About the job

Job summary

Are you confident operating as a senior leader, engaging and influencing at executive level?

Are you experienced in leading a programme or portfolio management office?

Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment continually looking to evolve?

DWP Digital is transforming DWP’s services by unlocking the potential of leading-edge technologies and ways of working.

Our team is key to making decisions that support key services. We ensure timing, structure, planning and prioritisation of our department’s projects & programmes.

We are looking for a Senior Digital Portfolio Manager, who will ensure that our portfolio of projects is planned, prioritised and effectively delivered by DWP Digital.

Job description

As an experienced Senior Digital Portfolio Manager, you will ensure controls are in place for managing plans, risks, issues and dependencies to effective resolution across your area of responsibility.

In Portfolio Management, we use mature tooling to track digital projects, and you will provide assurance to Digital Directors, that delivery of our portfolio is on target, intervening or escalating as appropriate where delivery outcomes are at risk.

We are looking for someone who leads and builds strategic relationships, influences stakeholders and who is proactive with engagement. You will be able to identify risks and ensure standards are met.

You will identify and prioritise new work that aligns to our Digital Strategy, collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to support the impact of new work, monitoring project benefits against business case predictions.

We collaborate across the DWP, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury to build strong relationships and promote the Digital Group’s strategy and keep vital services and systems operating for our customers.

You will help to ensure DWP comply and apply the various aspects of the Cross-Government Control frameworks.

Person specification

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

• Experience of operating controls within a portfolio context to ensure projects are effectively tracked, responding appropriately to what the project data is indicating 
• Experience of using strong leadership skills to communicate with a variety of stakeholders, using data to support difficult messages in a way that is easy to understand and helps influence Senior-level decision making 
• Ability to analyse multiple data sets to understand the portfolio and be able to prioritise the most important or highest value tasks for intervention or escalation 
• Experience of integration planning and managing complex internal and external dependencies including the identification and removal of blockers as needed 
• Experience of ensuring activities remain aligned to strategic priorities and compliant with associated governance and assurance regimes 
• Demonstrable experience in a senior portfolio management or senior project management role within a major Digital or Change environment.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact abs.ali@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.

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

London

Pay for this role in London is from £57,631 to £75,748.

The maximum London salary for the grade is £68,918, however a Digital Allowance of up to £6,830 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.

Regions

Pay for this role in the regions is from £52,412 to £75,748.

The maximum regional salary for the grade is £63,517, however a Digital Allowance of up to £12,231 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.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.

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.

Hybrid Working

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.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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 experiences listed in the essential criteria.

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

Further information:

Find out more about Working for DWP

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

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.

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 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

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.