About the job

Job summary

In Department for Health and Social Care (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.

The Adult Social Care (ASC) Group in DHSC leads on all matters relating to adult social care in the department. Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that our society faces.

A strong ASC workforce is the foundation for successful delivery of wider health, social care and economic priorities for Government. ASC is a huge employment sector in England (larger than the NHS) and yet faces high vacancies and retention challenges. Unlike the health sector, the NHS is not available to provide a meaningful and effective national response to systemic challenges.

The Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy and Capacity Division is at the centre of a number of high profile Government priorities, including: leading brand new policy responses to significant political interest in managing immediate health and social care system capacity concerns; working with Cabinet Office, DWP and other Departments to address labour market shortages in key sectors; and looking to the future, building on recently announced policies , scoping new policies that will deliver on the Government’s pledge.

We are looking for 3 SEOs to pick-up and lead cross-cutting, new and dynamic policies to deliver against Ministerial objectives.  This is a fantastic opportunity to work right at the heart of a major Government priority. By working together in a tight-knit, inclusive division, often in a fast-paced environment that requires initiative, we can embed real change in a key public sector.

Diversity and inclusion are two of our biggest priorities and we recognise they are a work in progress. We aim to establish a workforce which reflects the society we serve, and DHSC welcomes applications from all. We are especially interested to hear from gender diverse, disabled, LGBT+ candidates, and candidates from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds. We view flexible working and inclusive leadership as essential for all our employees.

Job description

The Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy and Capacity Division is at the centre of a number of high-profile Government priorities. We are looking for 3 SEOs to pick-up and lead cross-cutting, new and dynamic policies to deliver against Ministerial objectives.  This is a fantastic opportunity to work right at the heart of a major Government priority. By working together in a tight-knit, inclusive division, often in a fast-paced environment that requires initiative, we can embed real change in a key public sector.

These roles will need to have a strong grasp of our key priorities and show command of them when leading discussions. They will report regularly alongside their manager to the ASC workforce deputy director and director given the interaction our work has with other teams and priorities.

Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy Lead

The ASC workforce strategy team is looking for someone who will be actively be involved in stakeholder engagement within the Department and across Government, with opportunities to be involved in policy development and strategic oversight, including facilitating join-up of cross cutting areas.

The team is pivotal for understanding and aligning different workforce policies around an overall objective and vision as well as horizon scanning for long-term projects and being alive to external publications. Looking to the future, building on recently announced policies , this role will help scope new policies that will deliver on the Government’s pledges.

Adult Social Care International Recruitment Policy

This is a fast-paced role in the division, working across government and external partners to support the social care sector to adopt ethical and sustainable approaches to international recruitment. This is a complex and high profile policy area, with significant Ministerial interest.

In February 2022, the government made care workers eligible for the Health and Care Visa and added them to the Shortage Occupation List in response to unprecedented workforce challenges.  Since then we have seen strong uptake of international recruitment within the social care sector.

The team’s mission is to ensure international recruitment continues to play a valuable role in growing the adult social care workforce, supporting providers to fill thousands of vacancies and benefit from the skill and commitment of overseas workers.

Adult Social Care Regulated Professions Capacity - Nursing

The ASC nursing capacity team is looking for a new member to support high-priority work to deliver a new support fund and lead contract management work to monitor its implementation. In addition, you will play a part in developing further advice and options on how we might further improve with ASC nurse capacity and capability, drawing on views and expertise from range of policy, analytical and funding colleagues, as well as working closely with the Department’s ASC Chief Social Worker and ASC Chief Nurse.

This is a fast moving and complex work area, which will require you to get to grips with the work as well as suggesting improvements to the process / approach. This will suit and individuals who would like to gain / further their experience in a mixed role policy / delivery role.

Person specification

Role Responsibilities

Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy Lead

Working to the strategy team leader (G7), you will work in partnership with other policy leads across the various workforce teams, and other teams in Central Government. You will:

• Support a cross-Government programme of work aimed at finding mutually beneficial joint policy solutions to cross-cutting labour market and social problems. You will deliver a joint policy action plan for adult social care workforce with other Government Departments.
• Develop strong relationships and brief senior officials when they meet their counterparts on behalf of DHSC.
• As we get closer to the next Spending Review, you will also play a significant part, working across other workforce policy teams, in preparing policies and bids.
• You will need to fulfil core strategy team functions such as horizon scanning relevant external publications and sector views and communicating these more widely; or picking up ad-hoc reactive projects that do not easily have a home.

Adult Social Care International Recruitment Policy

As a policy advisor, you will be working with the policy team leader (G7) and policy support officer (HEO) to develop and refine a ‘national offer’ for the sector to make use of the care worker and senior care worker visa routes. The area is broad and multifaceted, and priorities are rapidly evolving. Specific areas you would lead include:

• Working with colleagues in the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities on policy issues of concern within the visa route.
• Engaging with sector leaders to take forward a cross-sectoral action plan to respond to reports of exploitation of overseas workers in social care.
• Working across the Group to develop our longer term approach to international recruitment as part of the wider strategy for the social care workforce.

Adult Social Care Regulated Professions Capacity - Nursing

As the SEO policy officer you will support the G7 with developing and implementing of initiatives which will deliver support and/or funding to the system to increase nursing capacity and/or capability. However, you will be given own responsibilities to:

• Lead the contract management of an external delivery partner, brought in to administer the nurse apprenticeship fund.
• Oversee the business of state functions of the team in terms of briefing ministers / writing PQ and correspondence replies.
• Potentially, recruitment and task management of a HEO.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential skills and experience:

• Excellent engagement, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate credibility with internal and external stakeholders.
• High attention to detail with the ability to produce high quality and accurate written papers, submissions, briefings and reporting.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced and delivery-focused environment, such as a major project or programme.
• Confident working with and communicating insights from different data sources.
• Confident self-starter, able to work independently at times to achieve policy delivery outcomes, and identify and assess ranges of options to reach robust and informed recommendations.
• Ability to achieve outcomes through effective planning of delivery and analysis to identify and mitigate potential risks to successful implementation.
• Ability to take the initiative to manage own workload and priorities in a fast-paced, and at times ambiguous delivery environment.

Desirable knowledge and experience:

• Experience or knowledge of the social care sector.
• Experience working across government.

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 and Experience.

Sift date: expected W/C TBC

Interview date: expected W/C TBC

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.

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

Applications will be sifted on Statement of Suitability and Behaviours.

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 250 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert, using examples from your past experience.

Please complete statements on the specified Behaviours (250 word max per statement).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

An initial sift based on Lead Behaviour 'Making Effective Decisions' and Statement of Suitability 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.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here.

Further Information

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.

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

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

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  

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 an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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.

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

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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.

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 either level transfer or 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.