About the job

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) touches the lives of every citizen in the country at some point in their life. As the UK government’s largest public service provider, we support people into work, help disabled people live more independent lives, improve housing and tackle homelessness, provide the financial foundation for a secure old age through the State Pension, and ensure children of separated parents have more opportunity to fulfil their potential through a better child maintenance system. We are passionate about making a sustainable and positive impact to people’s lives every day by providing a modern, fair and affordable welfare system. We seek to be an exemplar of the Modern Civil Service so that we can better deliver for citizens and meet the challenges of tomorrow. 

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is a directorate within DWP that supports separated parents to work together and set up family-based arrangements and where that is not possible access to a statutory scheme, to ensure 900k children receive over £1billion in financial support and with has significant powers to Enforce collection of arrears. 

This is an exciting and unique opportunity as senior leader of the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) right at the heart of CMS’s effort to tackle income diversion and fraud with responsibility for investigating civil legislation offences where tax avoidance, tax evasion or other fraudulent activity impacts the amount of Child Maintenance due, as well as criminal offences where false parentage or fraudulent employment information has been supplied, engaging in policy change and briefings with Senior Civil Servants and Ministers. 

Responsibilities of the FIU 

The FIU is responsible for:

• Investigation of all fraudulent activity within CMS.
• Investigation of all diversions of income to 3rd parties.
• Identification of assets for inclusion in CMS assessments.
• Identification of tax avoidance which impacts Child Maintenance.
• Investigating the use of personal service limited companies to identify potential income that should be used for Child Maintenance. 

Priorities

The FIU’s priorities are to:

• Provide a professional impartial investigation to the highest standards.
• Ensure children receive the right amount of Child Maintenance.
• Deliver outstanding service to our customers.
• Identify policy and legislation changes where gaps are identified.
• Deliver efficiently and transform the way we deliver our services to reduce costs and increase operational efficiency. 

CMS is a great place to work where the leadership team are passionate about attracting the best talent whilst nurturing and valuing new and existing colleagues to be the best they can be. We are looking for people who can demonstrate our values and commitment to leadership which are based around collaboration, resilience and inclusivity. We want you to be comfortable challenging the norm and finding daring and dynamic solutions that support our values and enable colleagues to shine in whatever role they do.

Job description

• The Senior Operational Leader for the Financial Investigation Unit within CMS leads a large, complex and geographically dispersed team of 75-100 investigators, across England, Scotland and Wales requiring strong and confident leadership, and must have the ability to translate departmental and directorate strategy into action, as well as demonstrating a passion for building high performing and inclusive teams that are empowered to succeed.
• The post holder will specialise in fraud, financial error investigations and fraud prevention activity, linking to the DWP Fraud Error and Debt strategy and delivering against agreed performance measures whilst protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
• The post holder will ensure that all criminal and financial investigations in CMS are conducted professionally and lawfully, playing a major part of the CMS Faster Enforcement Strategy. 
• The successful candidate will model strong leadership behaviours, helping everyone to understand the vision and direction of CMS, translating strategy into operational service delivery, inspiring and engaging our people to adopt shared aims, celebrate success, and help make CMS a great place to work.
• The successful candidate will enable everyone to feel valued, included and able to thrive; as well as co-ordinating the development of external relationships to deliver the best possible service for our colleagues and customers.
• The post holder will be an active and visible member of the national Enforcement senior leadership team, contributing to the wider departmental agenda of ensuring money is paid for children and that both paying and receiving parents receive good customer experience. The post holder will encourage collaborative working between teams, directorates, and stakeholders to drive innovation and service improvements whilst ensuring teams work within budget and headcount control costs, delivering value for money and efficiencies.
• The successful candidate will need to be adaptive and creative, regularly applying this to complex problems and uncommon situations; departing from established patterns to drive greater innovation and achieve higher organisational performance. This could include considering new or revised policy options, resolving complex HR casework, devising means of implementing new regulations, or planning and overseeing the management of projects through to completion, within set budgets and time-limits.
• Candidates should note that this role will require frequent travel between DWP and third party offices, including overnight stays where required.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

What we are looking for:

