About the job

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions is recruiting for the role of Parliamentary Relations Unit Team Member, dealing principally with Parliamentary Questions.

DWP is the UK’s biggest public service department, and administers the state pension, a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 22 million claimants and customers. What we do matters to millions of people every day.

Job description

DWP Private Office is the link between Ministers and the wider Department, and plays a key role in the development of policy and the delivery of Ministerial priorities. The Private Office team is high-performing, friendly, supportive and inclusive, and this is a demanding but rewarding and exciting role for someone interested in working closely with Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials.

Parliamentary Relations Unit (PRU) provides support to Departmental Ministers within DWP Private Office, and has a crucial role to play in delivering the Department’s Parliamentary business. Following the promotion of a team member we are looking to fill a post within our busy and friendly team.

Successful applicants will work both independently and within a small team, providing flexible support to PRU management. This post reports to the Deputy Parliamentary Clerk.

The job holder will be expected to develop expertise across a range of Parliamentary work areas, and in doing so will gain knowledge of a variety of Parliamentary practices and procedures, as well as an overview of DWP business.

You will be responsible for:

• Proactively undertaking all activities of Parliamentary Business to ensure that House of Commons and House of Lords Parliamentary Questions (PQs) are processed effectively, maintaining complete accuracy and conformity to Parliamentary protocols;
• Managing and monitoring the allocation, drafting, submission to Ministers and dispatch to Parliament of all PQs. Accurately recording and maintaining a database, and ensuring a full audit trail is maintained;
• Working with colleagues in other Government Departments, offices within Parliament and Departmental colleagues on the transfer – both in and out – of PQs and other items of Parliamentary business;
• Enabling the team to provide excellent customer service by strengthening working relationships, engaging daily with Ministerial teams, drafting officials, policy teams, other Government Departments and UK Parliamentary officials, and maintaining a network of policy contacts in order to allocate PQs appropriately;
• Taking ownership for driving and improving end-to-end performance of PQs, monitoring PQ performance using UK Parliament’s Q&A System, eCase & Excel. (Training will be provided as necessary);
• Ensuring documents for deposit in House libraries are processed efficiently and timeously, while ensuring quality is monitored and maintained;
• Providing advice and guidance to colleagues across the Department, and raising the profile of the PQ process;
• Assisting the Parliamentary Clerk and Deputy Parliamentary Clerk as required with other items of Parliamentary Business, such as, but not limited to; debates, statements, formal laying of papers before UK Parliament and monitoring Parliamentary activity.

We offer successful candidates:

• The opportunity to work closely with Ministers, Special Advisers and senior
• An exciting, fast-paced and challenging work environment that involves dealing with complex policy and operational
• The chance to be part of a supportive team with plenty of opportunities to learn and develop new
• The opportunity to broaden understanding of DWP policy, Parliamentary business and cross-Government

Person specification

Person specification

Applicants should be able to demonstrate excellent communication and influencing skills, both in writing and orally. They should exhibit the ability to professionally engage with internal and external stakeholders at a senior level, backing up their arguments with strong evidence, particularly when dealing with push-back.

There will be a requirement to manage multiple tasks concurrently; therefore the ability to identify potential obstacles, proactively analyse and identify solutions will be key in ensuring all areas of work are delivered to the very high standard required. Attention to detail, catching things others have missed, and the capacity to work to fixed deadlines will be crucial.

We are looking for a proactive, organised and professional person with excellent communication skills to work effectively with Ministerial teams, Special Advisers, policy and operational colleagues. You will need to manage a heavy workload and be able to prioritise  effectively and enjoy working in a fast-moving environment.

Knowledge and experience of Parliamentary work is desirable, though not essential.

Essential Criteria:

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate:

• Clear and concise communication skills, both orally and in writing, interacting with others with enthusiasm, clarity and in a professional manner
• Working with a very high degree of accuracy and attention to detail 
• Ability to work at pace, under pressure of very tight deadlines, to a very high standard and with a high degree of autonomy

• Building relationships with a wide range of people, both within and outside the Department, and working together to improve processes and performance
• The capacity to persuade and influence colleagues in a professional manner to take on work, handling push-back appropriately, making full use of supporting evidence
• Anticipating problems and issues before they occur and putting plans in place to mitigate any risks
• Having an understanding of the work of the whole Department and the relative dependencies of different policy areas

The successful candidate will be based in the office (Caxton House, London) and is full time.

Due to nature of the role, it may be necessary to work long hours, especially when Parliament is sitting, for which overtime will be payable.

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.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (1000 word max) to demonstrate how they meet the person specification and the essential criteria.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Selection will be by a written sift and shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a face to face interview.

The CV element will not be individually scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your 1000 word Personal Statement.

The CV is an online tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria:  

• Clear and concise communication skills, both orally and in writing, interacting with others with enthusiasm, clarity and in a professional manner

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview.

Interview Stage 

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview at Caxton House, London and will be assessed on their answers to interview questions on Behaviours and Strengths. 

This will consist of a face-to-face blended interview, which should take approximately between 30-40 minutes. 

Blended Interview

You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. 
 
A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview offering a more inclusive approach. 
 
The Behaviour and Strength based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.

Questions in Advance 

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance, 5 days prior to your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared.

The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your strengths. 

An example of a Behavioural question would be; Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer.

The behaviours being assessed are:

• Communicating and Influencing:  Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• Managing a Quality Service:  Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, 
  taking account of diverse customer needs. 
• Working Together:  Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support. 
• Delivering at Pace: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

What was the task, How you approached the work/situation and what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? Or What was the Situation? That were the Tasks? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions?

It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.

While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.

The sift will be carried out June 2024 - Interview dates to be confirmed. 

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made.

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

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Hybrid Working

This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home.  This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

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.

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.

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.

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

Security Requirements

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

You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check.

For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years.

Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

NSV

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Reasonable Adjustment

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.