About the job

Job summary

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy and is responsible for helping people move into employment, supporting pensioners and protecting some of the most vulnerable in our society.

 As the UK’s biggest public service Department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 22 million claimants and customers.

We are looking for individuals with the drive and commitment to fill one Senior Leader (G7) role in our Retirement Services Directorate (RSD)

 This is an exciting opportunity to lead a varied and challenging portfolio of work, supporting both Retirement Services Operational Teams , DWP, other government departments and External Partners to improve quality outcomes for customers, reducing fraud, error and debt.

Job description

Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following:

• Creating an environment to sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders, including Directors and key partners.
• Developing stronger working practices across DWP to create powerful, purposeful, partnerships, improving quality and reducing fraud error and debt (FED).
• Working closely with Delivery, Senior Civil Servants and Senior Leaders to assure colleagues have accurate, clear, stretching, achievable, quality improvement delivery plans; utilising insight reports from errors detected.
• Assuring quality competence and capability of agents who process claims and change of circumstances, therefore delivering against customer journey expectations
• Being an active member of the Senior Leadership Team: 
  • By contributing to the wider Departmental agenda’s and providing visible, accessible, and effective senior leadership.
  • Taking a personal lead in engaging and communicating messages with clarity and conviction to continually improve and modernise service to improve quality and reduce fraud error and debt. 
  • Representing Retirement Services at DWP Debt Performance Action Group as senior lead for all service lines ensuring National Audit Office (NAO) targets are met, driving recovery plans and flexing resources to achieve key performance indicators.
  • Responsible in providing regular and ad hoc updates on DWP Quality Flightpaths and DWP Fraud, Error and Debt Reduction plans.    

The Quality Assurance lead is responsible for the delivery teams who conduct  quality assurance checks against the DWP Quality framework. Will also be responsible for producing quality insight reports to support Directors/Senior Leadership Team across Retirement Services Delivery service lines.

• From April 24 this role will also include the State Pension (SP) Legal Entitlement and Administrative Practices (LEAP) Assurance & Enabling lead accountabilities, driving the quality assurance agenda into business as usual providing regular updates to the DWP Senior Leader SP LEAP Governance board.

Person specification

Key Criteria for the Role:

Strong leadership behaviours including excellent engagement skills with an ability to effectively network at all levels, proven record of managing conflict to agree a common goal and delivering quality results at pace whilst mitigating risks. Experience of delivering priority agendas through others to enable positive customer outcomes. (lead criteria)

Ability to utilise agile methodology to land continuous improvement, change and service modernisation, and cultural changes across large operational teams. 

Demonstrate visible, inspirational, and resourceful leadership, with an ability to drive performance, embrace creativity and deliver a positive and efficient service.  

Ability to/experience of using all insight available to improve the quality of a service. 

Taking a personal lead in creating an engaging environment, communicating messages with clarity and conviction, and acting on feedback to create an environment of inclusion, value, and mutual respect.  

Experience of actively promoting health and well-being and taking responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

Have proven stakeholder management skills with evidence of strong leadership in multidisciplinary teams at all levels.

Experience of building capability and confidence to large operational teams to detect and correct issues in the customer experience and improve future outcomes.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £52,412, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £14,151 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.

It is important that you take time to read the Candidate Pack which can be found at the bottom of this job advert. This gives details of working patterns, training and terms and conditions of employment as well as giving further information on what to include in your application.

Stages for applying 

Stage 1 – Complete the eligibility section of the application form.                                                                              

Stage 2 - Complete a personal statement of 1250 words.

Personal Statement​

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the Key Criteria on slide 7 and slide 8 of the candidate pack thoroughly, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several key criteria. You may not be able to meet all the key criteria, but please ensure you evidence: the key personal requirements and what have you done that relates to the requirements. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the skills you have that are transferable to the key requirements, and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role. 

​The closing date for applications is 23:55 on 12 March 2024. If you fail to complete any of the 2 stages above before this deadline your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 3 – The Sift

The sift is scheduled to held between 13 and 15 March 2024. 

Should a large number of applications be received an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria, ‘Strong leadership behaviours, excellent engagement skills with an ability to effectively network at all levels, proven record of managing conflict to agree a common goal and deliver quality results at pace, mitigating identified risks. To deliver through others the Fraud Error and Debt Quality Strategy agenda enabling positive customer outcomes.’

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Stage 4 - The Interview Process

The interview, held via MS Teams, will last approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  Further details regarding the process are available in the candidate pack.

Interviews are scheduled take place week commencing 25 March 2024.

Please note that the proposed sift and interview dates are only indicative at this stage and may be subject to change.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 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.

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.