Product Liaison Lead
Department for Education
About the job
Job summary
We encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates
At DfE, we are proud of the commitment we make to diversity and inclusion and of the progress we have made. We have active & vibrant staff networks, special leave policies and workplace adjustments put in place for those who need them. We are continuing to build a diverse DfE, in an inclusive environment which nurtures and realises potential in all, at all levels. Equality and Diversity - Department for Education
We’re transforming how government makes policy, products and services for young people, adult learners, and those in the social care. We want to make things better by building adaptable and effective user-centred services that are simple to use, for all.
The service lines we support include Becoming a Teacher (BAT), Claim Additional Payments for teaching (CLAIM) and the Continual Professional Development (CPD) service. Through these service lines, you will work with a variety of multidisciplinary teams, including:
Teacher Services
The Teacher Services Teams are dedicated to transforming the way people become teachers as well as support for teachers themselves. Join a team that cares about the way we work, how we treat each other, the quality of our services and making a difference to teachers’ lives. Read more about our ambitions in the teacher recruitment and retention strategy.
Transformation and Digital
The Department for Education's (DfE) Digital and Transformation team works across the department to improve the lives of young people, adult learners, and people in the social care system. You will be joining a high-performing team that is passionate about making a real difference to our users. Read more on our Digital Blog.
Job description
We’re recruiting for a Product Liaison Lead to join our Teacher Services Operational and Support team, in this challenging yet rewarding role.
As a Product Liaison Lead you will work with, task manage, and provide effective leadership, to several User Support Agents. This will involve managing the day-to-day operations of several user-support helpdesks within the team. This team is the first point of contact for users of our new digital services supporting teachers, those who wish to get into teaching and teacher training providers and is key to the creation of a positive user experience.
You will take operational responsibility for maintaining business-critical support functions and acting as a key link with our product teams, sharing information on support trends to help improve user experience on our services. Our Users can contact the team on the Service Desk via email and Online Chat. You will become a subject matter expert of some of our main digital services so that you can effectively manage and carry out first and second-line support. You will be responsible for making sure that user queries are responded to promptly, by all User Support Agents, and escalate queries where necessary to other DfE teams for resolution, so that user needs are kept at the heart of the team’s work.
As a Product Liaison Team Lead, your will be responsible for:
- Task managing a number of support agents.
- Working closely with product teams to identify, prioritise and report on emerging issues raised by our users, so that their needs are fed into the continuous improvements of DfE services.
- Keeping user needs at the heart of the team’s work, at all times.
- Quickly recognising risks and issues, providing a prompt response with appropriate mitigations.
- Managing continuous improvement across all areas of work and guidance documents to reflect this.
- Providing effective distance-management to support a “one team culture” across all locations by attending daily stand-ups, task managing and tracking the team’s performance.
- Managing your own development to effectively coach the team with their own learning and development needs.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
We will assess you on the following criteria during the selection process. If we receive a large volume of applications, we will only assess you on the first essential criteria:
- Experience of working on a support desk (or a similar environment) to track and resolve queries through an online ticketing system.
- Experience of leading a diverse team through effective coaching and mentoring to improve service delivery.
- Ability to plan, prioritise and manage, your own and others workload.
- Excellent attention to detail with the ability to identify problems and quickly respond to our evolving user needs, escalating and involving others as appropriate.
- Ability to communicate and collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels, to build and maintain strong working relationships.
Desirable Criteria
- Be able to quickly familiarise yourself with a digital service and its stakeholders.
- Familiarity with the GOV.UK Service Manual and how digital teams work in agile settings.
- Have experience or knowledge of working in an Agile setting and how Agile methodologies help deliver products and services.
Please Note:
- Should we receive a large volume of applications, candidates may only be sifted on the first essential criteria.
- Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision at interview.
- Please continue to apply for this position, even if you do not meet all of the desirable criteria.
Benefits
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Key Dates:
- Close - Sun 28th Jan at 23:55
- Sift - from 1st Feb
- Interview - from W/C Mon 12th Feb
Stage 1: Application
If you would like to apply for this position, please complete the Civil Service Jobs application form by clicking the "apply now" button at the top or bottom of this advert. On your application, please demonstrate your suitability for the role by detailing how your experience meets the essential and desirable criteria.
Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision.
On the application you will be asked to provide details of your:
- CV - Set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role and how they align with the essential criteria. There is no word limit for this section. Start with your most current employment details first and please format as follows
- Statement of Suitability - In no more than 750 words, provide examples of how your personal skills, qualities and experience meet the essential criteria. This is not intended to be a cover letter, instead please work through each essential criteria in turn. You may wish to follow the STAR technique the help focus your examples. The key things we are looking for are what you did and your assessment of the outcome. Desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview stage in the event of a tie break situation.
Stage 2: Sift
At sift stage, your application will be assessed by the interview panel who will review your Experience. The panel will score your Experience holistically by assessing how well your application aligns to the essential criteria.
The CV and statement will be assessed against the essential criteria detailed in the advert.
Candidates successful at sift stage will be invited to an interview.
Stage 3: Interview
You will be interviewed by a panel which will last for approximately 60 minutes. The panel will ask you questions focusing on your Experience and how well you are able to demonstrate your suitability for the role in alignment to the essential criteria. Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Please make sure you have access to this software and have your camera turned on during your interview. If you have any questions regarding the selection or application process, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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 Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk 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.
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/
Other Information
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe 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 circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
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.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
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
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.