About the job

Job summary

DWP delivers a range of services to a broad customer base of around 20 million customers.

This is a high profile and business critical role. The Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) Operational Leader is accountable for delivering a high-quality service and performance across a number of sites to customers who have requested a Mandatory Reconsideration or submitted an appeal against a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance Child (DLAC) decision. The team is part of the wider DRS network which includes teams who also process Universal Credit and from a small number of benefit lines such as Retirement Services and Child Maintenance Services.

The Dispute Resolution Service is a large and diverse service of over 3000 colleagues based in England, Scotland and Wales and we are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic person to fill one key senior leadership role to support the delivery of our services and future modernisation agenda.

We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds who demonstrate inspirational and resourceful leadership, to help drive performance and deliver the best possible customer experience.

We care about our people and invest in their development, offering fantastic career development opportunities as well as excellent employee benefits. 

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

Job description

The responsibilities of the job role include the following: 

• Strong effective leadership of around 1500 Decision Makers and Appeal Writers based in 7 sites across the UK, in addition to leveraging robust partnerships working with both HM Courts and Tribunals Service (Ministry of Justice) and members of the Judiciary.
• Delivering a quality, customer focused agenda developed as a result of listening to our customers. Improving the customer journey and experience through quality and continuous improvement test and learn activities.
• Being an active member of the DRS Senior Leadership Team, working collaboratively across DRS and the wider Customer Experience Directorate.
• Visible leadership and face to face engagement, with frequent travel to PIP, DLA Child and DRS locations. Taking personal accountability to deliver key messages and implementing change.
• Contributing to business and people planning activities, ensuring appropriate and effective deployment of people and resources. Effectively managing and flexing resources to manage demand versus supply gaps and react to volatile intakes. This includes backlog recovery and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement to increase productivity and deliver efficiency savings.
• Creating a coaching culture and using data and analytics curiously to effectively manage performance, fully embedding the principles of Insight Performance Excellence.
• Working in partnership with Service Modernisation to identify opportunities to transform the Disputes Service and remove known pain points from the customer journey.
• Confidently leading through ambiguity, with the ability to adapt quickly to changing direction and priorities. Positively, motivating, inspiring, encouraging and influencing others.
• Maintaining a strong network of delivery partners, across both Work and Health and Service Excellence Directorates, promoting the use of feedback to reduce appeal volumes and reduce overturned rates at tribunal.
• Preparing briefings for Senior Leaders and Ministers, translation of data; building compelling business cases; planning for and mitigating risks.
• Role modelling positive behaviour and ways of working to make DWP an inclusive place where people can be their best.
• Ensuring compliance with DWP security and data protection regulations.
• Actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, demonstrating the DWP values with support and care for colleagues and creating opportunities for all.

Person specification

Qualities we are looking for in successful candidates: 

• Lead Criteria - You will be an inspirational and resourceful leader with a proven track record of leading and motivating large, geographically dispersed operational teams; ​ are able to provide transformational leadership by inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance and building high performing teams.
• You will be an excellent communicator with the ability to influence and motivate people at all levels. You will be confident delivering written and verbal communications to a very high standard for Ministers, Senior Leaders, Trade Union, operational and wider DWP colleagues and other stakeholders.
• You can demonstrate positive customer service outcomes by understanding the complexity and diversity of customer needs and expectations.
• You have strong experience of working in partnerships and collaboratively across teams at a senior level, engaging, influencing and building trust with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals. ​
• You will have the ability to identify, interpret and analyse information, including Management Information, and other data to identify areas for action, key risks and performance hotspots.
• 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.

​Desirable

• For roles located in Wales, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

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.

Written Sift

CV

Your CV should set out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements (providing reasons for any gaps in the last 2 years). 

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement. ​

Personal Statement (maximum 1250 words)

The Personal Statement should explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. 

When completing your Personal Statement, please read and understand the Person Specification within the advert, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against. 

It may help to use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

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

In the event of a large number of applications, we will use the following Lead Criteria to initially assess your
application during the sift stage:

• You will be an inspirational and resourceful leader with a proven track record of leading and motivating large,
geographically dispersed operational teams; are able to provide transformational leadership by inspiring
colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance and building high performing teams.

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

For further details, please refer to the guidance available through Civil Service Jobs which provides information on Success Profiles and the Behaviours Framework using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Presentation/Interview

Candidates who successfully pass the written sift will be invited to interview, which will be conducted via Microsoft Teams, lasting approximately 50 minutes and will commence with the candidate delivering a 5 minute presentation.

The presentation will cover the Lead Behaviour ‘Leadership’ and details of the presentation topic will be included in the invite to interview. The presentation will form part of the assessment.

Following the presentation, you will then be asked questions around your skills and experience on the following behaviours: 

• Leadership (Lead Behaviour) Level 4
• Communicating and Influencing Level 4
• Working Together, Level 4
• Managing a Quality Service Level 4

You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. The Behaviour and Strength based questioning explores what the candidate can do/has done, as well as their potential.

An example of a Behaviour question would be;
Tell me about a time you have set about improving customer service, giving a sense of pace and criticality of success? How did you ensure this activity achieved its objectives whilst keeping costs under control? What tools and techniques did you use?

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 ae shorter, 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 evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. 

If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 

After the interview

Once all the interviews have been conducted, candidates will be notified of the outcome by email. If you are successful at the interview stage, we will be in touch to offer you a role. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

The reserve list may also be used to offer future permanent opportunities, not necessarily restricted to the current locations included in the advert. They may also extend to permanent opportunities which arise across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order to all candidates remaining on the reserve list. The location and job role would be fully explained to you. Refusal of the offer would not change your reserve list position. 

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.

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

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 /Disclosure Scotland 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. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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.

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.

DWP is a family friendly employer and part- time and job-sharing working patterns within these hours may be available, based on the needs of the business.

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. 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.