About the job

Job summary

The Planning, Performance & Deployment Lead is a key strategic role within the Work and Health Scotland Senior Leadership Team. You’ll have responsibility for leading the Area Deployment, and Area Performance agenda and Area Business Support Services for Universal Credit across Work & Health Scotland and National Services.

It is a great opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the people of Scotland by driving our performance and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, across circa 90 locations and 3500 colleagues.

You’ll play a key strategic role in enabling the delivering on the UK Governments employment ambitions. Which are covered below.

• helping people to move into work and supporting those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation.
• providing effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of customers who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society.
• improving experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayers.

This is a diverse and demanding role, in a fast-paced environment which constantly strives to improve customer outcomes. As a result, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the right person to continue to develop their professional career in a challenging yet rewarding role and environment.

Job description

• You will be responsible for day to day running of Area Directors Business Support function developing, planning and improving key business area and system which support Universal Credit Operations. 
• You will be responsible for providing overall assurance and governance to the Senior Leadership Team around our performance and risk management.
• You will be responsible for driving forward performance coaching and embedding a culture of continuous improvement. Working in partnership with Scotland’s Senior Team to focus on continuous improvement and creating a positive coaching environment.
• You will have leadership accountability for the deployment of our people and our estates. Ensuring we have the right skills and capacity in the right place, and we are operating within our headcount.

• You will be the Quality Service Delivery Lead; responsible delivering DWP Quality Framework called “Leading and Managing A Great Service” and driving that framework through local leads.

• An active member of the Scotland Senior Leadership Team. Including driving forward the DWP priorities, transforming and modernising our services, visible senior leadership, developing the strategic narrative, and owning communications with clarity and conviction.

• As a Senior Leader, you will role model DWP values and behaviours, as detailed in the candidate pack, to create an environment that is inclusive, where people can be their best.

If this sounds like the role for you, we welcome applications from candidates who demonstrate inspirational and resourceful leadership to help drive performance and deliver a positive and efficient service working in a fast paced and challenging environment.

Person specification

• You will be a proven senior leader, able to lead across our full network. Including outside your direct line management, across your peers and more senior leaders to drive high performance.
• You’ll be able to see the bigger strategic picture and people-related impacts to enable organisational transformation across a complex portfolio of work.
• You’ll have strong experience of working collaboratively with key stakeholders, both internally and externally, at senior levels to influence and gain commitment to DWP priorities.
• Exceptional leadership judgement, knowing when to switch from strategic thinking to operational delivery.
• Significant experience of leading and developing operational delivery teams, with a specific focus on good governance and quality.
• You’ll have experience of building strong, trust-based relationships with a range of diverse and demanding stakeholders, able to act as a coach and trusted confidante to more senior leaders.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Selection process details

On-line candidate guidance is available through Gov.uk which provides information on Success Profiles and the Behaviours Framework. Please use the following link for further information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

We will be hosting a candidate information session on: 10th April 2024 at 12pm to 1pm

This will be held on Microsoft Teams, and you can register by contacting  uc.scotlandrecruitment@dwp.gov.uk. More information on the candidate information session can be found in the candidate pack, at the very bottom of this advert.

Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Stage 1 of selection process, the sift, will be made up of two parts, A. a short CV and B. A written sift.

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite, there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Please focus your CV on your experience and achievements you’ve had in your roles. Please use no more than 1000 words in total.

The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your responses to the following key questions:

Q1. How have you engaged and led senior leaders from outside of your direct line management to prioritise competing demands, at pace, in a large and complex organisation? (300 words)

Q2. How have you built strong, trusted-based, relationship with a diverse and demanding group of senior stakeholders. Which enabled the right governance process that delivery a quality service? Please including challenges that arose and how you overcame these. (300 words)

Q3. How have you used recruitment and deployment levers across your business area to ensure effective service delivery and performance, while balancing competing priorities and risks? (300 words)

Please answer each of these three questions, using no more than 300-words in response to each individual question. Please ensure you fully consider the Person Specification, above, when answering these questions.

When considering your responses, it may help to use the STAR model to explain:

S = situation. What was the overarching strategic aim and connection to organisational priorities.

T = task. What were the critical action that had to happen?

A = action. Your personal impact, your leadership

R = result. What the outcomes were. Not output, but outcomes.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a blended interview lasting up to one hour. This will be a face to face interview in Inverness. The interview panel will be made up of three people and will assess: Behaviours and Strengths. The interview aims to be more of a conversation, exploring the candidate’s capability for the role.

Behaviours to be assessed are:

• Leadership
• Communicating & Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

You will be asked to provide a 5-minute presentation on a specific subject, which you will be provided with in your invitation to interview. You will be allowed to use one single slide if you wish. Please note, this is not mandatory, and you will not be negatively impacted should you choose not to use a slide.  

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview, 5 days prior to your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your strengths and technical abilities.

Candidates will be asked further probing questions to determine suitability for the role.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. 

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 

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.

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

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.

Please see the candidate pack for more information to support your application.

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.