 that future policy and spending decisions are grounded in evidence and credible insights.

The exact portfolio and deliverables will be agreed with the successful candidate. Our teams work flexibly to ensure that individuals have stretching objectives and wide ranging portfolios. Areas of focus could include outpatient and diagnostic transformation, patient choice, long waits and projects to ensure a more resilient electives system for the future. The successful candidate will need to feel comfortable setting direction through uncertainty, delivering in a fast-paced environment, and providing leadership and support to a friendly and high-performing team.

2. Grade 6 lead in the Cancer Policy and Performance Team:

• Delivery of improvements in NHS cancer performance, within the limitations of the broader system, and developing the Department’s depth of understanding of the issues involved.
• Leading and supporting a relatively new and enlarged team, and maintaining a strong relationship with NHS England to deliver these improvements, and more specifically to understand the complexity of cancer pathways in diagnosis and treatment.
• Supporting the Secretary of State and Ministers to understand how best to deliver for NHS cancer patients, to identify and overcome obstacles to this, and to understand the opportunities for system improvement.
• Playing an active role in the Department’s wider understanding of cancer policy and performance, and acting as an ambassador for this across DHSC and the wider health system.

As one of two Grade 6 roles in the Cancer Policy and Performance Team, this is an exciting opportunity to take a leading role in shaping the team and specifically leading improvement in, and understanding of, cancer performance in the NHS - a top priority area for our ministers. The team works closely with NHS England to ensure delivery of three key performance targets, and other crucial measures such as improving the staging of cancer. NHS England is a key partner in this, as are the many cancer charities who campaign on behalf of patients. A key part of the role is also to support ministers to respond to concerns and improve the experiences of patients with cancer. Cancer is one of the six conditions covered in the Major Conditions Strategy. Alongside opportunities to take a key role in this, the successful applicant will also play an important part in the Department’s wider strategic considerations around cancer.

Person specification

1. Grade 6 role in the Elective Care team

• Providing high quality assurance on delivery of the priorities set out in the Elective Recovery Plan, using excellent understanding and analysis of data and impactful presentation of quantitative and qualitative evidence to generate insights and solutions.
• Leading relationships with a set of stakeholders including counterparts in NHS England, Ministers’ private offices, other teams in the department and No.10 and HM Treasury – working to establish a shared and evidence informed view of performance, delivery and policy opportunities and agree next steps.
• Providing updates and advice to Ministers in writing and in person, setting out assessments of progress on delivery, exploring variation, highlighting risks, issues and recommend solutions. This includes working closely with analysts, NHSE and where relevant, No.10 to lead problem-solving projects, (deep dives and sprints) to identify challenges and opportunities for delivery of objectives and make recommendations to unblock implementation barriers.

• Gripping the different elements of the electives system to understand the existing delivery approaches and the challenges and opportunities in each area - including on theatre productivity, diagnostics, outpatients, referrals, funding, choice, patient experience and more.

• Getting to grips with the big strategic questions in electives so that future policy and spending decisions are grounded in evidence and credible insights.
• Playing an active part of the Elective Care and Cancer Directorate Senior Management Team, providing high quality leadership through rigorous work planning and supportive management, prioritising the development of a diverse, supportive and high-performing culture across teams.

2. Grade 6 role in the Cancer Policy and Performance Team

• Leading a team with responsibility for working with departmental colleagues, NHSE and other stakeholders to track the delivery of the cancer elements within the NHSE Elective Recovery Plan.
  
  
• Leading the team to understand the broader context of and develop cancer policy, and ensure alignment with wider health policy, shaping new cancer policy development where appropriate.
  
  
• Playing a leading role in the development of products and materials to support ministerial deep dives and stocktakes to further our understanding of the barriers and enablers of cancer pathways and performance.
  
  
• Maintaining an excellent dialogue with NHS England, the wider NHSand other cancer organisations and charities to understand broader barriers and opportunities in improving cancer performance for patients.
  
  
• Working with the team, senior officials and private offices, shaping and quality assuring excellent written and oral policy advice for Ministers, based on best evidence.

Be an active part of the Elective directorate SMT, representing teams and taking on lead areas on specific corporate workstrands to develop a diverse, supportive and high-performing culture across teams.

Key skills and experience required for the role

The skills and experience required for both the Grade 6 roles advertised are sufficiently similar and are therefore described as a single block below:

• Engaging with performance and other evidence, working with our analytical teams to identify issues, themes and opportunities, bringing a range of complex evidence together to articulate what those findings mean in a clear way, both verbally and in person. Working with analysts to identify and answer probing questions with a view to improving performance and future policy.
• Strategic thinking, looking for ways to ensure policy development and assessment of elective care and cancer performance reflect wider strategic priorities. Identifying risks and links to issues and policy agendas outside of the immediate area to improve the scope and impact of the teams’ work.
• Excellent communication/influencing skills. Including building positive relationships to further the teams’ objectives and deliver on ministerial priorities. Experience of working with private and parliamentary offices, the NHS and legal teams or equivalent, as well as external stakeholders like the charity sector would be beneficial. The postholder will need to balance different perspectives and handle those sensitively and robustly, supporting the team to do the same.
• An ability to lead teams effectively. Providing clear plans and direction for your team, building links with your peers, including to ensure that the team understand links between different areas. Importantly to provide high quality management for teams, building a positive, inclusive and supportive environment with a strong development offer to the team.
• Delivery of high quality products. Successful applicants will need to be comfortable leading team delivery of quality materials in different formats, including written advice to Ministers and Powerpoint slide packs communicating a range of information to Ministers or others coherently and with impact, often under short deadlines ensuring input from different teams.

Essential:

• Ability to be an inclusive leader and develop others.
• Strong strategic thinking and critical thinking skills, with the ability to effectively analyse complex problems, develop innovative solutions and make informed decisions.
• Proactivity and direction setting through uncertainty, including the ability to manage fast paced and competing priorities.

• Cross-organisation working and building effective and productive relationships.
• Excellent communication and upwards management.
• Experience of working with external stakeholders, including charities, research organisations and think tanks.

Desirable:

• Experience working on health policy or a good understanding of the health system.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,832, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £18,044 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.

Applications will be sifted on CV and Behaviours.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert. 

An initial sift based on CV and Lead Behaviour : Leadership. may be held if a large number of applications are received. 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 Behaviours and Strengths.

Candidates will be asked a presentation which will assess a Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture.  Details of the presentation question will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores.

Sift and Interview dates

Sift date: Expected 5/02/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 12/02/2024 

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

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

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.

Further Information

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

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

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

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

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

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

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.

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.

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

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

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

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

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.