About the job

Job summary

Do you have experience of analysing and interpreting data, drawing conclusions and making recommendations which drive board level decision making?

Do you have excellent leadership skills to lead a team to deliver business outcomes?

Can you influence stakeholders to plan, co-ordinate and drive the priorities of the organisation?

If this sounds like you, then please apply! 

 DWP Digital are looking for people to join their Business Management Teams as a Senior Performance & Planning Manager.

Business Management teams are at the very heart of enabling the organisation to run effectively and deliver successfully. They are fundamental in planning Digital Group’s business objectives, establishing clear connections between planned activity, the resources it uses and the funding it consumes – driving strategy and more effective decision making.

As a Senior Performance & Planning Manager you will be leading a team providing essential business management services to help measure and drive better performance. This includes the effective management of workforce and business planning, risk and audit management, financial assurance and compliance.

Job description

As a Senior Performance & Planning Manager you will:

• Support in the production of annual business plans and quarterly ambitions, tracking and reporting on delivery of plans to senior leaders. 
• Work with stakeholders to produce, monitor and continuously develop coherent financial plans and budgets 
• Work closely with stakeholders to monitor and track financial performance, risks and opportunities, and provide financial assurance of budget delivery to senior leaders 
• Lead the production and maintenance of short, medium, and long terms workforce plans and forecasts across all elements of the resource mix utilised across delivery teams 
• Provide oversight of recruitment activity across the function, ensuring appropriate governance is undertaken and activity remains within set targets and allocations 
• Lead functional risk management frameworks and oversee the functional risk register, working closely with leadership teams to assess, analyse and co-ordinate the management of individual risks on behalf of the Director 
• Lead the co-ordination of audit activity across the function, monitoring audit progress, tracking recommendations and unblocking issues  
• Oversee functional performance, presenting performance reports and briefings to senior leaders which include Digital KPIs and non-functional requirements 
• Co-ordinate the communications and engagement team across the function, delivering engaging and effective communications and developing comprehensive plans which support the development of our communications activity 
• Provide a range of regular, focussed reporting to senior colleagues offering insight, analysis and recommendations which support decision making 
• Contribute towards developing the Business Management Job Family assisting the Head of Role to build capability by coaching, identifying training and setting standards and frameworks.

Person specification

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:

• Demonstrable leadership experience with a proven track record of developing high performing teams within a complex organisation 
• Experience of successfully building strong working relationships with senior stakeholders across professional boundaries to influence and facilitate the successful delivery of outcomes 
• Ability to analyse multiple sources of information and data, draw conclusions and communicating recommendations and messages with clarity to senior leaders, being persuasive when required 
• Experience of undertaking financial planning and forecasting alongside the analysis of financial accounts and performance 
• Experience of co-ordinating and leading a team to deliver against governance requirements and frameworks. 

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact michael.coombs@dwp.gov.uk.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 27% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring. 
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Location

Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.   

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed 

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

Salary Information

Pay for this role is from £52,412 to £63,517.

Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of three parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.

3. Personal statement up to 1000 words.  Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign. 

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview

If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours and Technical Skills:

Behaviours
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Bigger Picture

Technical Skills

• Communicating Analysis and Insight
• Relationship Management

You will also be assessed on strengths

You will be asked to do a 5 minutes presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview. 

Interviews will take place from mid March 2024. Interview dates to be confirmed.

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. 

Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location. 

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 DigitalRecruitment.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.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page. 

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.

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.