About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill Service Leader roles to lead the delivery of Universal Credit across Districts within London and Essex. The successful candidate could potentially be based within any London & Essex Region site, with travel required to sites within Districts, as well as less frequent but regular travel around the London and Essex area. This is a workplace-based role.

The Service Leader role is a high profile and business critical role, with responsibility for all functions undertaken for Universal Credit Service Delivery. Universal Credit is at the heart of the governments welfare agenda – designed to simplify the benefit system by bringing together a range of working age benefits into a single payment whilst supporting customers to find work.

We provide support through an extensive network of Jobcentres that deliver face to face labour market support. Each District in London and Essex has up to 1200 colleagues, between 10 to 14 jobcentres, and some will additionally have temporary jobcentre sites.

DWP welcomes applications from candidates who demonstrate inspirational and resourceful leadership to help drive performance and deliver a positive and efficient service to our customers.

Standard promotion rules will apply, and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP.

Job description

Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following:

• Active member of your Senior Leadership Team, contributing to the wider Departmental agendas and providing visible, accessible, and effective senior leadership, taking a personal lead in communicating messages with clarity and conviction.
• Confident leading through ambiguity and ability to adapt quickly to changing direction and priorities.
• Ability to positively inspire, encourage and influence others, actively seeking and listening to feedback by encouraging discussion and ideas in support of development.
• Create and sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders including Directors and key partners/stakeholders to develop stronger working across DWP to create powerful, purposeful partnerships.
• Be a resourceful, self-starting leader with experience of delivering excellent customer service in a fast-paced environment and leading large commands to deliver high levels of performance.
• In your membership of Senior Leadership Teams, role model exceptional leadership, working flexibly across boundaries, building capability in line with Professional Standards and undertaking regular activity to build and sustain engagement.
• Demonstrate strong and effective change management; and be accountable for the delivery and quality of activity in your area.
• Through your behaviour and ways of working make DWP an inclusive place where people can be their best.

Person specification

Key Criteria

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the following:

• You have strong leadership, experience of leading and motivating large, geographically dispersed operational teams. ​
• You have strong experience of working in partnership and collaboratively across teams at a senior level, engaging and building trust with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals. ​
• You can demonstrate positive customer service activity and outcomes through systems leadership, positive focus and energy, taking responsibility for delivering a timely, high quality and cost-effective service.​
• You can set and articulate a strong strategic vision to others and develop team plans and activities to deliver against Departmental objectives ensuring everyone understands their roles and business priorities.​
• You are a visible, accessible, effective senior leader and you communicate confidently, provide clear direction and show genuine care for colleagues.​
• You can demonstrate positive customer service outcomes by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations. 

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.

Application

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.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite, set out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. There is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Our CV element is short, and allows an initial check of eligibility, so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your personal statement.

Personal Statement

A personal statement (no longer than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the key criteria. ​

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the key criteria and specified behaviours, as this is what your written evidence will assessed against. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several key criteria. You may not be able to meet all the key criteria, but please ensure you evidence: the key personal requirements and what have you done that relates to the requirements. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used.

Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the skills you have that are transferable to the key requirements, and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.  

Application sifting will take place week commencing 8 January 2024.​

The interview

The interview will be a face-to-face interview held at St. Marylebone Jobcentre. It will consist of a blended Interview where we will assess you using Behavioural and Strengths based questions on the four behaviours listed above.  

A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview, offering a more inclusive approach. The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores not only what you can and have done, but also your potential.

The interview will last approximately 45 minutes and includes requirement for candidates to deliver a 5-minute presentation, no IT will be required for this presentation. Further details regarding the topic for the presentation and interview arrangements will be included in the invite to interview.

Interviews are expected to take place from week commencing 22 January 2024.

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made.  The reserve list may be used to offer future vacancies which arise across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order and the location and job role would be fully explained.

You may be placed on the reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances*. 
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

*Note -  Exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual Part Time Working Pattern and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health.

Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a  minimum of 18 months before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed, see our vetting charter. The level of security needed is security check,

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Reasonable Adjustments

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. 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.