About the job

Job summary

This is a key leadership and management role within People Safety, and you will play an active role in the senior leadership team, ensuring that internal communications and engagement activities are aligned and contribute to the overall DWP Strategy. Your stakeholders will be everyone in DWP and you will find innovative ways to engage your colleagues in a fast-paced environment.

You will do this by

Developing and refreshing the People Safety strategic Communications and Engagement strategy. 

You will be contributing to the wider Departmental agendas and providing visible, accessible, and effective senior leadership, taking a personal lead in communicating messages with clarity and conviction. 

Job description

You will contribute to the delivery of our key strategic outcomes as outlined in the DWP working safely strategy.

Working Together, Promoting Ownership - Achieve superior levels of both stakeholder management and storytelling to embed a health and safety mindset across DWP. Create and sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders including Directors and key partners/stakeholders to develop stronger working across DWP to create powerful, purposeful partnerships.

Tackling stress, supporting all – Engage with stakeholders across the department to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities on stress management and the requirement to support our people wherever possible through early intervention.

Managing risk, preventing harm - Be responsible for the People Safety Intranet site and its upkeep. Ensuring all safety lessons learnt by the business are effectively communicated to stakeholders.

Supporting our business, clear & simple advice always - Use and create innovative ways of communication tools such as DWPTV to engage with a large and complex organisation.

Keeping pace with change, providing future proof capability - Develop and manage processes that allow effective horizon scanning across the organisation to identify potential projects that support the communication strategy of People Safety.

Celebrate success, positive culture – ensure open and transparent dialogue on safety issues, active listening to employee feedback, and clear dissemination of safety policies and procedures. Ability to positively inspire, encourage and influence others, actively seeking and listening to feedback by encouraging discussion and ideas in support of development.

Be responsible for all formal DWP communication on behalf of People Safety i.e. Parliamentary Questions; Freedom of information requests.

Managing various People Safety communication channels e.g. DWPTV, SharePoint to engage and educate on health and safety matters.

Create and sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders including Directors and key partners/stakeholders to develop stronger working across DWP to create powerful, purposeful partnerships.

You will support the growth of a positive health and safety culture through excellent information management such as ownership of the People Safety’s SharePoint library and corporate governance reporting.

In addition to fulfilling your communication activities you will lead a team and have line management responsibilities.

Person specification

Expertise in strategic communications with a strong track record of delivery. (Lead Criteria)

Experience of working collaboratively, building effective relationships with colleagues and senior decision makers, and delivering in partnership with other organisations or departments with related goals or responsibilities.

Strong effective leadership, in addition to building relationships with stakeholders both internal and external. You take a lead in making People Safety’s mission and vision well known across the business.

Identification, Implementation and Translation of strategies into action. Development of new approaches and setting of a clear and compelling vision of health and safety in DWP.

Ability to balance and prioritise multiple competing and changing demands whilst remaining resilient and highly motivated.

You must be comfortable excelling at in person communication as there will be an expectation to lead on roadshows on various health and safety topics.

Strong written and verbal communication skills including proof-reading and editing content, and the ability to produce high-quality written content for an internal audience for engagement purposes.

An ability to convey important health and safety information to a diverse audience.

Ability to utilise new technologies including digital and audio visual to reach and inspire our colleagues, to explain health and safety topics.

You must show a passion and enthusiasm for H&S leadership and will have demonstrated a commitment to your Continuing Professional Development.

You must be willing to learn at pace to undertake a relevant qualification in health and safety at Level 6 if qualification not already held. In addition, you will become a member of a professional body within health and safety if not already a member. This will be paid by DWP subject to line manager approval.

If based 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%

   

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.

The Civil Service uses a Behaviour Framework to assess candidates’, knowledge and skills.

Application

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and 1250 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Written Sift

The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your CV and Personal Statement and will be assessed against the Key Criteria within the advert.

In the event of a large number of applications we will use the Lead Criteria, Expertise in strategic communications with a strong track record of performance and delivery, to initially assess your application during the Sift stage. Candidates who pass the initial Sift may be progressed to a full Sift or direct to interview.

CV

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.

Personal statement

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the Key Criteria  thoroughly as this is what your written evidence will be 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.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview. This will be a  video interview. The interview panel will be a minimum of two people. The interview will assess: Behaviours and, Strengths  The interview aims to be more of a conversation exploring the candidate’s capability for the role. You will be expected to perform a 5-minute presentation on the behaviour Leadership. Further details will be given to candidates when they are invited to interview.

You will be assessed against the following behaviours

• Leadership  (Tested via the presentation)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together 
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

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?

To help you further 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. Candidates may be asked further probing questions to determine suitability for the role. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your experience, abilities, strengths, and technical abilities. 

Selection and Feedback

We will notify all candidates as soon as possible. 

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

Security Information

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.