About the job

Job summary

The Government People Group (GPG) exists to work with departments, professions, and functions to build a modern, effective Civil Service. We support the government workforce with the right skills and capability. We are working with leaders to get the right people in the right jobs, with the right skills and continuous learning to excel in their roles. We provide leadership, and in turn, create leaders with exceptional line management capability across departments, influencing partners in the wider public sector and beyond. This involves getting our retention and reward strategy right, to nurture specific skills, and create pride and resilience in our workforce. Our role is also to provide system leadership across central government in pulling together back office services. Collectively, we help support the Cabinet Office’s priority to drive efficiencies, and reforms that will make government work better, to ultimately provide a better service to the public.

The Employee Experience & People Performance Unit works to better equip the Civil Service to deliver its priorities and support reform; through increased innovation, creativity and productivity driven by improved People Performance.

We work to support Civil Service organisations to create an environment where all civil servants can thrive, where the full range of diverse voices are heard, where innovation is welcomed and where workplace relationships are built on respect and tolerance.

Our Inclusive Practice seeks to harness the performance benefits that diversity can offer; creating a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, their talents are fully utilised, and organisational priorities are delivered.

The Organisational Development Practice takes a systemic approach to establishing structural, cultural and strategic alignment. This is key to facilitate organisational success and enable sustained organisational performance through the involvement of our people.

Job description

This role in the Organisation Development Practice Team will contribute to developing a highly capable, thriving, connected, actively engaged organisation development and design (OD&D) community across the Civil Service.

Our aims are to:

• Build capability of practitioners through a menu of high quality learning and peer support, and tailored advice for senior leaders on key priority projects.
• Develop the CS OD&D community through peer learning, networking, and providing space for information exchange and collaboration.
• Offer resources on organisational culture for teams to use in their own exploration of working practices and behaviours.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Embedding a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing through developing the OD&D Capability Strategy .
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with OD&D Practitioners across Government, including the Heads of OD&D Teams, to support the growth of deeper expertise.
• Supporting cross-Practice and wider OD&D Community efforts, such as the community conference, action research group and mentoring network, to help grow cross-Civil Service maturity and confidence in using organisational design and development disciplines.
• Be an integral part of the Practice team, supporting others and playing your part in fostering an inclusive learning environment for all.
• Use evidence and customer insight, analytics and benchmarking to inform work, identify strategic OD&D priorities and shape effective interventions.
• Use high quality written and verbal communication skills to develop briefing, guidance and other documents, with appropriate styles for a wide variety of stakeholders including senior leaders.
• Communicating clearly, openly and honestly, seeking and sharing good practice.
• Line management from April 2024 (subject to team reorganisation).

Line management

• Embody excellence in line management through leading and managing direct reporters with a positive, inclusive and supportive approach, ensuring corporate requirements (performance conversations and reviews, learning plans etc.) are prioritised.
• Ensure that deliverables are met by reportees, and be able to clearly articulate and demonstrate how their activity drives and impacts upon key work areas for your team.
• Develop talent in line with Civil Service talent interventions and programmes and support and promote opportunities for learning and development.

Person specification

• Will have expertise in organisation development and design that enables you to understand, articulate and approach work to build OD&D capability across Government.
• You will have a track record for delivering high quality OD&D work at pace.
• You will have a strong understanding of a learning culture and a commitment to your own development and personal growth.
• You will be highly collaborative with the ability to influence senior leaders and bring together peers to deliver shared outcomes.
• You will be an effective communicator with the ability to translate complex information into meaningful, easily understood narrative.
• You will be a strong team player able to work flexibly across organisation and team boundaries.
• You will be confident using data, analysis, and insight to shape recommendations and interventions.
• You will have an OD&D qualification such as Civil Service OD&D Core Practice, or equivalent, or willingness to work towards this.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,400, Cabinet Office contributes £14,418 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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 Technical skills.

Application process

Applicants are asked to submit 250 words for each behaviour as listed below

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Selection process

During the interview process, you will also be assessed on the listed behaviours.

You will be asked to give a short presentation as part of the interview process. The topic will be shared with those who pass the sift and are invited for interview

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – W/c 15 January 2024
Expected interview date/s – TBC
Interview location - Virtual

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office 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

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

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.

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.