About the job

Job summary

DWP is responsible for supporting people to find, remain, and progress in work, and our network of Job Centres work with millions of people every week to support their employment journey. We work to support every job seeker, for example: younger or older workers, those with a health condition or disability, those from a disadvantaged background, those looking at self-employment, or those with caring or childcare responsibilities.

Job description

This role is based in the Labour Market Strategy Division. We sit at the heart of DWP’s policy-making function, working with other policy officials, operational teams, Ministers, other departments, and external stakeholders, to develop and implement support for those looking for work.

The Labour Market Strategy Division is made up of:

The Cross-cutting Labour Market Strategy team, which works on a variety of high-profile labour market areas, including but not limited to: our overall labour market strategy, including how this is delivered through partners and in job centres; tackling economic inactivity; supporting work on departmental Spending Reviews; long term trends, such as AI; and supporting decision-making across labour market policy through governance and secretariat of senior departmental and cross-Government decision making forums.

The Places Strategy team, which is responsible for leading DWP’s strategy to level up place-based inequalities (e.g. disparities in employment, skills, health). Getting people both into work and progressing in work is key to levelling up for the whole of the UK, and DWP is playing a central role in this. As part of this, we work to bring a stronger place-based “lens” to the development of new policies across the department in order to drive better policy outcomes by addressing local labour market needs. We also liaise with stakeholders inside and outside the Department to deliver our English Devolution commitments.

The Sectors and Employers Strategy team, which is responsible for leading work to remove barriers to employment and progression in a series of priority sectors and for ensuring DWP engages with employers effectively. We work across DWP, with sector owning departments and No.10, and with industry to identify the challenges faced by our customers in accessing or progressing in work in these sectors, and work to remove these barriers.

The teams are friendly and sociable, with a strong focus on personal and team development. We promote individuals’ development through on-the-job learning and internal and external courses and encourage each other to get involved in new and stretching bits of work as they come up. We are also an inclusive teams that care about encouraging a contribution from all and making the team the best place to work.

As well as this vacancy available now, we are likely to have several roles open up in the team over the coming months, and so hope to achieve a reserve list of candidates in addition to candidates appointed to vacancies available now.

Due to the variety of the work in the team, the work can be flexible to the post holder. This includes stretching responsibilities and the opportunity to leads across DWP for those looking for those who would benefit from evidence towards a move to the next grade, as well as a broad range of foundational policy skills for those looking to build a firm basis as a policy official.

Any role in the team is likely to include leadership on discrete, high profile areas, which may include:

• Building and owning relationships with policy teams, analysts, legal, Private Office, and/or operations across DWP, and with key partners in other departments, local government and/or industry partners, and leveraging these to support our policy aims.
• Coordinating and challenging internal stakeholders to bring together DWP’s response and involvement in a number of areas and projects.
• Drafting and delivering high quality advice and briefing for Ministers and senior officials, which takes into account latest developments and the bigger picture, and delivering briefing in-person.
• Monitoring and actioning priorities coming from the centre and other Government Departments in order to ensure cross-Government cohesion.
• Being an active member of the Division’s extended leadership team, ensuring that the Division remains and excellent place to work.

Person specification

Experience Key Criteria

• Ability to think critically and challenge others where necessary, influencing to shape the direction moving forwards (Lead).
• Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders with a range of perspectives.
• Good communication skills, particularly drafting and briefing Ministers or senior leaders. Ability to present complex issues simply and effectively.
• Ability to reassess and prioritise workloads and manage competing demands, to deliver outcomes at pace.
• Experience in working in policy or strategy, or related fields.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27%.
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days for new entrants rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving.
• Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more.
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket.

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.

1. Application & 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. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored.

A sift will be carried out using your 750 word Personal Statement.

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below and not the published behaviours listed in this advert.

We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances.

The standards detailed in the Experience Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. In the event of a large number of applications, meeting the pass standard for the lead criteria "Ability to think critically and challenge others where necessary, influencing to shape the direction moving forwards." will determine if the other criteria are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all criteria to progress to interview.

Your statement must not exceed 750 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.

2. Interview Stage

If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to a MS Teams interview. Sift and interviews will take place in the new Year. The interview will comprise of Behaviour-Based questions, shorter strength based questions and a 5 minute presentation. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. 

Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture (Lead)
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.

The strengths to be assessed will not be shared ahead of the interview. 

More details on the presentation will be issued to candidates who are successful at sift.

When applying for these roles, 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. Please be aware these roles can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, and your office base must be one of the three Policy Group Hubs. Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences and geographical requirements  

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, Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA 
• King’s Court, Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF 

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

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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.