• An inspirational and resourceful senior operational leader, with strong business acumen and an ability to drive performance through diverse teams against a range of stretching and challenging targets.
• A strong personal commitment to people engagement, inspiring and empowering investigator teams to deliver a professional, quality service that celebrates success.
• An experienced communicator that delivers messages with clarity and conviction and actively seeks and incorporates feedback.
• A highly capable collaborator, able to work effectively at a senior level with both internal and external stakeholders, service providers, building trust and utilising influencing skills to deliver effective outcomes.
• A track record of visible, accessible, and effective senior leadership, demonstrating personal accountability through periods of change in a fast-paced environment.
• A focus on innovation, establishing and driving a culture that gives teams the licence to be creative.
• A commitment to personal and professional development and that of others. Able to build capability and leadership potential and foster a culture of people development, continuous learning, mentoring, and inclusivity.
• Capable of supporting the Grade 6 Enforcement Head of Service and SCS leaders, working at pace to deliver high quality outcomes on tight timescales and able to multi-task between competing priorities.
• Evidence of implementing change in conjunction with maintaining performance and improvement activity, providing the rationale, and securing buy in to achieve success.
• An ability to identify, manage, and mitigate risk to the successful delivery of operational objectives and the required levels of Customer Service.
• Accredited within the Government Counter Fraud Profession or willing to undertake a 2-year training Programme.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of criminal or financial investigations.
• Experience or practical knowledge of the Child Maintenance Service and its investigation processes.

Benefits

Working for DWP will include benefits such as learning and development tailored to your role, an environment with flexible working options, a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity and a Civil Service pension Civil Service pension.

CMS is committed to the Wellbeing of all colleagues, support includes Wellbeing conversations, dedicated Wellbeing Advocates in each Service Centre to develop and deliver health and wellbeing initiatives and ‘Hotel CMS’, our own Intranet site offering a wealth of information, guidance and support.

We Value Everybody is one of our five Core Values here in CMS. We have active National Network Groups for Race, LGBGT+, Disability, Carers, Wellbeing, Faith & Belief and Age. Our monthly People Group meeting draws these groups together to listen, act, and update CMS Directors with our plans.  

CMS Colleagues have the opportunity to join HASSRA, a vibrant and successful organisation that provides a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly). It also has an important part to play in helping us achieve a healthy work-life balance and wellbeing in the workplace.

Working hours - The contracted working hours for the Department are 07:45 hours to 20:00 hours, Monday to Friday, and 08:45 hours to 17:00 hours on Saturday.  Employees are contracted to work a specific number of hours per week within the above times.  Employees will be required to work the number of hours per week for which they are contracted. For example, for full time employees this will be 37 hours net (42 hours gross including meal breaks). For part-time employees it will be less.

Access to flexible working hours scheme will be available.

Please refer to the candidate pack for further information contained in this section of the advert and more information in relation to the Benefits of working for DWP.

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, Ability and Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test and supply a CV and personal statement (1250 word max).

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

The CV is an on-line tool, there is no requirement to upload your personal CV.  When giving details of your employment history, you should include details of work you have completed and projects you have been involved in. However the CV is not scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement.

Use your 1250 word Personal Statement to describe how you meet the Essential Criteria as detailed in the job advert. ​

Due to the DWP’s use of anonymised recruitment practices it is not possible for applicants to upload/attach a CV; any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.

When entering information relating to your employment history you will be asked to remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your CV/Personal statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.​​

Your Personal Statement should contain no more than 1250 words. The layout is entirely your choice, you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criterion separately; however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several of the criteria. Please share with us what makes you suited to this role. We would like to find out what you can do, the skills you hold and the life experience or passion that you have that could be aligned to the criteria listed within the Person Specification.

Online Test

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 22nd January 2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Sift​

Should a large number of applications be received an initial sift may be conducted using the information in your Personal Statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential Criteria outlined in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Stage 2: Interview

Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be a blended interview via Microsoft Teams.

The Behaviours (level 4) you will be assessed against at interview are:

• Leadership (Lead)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a quality Service
• Making effective Decisions

In addition to this candidates will be asked to deliver a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview process. Details of the subject will be sent in advance of the interview.

All elements of the interview will be via video link, and the whole process should take approximately 35-45 minutes.

A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview, offering a more inclusive approach.

The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.

Please refer to the Candidate Pack for further information.

Approximate sift and interview dates:

Sift Period: 22nd – 29th January 2024
Interviews: 12th – 16th February 2024

Sift and Interview dates are subject to change.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.