About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill various SEO vacancies across Southern England.   We have vacancies in both Jobcentres and Service Centres - please see Candidate Pack for details of roles available.  A reserve list will be held for any other vacancies that arise in the next 3 months across South East and South West areas.

Work and Health Services Directorate is responsible for delivering innovative, high quality services through a wide network of Jobcentres and Service Centres including building relationships with employers and external partners.

DWP delivers services to 20 million claimants and customers a year. DWP is responsible for helping people move into employment, supporting pensioners and protecting some of the most vulnerable in our society. We help people lift themselves out of poverty and to stay out of poverty, through work, saving and support. This is a hugely important public service and our challenge is bigger than ever.

These are key roles that requires flexibility and versatility, to help us deliver excellent customer service, make sound decisions, implement change and lead others.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate a passion for public service and are able to encourage and influence others to deliver quality outcomes to help claimants become financially independent.

Frequent travel across areas of responsibility can be required as well as some travel across Southern locations.

We welcome 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

SEO Operational Leaders in UC are accountable for creating an environment to support the flexible effective personalised delivery of customer services, quality and performance across the site/geographical cluster. They provide senior management leadership and effective use of resource to ensure performance targets and customer objectives are met.

They will drive people engagement across their site/cluster, setting high standards for people leadership throughout the business, and personally exemplifying “one customer, one business” behaviours.

Provide transformational leadership to the site/cluster and beyond - inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance and building high performing teams.

SEO Leaders work collaboratively with One Service, wider DWP, other Government Departments and external partners and providers to support the achievement of the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) objectives.

Person specification

Provide visible and effective leadership through regular site visits taking a personal lead in engaging with and communicating key messages and implementing corporate changes.

Motivate and encourage teams to operate flexibly and collaboratively  , seeking feedback, listening and acting on this, setting performance standards, promoting innovation,  and personalising services for our customers.

Contribute to people planning activities ensuring appropriate and effective deployment of people and resources within and between sites.

Accountable for the management of performance within their command, undertaking regular face-to-face performance reviews with their direct reports, identifying risks to performance achievement and driving forward continuous improvement.

Develop a holistic grasp of all customer and claimant types enabling to lead, design and manage new and future business roles and processes.

Build capability by personally coaching, mentoring, and monitoring colleagues at all grades on a variety of procedural and leadership skills, supporting quality of the face-to-face/telephony and the end-to-end customer experience.

To use knowledge to identify gaps in training/learning products, and working with the L&D community to improve/develop.

Ensure all security matters are dealt with promptly and sensitively, in line with DWP policies and procedures.

Essential Criteria

You have strong and effective leadership experience with an ability to communicate with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to drive positive outcomes.

You have experience and knowledge of leading diverse teams through effective coaching and mentoring to improve service delivery and achievement of stretching business objectives.

You are capable of delivering performance improvement through proactive management of people and processes and ensuring compliance with performance management policies, procedures whilst demonstrating resilience in overcoming difficulties by taking ownership for resolving issues.

You will be proactive in designing, developing and delivering high quality outcomes that meet customer needs/improves customer service and deliver value for money or establishing ways to find and respond to customer feedback.

You will have the ability to understand and lead change, inspiring and obtaining commitment from colleagues by encouraging discussion, innovation and ideas in support of long term organisational vision.

You can build trusting and effective relationships with colleagues, and external  stakeholders, contracted, non-contracted and delivery partners to achieve business outcomes through collaboration and innovative ways of working.

You will actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, demonstrating the DWP values with support and care for colleagues and creating opportunities for all.

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%

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed. 

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.

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.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete your CV and Personal Statement of no more than 1250 words to display your skills, experience and knowledge against the Essential Criteria listed above.

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

CV

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite and 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.

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55 on 22/02/24. If you fail to submit your CV and Personal Statement before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.

If you receive an invite to interview you will need to access the system and book yourself an interview slot.

Interview

All applicants that progress will be invited to a blended interview and will be assessed against your strengths and the level 3 Behaviours listed below required for the role.

Behaviours:
- Leadership
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing

Detailed information about the process can be found in the Candidate Pack.

Sift/interview dates and location:

Sift is expected to take place between 19/02/24 to 02/03/24.

Interviews are expected to take place between 18/03/24 to 29/03/24.

Interviews will be live via MS Teams.

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions 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.

The above interview dates may change depending on the numbers involved; however, candidates invited to interview will be given at least five working days’ notice.

If you withdraw your application at any stage it will not be progressed any further.

All communications will be electronic therefore it is vitally important that you check your Civil Service Jobs site regularly.

After the interview

Successful candidates will be posted in merit order. When posting every effort will be made to post people to one of their preferred locations. However, there is no guarantee that there will be a vacancy at this location. During initial posting we will not offer people a post in a location that they have not selected.

If you are placed on a reserve list, you may be offered a post at a later date that is not in one of your preferred locations or a location stated in the original advert.

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.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

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.

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 in the South East and South West and 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.

Working Pattern:

Part time and job sharing working patterns within working hours will be considered but must meet business needs. We will do our best to let people with existing part time contracts retain their contracted hours provided they are in line with current business needs. Please note that successful part time and job share candidates will be required to work full time for specific periods to complete all training and consolidate.

Travel:

The posts may cover multiple sites and will involve travel. Successful applicants may be asked to distance manage colleagues and maintain effective communication links through the use of IT systems to minimise travel expenditure.

Considerable travel across the District will be expected and occasional travel across Southern Group.

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.

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.