About the job

Job summary

Are you a tenacious agile coach looking to make a difference?

Are you able to practically apply your extensive Agile and Lean knowledge and experience with individuals, teams and leadership to deliver a bespoke set of interventions to drive through significant transformational change?

If so, we are looking for a Lead Agile Coach to join us.

You will provide expert internal consultancy working with programmes of high complexity. Sharing accountability with senior leadership, while acting as the role model, teaching, and championing agile values and principles, applying a range of techniques to proactively raise capability, reduce risk and increase ability to deliver services at pace.  

Working closely as part of the delivery practice you will influence strategy, lead on practice initiatives, deliver expert level training, and build the Community of Practice. 

Working as part of the agile coaching team, you will play a leading role in the development, evolution, and day to day operation of the coaching service. 

Job description

• Leads on high-risk/complex agile and lean delivery coaching assignments at programme, directorate, or organisational level.

• Manage larger scale coaching assignment end to end, ensuring continued executive sponsorship.

• Coach a programme/directorate, creating healthy team and inter-team dynamics, demonstrating and coaching leaders in servant leadership.

• Creates and coaches agile at scale across organisational and professional boundaries.

• Coach for our senior delivery professionals and leadership, working with and coaching them to create and tailor new ways of working that support agile delivery.

• Support the culture and tools to identify, manage and remove impediments both locally within teams, and across the programme where appropriate.

• Facilitate, supports, and influences large and complex areas in the production and communication of a balanced set of metrics and other sources of insight.

• Work closely with the Heads of Role within Delivery and other Practices to provide professional leadership developing and evolving practice standards both with Delivery and across digital professions.

• Promote and lead the development of productive and influential relationships with leadership in Digital Practices and functions. Share perspectives on strategic delivery issues, resolving common problems and developing own knowledge of key skills across all roles.

• Challenge current practices to create a collaborative culture and multidisciplinary working across the organisation.

It would be beneficial to have one of the following when starting the role but are not essential:

• Advanced level certification, i.e., PSM2/3.

• Kanban certification, i.e., PSK or KMP.

• ICC Agile Coaching or similar.

Person specification

The essential criteria are outlined in the selection process details.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Dani.gulam@dwp.gov.uk.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave 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.

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.

Salary Information

Pay for this role is from £69,869 to £77,740.

The maximum salary for the grade is £77.740, however a Digital Allowance of up to £12,255 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.

Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of three parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.

3. Personal statement up to 500 words. 

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:

• Hands on experience of being an Agile Delivery Manager in a complex digital environment.

• In-depth knowledge and demonstrable practical application of agile frameworks, practices, techniques, and tools.

• Demonstrable experience of coaching individuals, teams, and leadership by identifying and using appropriate stances (teach, mentor, facilitate, coach).

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview

If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria.

Interviews will take place from early-February 2024. Interview dates to be confirmed.

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.

Further information:

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. 

Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location. 

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 DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page. 

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.