About the job

Job summary

The Disability and Health Support Directorate brings together all policy and analysis of DWP’s main disability benefits: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit (IIDB).

This is an interesting and varied role providing the Project Management expertise to implement the Departments Clinical Governance Framework ensuring we are more accountable and continuously improve the quality of our services and set high standards.

Job description

The successful applicant will have a background in the clinical field with a strong understanding of Clinical Governance procedures. The successful candidate will: 

• Be responsible for implementing the Departments Clinical Governance framework alongside Senior DWP officials and the departments Health Care providers.
• Lead the department through the complex project control process providing an assurance that key milestones are met.
• Develop strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to build capability to ensure the smooth adoption of the Clinical Governance Framework.
• Lead a small team supporting you, building their capability and knowledge of the framework to ensure the department can respond to challenges from our stakeholders now and in the future.

Person specification

For the first part of your application, you will be required to write a personal statement which will be assessed against the set of Essential Key Criteria detailed below.  

• Good knowledge of clinical governance and/or background in clinical field. Previous experience of Project Management in any field (Lead criteria).
• Strong communication skills and the ability to present technical and complex information with clarity and impact to senior officials.
• Ability to influence and work with others, particularly external stakeholders, to resolve complex and technical issues.

Qualifications

A recognised Project Management Qualification is required for this role.

Benefits

You’ll join us in one of our DWP hub locations of Leeds, London or Sheffield.  

Our team has the opportunity to balance their personal lives and their work. We offer flexible hours, and hybrid working and lots of family friendly policies. Working flexibly means that at those times when you might need to work longer to get the job done, you can build up time that you can use to start later, finish earlier or take extra days off. The work we do is important, and we know healthy and happy people do better work.    

In return for your skills, we offer an attractive civil service pension with employer contributions of over 26% into a defined benefit pension scheme and a generous leave package starting at 25 Days, rising to 30 Days over time.   

 We have a broad benefits package to support your work-life balance which includes:   

• Volunteering and charitable giving
• Discounts and savings on shopping, days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it’s even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
• Sports and social activities
• Learning and development, including coaching, mentoring, progression opportunities and guaranteed 5-days learning per year.
• And lots more

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.

There are two elements to the selection process comprising of a sift, and the interview stage.  

Stage 1 Sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please read the guidance in relation to success profiles.

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Essential Key Criteria set out above in the person specification, rather than demonstrating the required behaviours which will be tested at Interview.  

We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you performed and what you have achieved in the role. Your Personal Statement must demonstrate clear evidence of what you did, how you did it and the outcome achieved, as well as evidence of your personal impact and your ability to take forward different approaches depending on the circumstances.

The standards detailed in the Essential Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. Your statement must not exceed 1250 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria ‘Good knowledge of clinical governance and/or background in clinical field. Previous experience of Project Management in any field’ to initially assess your application during the Sift stage. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Candidates are also asked to provide a CV/Job history covering the last 5 years if available. This must include any gaps in employment. Your CV will not be formally assessed. 

Stage 2 Interview

If you are successful at Stage 1 then you will be invited to an interview. The interview will comprise of  Behaviour questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. The interview panel may ask you other questions such as probing questions about your behaviour examples.  

Sift/interview dates and location

Successful candidates will be invited for interview week commencing 22 January 2024. 

Sift and Interview dates to be confirmed.

Please note that interviews will be conducted via video link using MS Teams. Full details will be provided for those applicants invited to book an interview.     

Further Information  

Find out more about Working for DWP  

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

Any move to DWP 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.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

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. 

Location Preferences  

When applying for this role, you will be required to state in preference order which of the three Policy Group Hub locations you can work from, Sheffield, Leeds, and London.

By indicating your preferred Policy Group hub location(s) in your application you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in any of your chosen hub location(s).  

• Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA 
• Caxton House, 6 -12 Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA 
• King’s Court, Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF 

Please be aware this role can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, your office base must be one of the three policy hubs and you must be able to attend your office base as required by your business area. The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required. 

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 and the role, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

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

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” 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.

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

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.