About the job

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill 1 Senior Customer Service Leader roles in Universal Credit Operations Directorate within our Northern Scotland District.

Jobcentres within your district include – Buckie, Dingwall, Elgin, Forres, Fort William, Invergordon, Inverness, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Portree, Stornoway and Wick.

Successful candidates will be posted in merit order and the geographical requirements of the business. Dependent on your position on the merit list, if we are unable to offer you a role we will add you to the reserve list if one is being held.

Due to the nature of our role, DWP is required to ensure that the political impartiality of its employees cannot be brought into question. Given that the Senior Customer Service Leader role you are applying for is classed by DWP as a ‘sensitive’ role because it involves contact with the public, permission cannot be given to anyone in such a role to engage or remain politically active in any kind of local councillor role. There may also be restrictions applied to other political activities which are set out in the Department’s Standards of Behaviour Policy which is underpinned by the Civil Service Management Code. You may therefore wish to decide at application stage whether, if your job application was successful, there would be a conflict of interest with any political activity role you have and whether, knowing the restrictions we necessarily apply as an employer, you wish to pursue your application with DWP.  If you have any questions about this or need further information about the restrictions, please contact UC.ScotlandRecruitment@dwp.gov.uk.

Job description

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

• You will be accountable for creating an environment to support the flexible effective personalised delivery of customer services, quality and performance across the site/geographical cluster.
• You will provide senior management leadership and effective use of resource to ensure performance and customer objectives are met. You will drive people engagement across your district, setting high standards for people leadership throughout the business, and personally exemplifying “one customer, one business” behaviours.
• Provide transformational leadership to your district and beyond - inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance and building high performing teams.
• An inspirational and resourceful leader able to drive performance and deliver a positive, compassionate and efficient service to our customers.
•  Ensuring focus is maintained on key priorities like in work progression and working collectively to 
• A strong personal commitment to people engagement empowering people to deliver a professional, quality service.
• An experienced communicator demonstrating personal accountability through periods of change, supporting and aligning with the team, focusing and listening to people, building capability and celebrating success.
• Communicating at all levels to personally lead culture change, fostering and embedding a climate of personal development and continuous learning for all.
• Active member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to the wider Departmental agendas and key priorities: for example in work progression.
• Provide visible, accessible and effective senior leadership, taking a personal lead in communicating messages with clarity and conviction. Seeking feedback from colleagues, listening and acting on this.
• Encourage a culture of innovation focused on adding value - giving people space to think and act creatively.
• Encourage collaborative working between teams and directorates to drive innovation and service improvements.
• Ensuring teams work within budget and headcount control costs, delivering value for money and efficiencies.
• Drives culture of managing data securely in line with GDPR and seeks ways to reduce data loss.
• Accountable for the management of performance within their teams, undertaking regular face-to-face performance reviews with their direct reports, identifying risks to service delivery and driving forward continuous improvement.
• Actively coaches their teams to develop the leadership skills of all colleagues within the team.
• Works to build a fully inclusive working environment, valuing diverse views, eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
• Actively promotes health and well-being and takes responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
• Monitoring service delivery and using customer insight to improve the quality of the end-to-end customer experience, ensuring that “one customer, one service, one business” is a reality.
• Championing effective communications within the team and across to colleagues within DWP.
• Be committed to their own professional development and building the capability of others including the achievement of Operational Delivery Profession standards and digital capability.

Person specification

Key Criteria

• You have strong leadership skills and experience, both personal and corporate in a fast changing environment.
• You lead a culture which enables lifelong learning and support your teams to deliver.
• You take responsibility for delivering a timely, high quality and cost effective service with focus and energy.
• You are able to set and articulate a strong strategic vision to others and develop team plans and activities to deliver against Directorate and Departmental objectives.
• You inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role and ensure everyone understands their roles and business priorities.
• You are visible, accessible, an effective senior leader and you communicate confidently and 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.
• You create opportunities for colleagues, stakeholders, delivery partners and customers to help improve the quality of service.
• 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.

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 1,250 word personal statement.

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

The CV should set out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. 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.  

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the Key Criteria thoroughly, 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.

This should be submitted no later than 23:55 – 2nd January 2024

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

The interview

This will consist of a Blended Interview which will be conducted face to face. You will be required to give a presentation, details of which will be shared with you at least 5 days before your interview

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. 

You will be assessed against Level 4 in Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service and Seeing the Big Picture.

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

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 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.

Civil servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.

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.

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.