About the job

Job summary

The Disability and Health Support Directorate brings together all policy and analysis of DWP’s main disability benefits: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit (IIDB). 

This is a varied role leading
- Decision Making & Appeals policy across all benefits;
- Industrial Injuries policy; and,
- the legal strategy for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Work Capability Assessment (WCA), Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) and Decision-Making and Appeals (DMA) legal cases. 

As well as challenging policy and legal work, it offers the opportunity to build a strong track record of delivering operational change and improvements and building strong networks across government including with HMCTS and MoJ, Health and the Devolved Administrations. 

This Role is being offered on the basis of a job share, with the successful candidate working to deliver a single set of business objectives and sharing the full range of responsibilities. The working days will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and on this basis, the advertised full time salary will be pro-rated.

Job description

Decision Making and Appeals is a key priority for the department. Although the proportion of all decisions overturned at appeal is low, this still means many claimants go through a lengthy and sometimes stressful process. Policy goals in this area are around ensuring that the right decision is made as soon as possible in the process and that we learn from those decisions that are changed at appeal. You will work closely with Policy, Change, Strategy, Analysts, Clinicians and Operations to gain insight and make improvements to the claimant journey. You will have responsibility for maintaining the policy intent of the Decision-Making & Appeals and the Claims & Payments regulations, meaning the post holder will regularly get involved in cross cutting legislative issues that can impact many benefits.  

In the ESA/WCA/IIDB/DMA legal cases part of the role, you will be responsible for deciding on the legal strategy to adopt and leading on the preparation of the case, including potentially giving evidence. A key part of this role is to ensure that any learnings from these cases are taken forward in the relevant part of the organisation. 

You will have policy and strategy responsibility for the Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS) covering a range of complex priority issues for Ministers. This includes responsibility for supporting effective delivery of the Industrial Injuries Scheme; addressing policy issues, leading the Department’s response to recommendations from the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and taking through the legislation to uprate lump-sum benefits annually. 

You will be part of a job share leading a team of 8, including 3 direct reports, and contributing to the overall leadership of the division. The team is based in London, Sheffield and Leeds and the required working days will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A successful job share is grounded in excellent communication skills, a mutual trust and respect, flexibility and a shared understanding and ambition for what success looks like in the role. The successful candidate will be able to work collaboratively and be committed to ensuring the job share works effectively and to the mutual benefit of both parties, as well as delivering excellent business outcomes. 

We particularly welcome people from ethnic minority backgrounds applying as they are under-represented groups in DWP; and applications from people able to work from our Leeds and Sheffield hubs.

Person specification

For the first part of your application, you will be required to write a personal statement which will be assessed against the set of Essential Key Criteria detailed below. 

• Strong communication skills and the ability to present technical and complex policy with clarity and impact to ministers and senior officials
• Ability to influence and work with others, particularly operations, to resolve complex and technical legal and policy issues
• Experience of handling legal cases and managing legal policy risks; and
• Proven leadership skills through delivering complex policy and leading teams, stakeholders, and the wider division

Desirable experience:

• A detailed understanding of the UK Benefit System

Benefits

You’ll join us in one of our DWP hub locations of Leeds, London or Sheffield.  

Our team has the opportunity to balance their personal lives and their work. We offer flexible hours, and hybrid working and lots of family friendly policies. Working flexibly means that at those times when you might need to work longer to get the job done, you can build up time that you can use to start later, finish earlier or take extra days off. The work we do is important, and we know healthy and happy people do better work.    

In return for your skills, we offer an attractive civil service pension with employer contributions of over 26% into a defined benefit pension scheme and a generous leave package starting at 25 Days, rising to 30 Days over time.   

 We have a broad benefits package to support your work-life balance which includes:   

• Volunteering and charitable giving
• Discounts and savings on shopping, days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it’s even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
• Sports and social activities
• Learning and development, including coaching, mentoring, progression opportunities and guaranteed 5-days learning per year
• And lots more

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Stage 1 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.

Please read the guidance in relation to success profiles.

There are two elements to the selection process comprising of a sift, and the interview stage. 

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Essential Key Criteria set out above in the person specification, rather than demonstrating the required behaviours which will be tested at Interview. 

We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you performed and what you have achieved in the role. Your Personal Statement must demonstrate clear evidence of what you did, how you did it and the outcome achieved, as well as evidence of your personal impact and your ability to take forward different approaches depending on the circumstances.

The standards detailed in the Essential Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. Your statement must not exceed 1250 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria - 'strong communication skills and the ability to present technical and complex policy with clarity and impact to ministers and senior officials'. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Candidates are also asked to provide a CV/Job history covering the last 5 years if available. This must include any gaps in employment. Your CV will not be formally assessed.  

Stage 2 Interview

If you are successful at Stage 1 then you will be invited to an interview. The interview will comprise of Behaviour questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. The interview panel may ask you other questions such as probing questions about your behaviour examples. 

Sift/interview dates and location

Successful candidates will be invited for interview in early January. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Please note that interviews will be conducted via video link using MS Teams. Full details will be provided for those applicants invited to book an interview. 

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 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.

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. 

Location Preferences 

When applying for this role, you will be required to state in preference order which of the three Policy Group Hub locations you can work from, Sheffield, Leeds, and London.

By indicating your preferred Policy Group hub location(s) in your application you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in any of your chosen hub location(s).  

• Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA 
• Caxton House, 6 -12 Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA 
• King’s Court, Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF 

Please be aware this role can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, your office base must be one of the three policy hubs and you must be able to attend your office base as required by your business area. The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required. 

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 and the role, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

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.