About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

We are advertising 2 exciting and challenging policy roles within the NHS Workforce Directorate, which is part of the Secondary Care and Integration Group. NHS workforce is a complex, high-profile policy area with considerable interest from ministers and senior officials, the public and the media. It is at the heart of ensuring the NHS can deliver the services the country needs.

The post-holders will have the opportunity to work on a range of policy issues, collaborating with colleagues across Government, the NHS, and the wider health and education sectors.

Job description

There are two roles available.

Both roles are based in the NHS Workforce Supply branch. The branch is responsible for the domestic supply of healthcare professionals into the NHS and oversees an annual budget of c.£5.5bn. The branch plays a key role in delivery of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), a historic and high-profile plan to put NHS staffing on a sustainable footing and improve patient care. Both roles have substantial discrete responsibilities, but with up to 25% of each role likely to be focused on wider work in the branch – to support capacity in a very busy work area, and to enrich the experience of the postholders.

We are advertising two roles in the clinical education and training policy team, focusing on training clinical staff (nurses, midwives, and Allied Health Professionals).

Both roles will drive the implementation of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. This includes delivering unprecedented increases in the number of healthcare professionals that we train, widening access to healthcare careers, for example by increasing the number of apprenticeship opportunities, as well as delivering ambitious reforms to how staff are trained. The post-holders will play a central part in ensuring that the NHS has a clinical workforce of the right size, practicing in the right parts of the country and with the right capability to meet the country’s needs.

The post-holders will work closely with a range of stakeholders including NHS England, the Department for Education, HMT, No.10, as well as professional regulators and partners like UCAS, to deliver and track the delivery of the LTWP commitments and policy initiatives relating to the education and training of clinical professions.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds.  Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support. 

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need. 

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.  

Person specification

The specific responsibilities of each role will vary, however, they will both include:

• Conducting core policy development and delivery work, including drafting policy options and solutions to solve complex education and training challenges, often in collaboration with other internal and external stakeholders.
• Working with analysts to bring together a range of qualitative and quantitative data and stakeholder views to better understand the key policy challenges and suggest impactful solutions.  
• Understanding the strategic and political drivers of our work and the wider policy and funding context and making sure key products and pieces of work reflect these.
• Making clear, concise and evidence-based recommendations to ministers, setting out options, costs, benefits and risks, with minimal guidance and input from more senior officials.
• Building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders who are of strategic importance to the delivery of the Department’s aims. This includes both informal relationship-building activities as well as attending senior governance and accountability meetings to help track and challenge the delivery of key priorities.
• Co-ordinating, leading and contributing to a range of parliamentary business including ministerial briefings, debates and parliamentary questions.

Key Skills and Experience Required:

• We are looking for you to demonstrate the following essential skills:
• Communicating clearly and effectively in writing and orally, knowing how to adapt style, formality and length to achieve different goals and audiences.
• Team working, collaborating and building positive working relationships.
• Working to deadlines, reprioritising and working flexibly to achieve goals. Taking responsibility to monitor work against deadlines and support others to do so when necessary.
• Analysis and evaluation of data and evidence to support your decision-making.
• Aligning activities and advice to wider strategic priorities through being alert to emerging issues and trends and seeking out experiences to develop your knowledge.

Desirable

• An understanding of current challenges facing the NHS and its workforce or experience of working in a health-related role.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,025, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £10,806 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, Strengths and Experience.

Sift date: W/C 01/07/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 08/07/2024 and/or 15/07/2024 

Interview location: By Video

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on Behaviours, CV, and Statement of Suitability.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

An initial sift based on the Lead Behaviour; Communicating and Influencing, may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here  

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Reasonable Adjustment

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

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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. 

Further Information

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

Any move to DHSC 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.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.