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 are recruiting a Senior Executive Officer to join a highly motivated and supportive team that oversees the delivery of high-profile, professional development programmes to teachers and school leaders at every stage of their career.

The role sits within the Developing Teachers and Leaders Division, part of the Teachers and Tutors Directorate – a dynamic and high-performing policy and delivery organisation that is focused on delivering our vision: "an excellent teacher for every child”.

This is an excellent opportunity for an SEO to work in a high-profile policy area. The role will require close working and engagement with lead providers of teacher professional development and collaborative working with Policy and Commercial teams.

The role will enable the post holder to hone their stakeholder engagement, analytical and team working skills, as well as providing an opportunity to gain experience in the commercial and delivery aspects of policy making.

Job description

As set out in the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, there are a number of teacher development reforms already in place to improve teacher access to high-quality training and development, including: the Early Career Framework (ECF) and National Professional Qualification (NPQ) reforms. In September 2021, the Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms launched nationally entitling all early career teachers to a funded, two-year package of structured training and support linked to the best available research evidence. Beyond the first few years of teaching, our priority is to help all teachers and school leaders to continuously develop their expertise throughout their careers. Our Specialist and Leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) provide training and support for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, such as behaviour management, to those leading multiple schools across trusts.

This post offers the opportunity to be part of the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Unit that is responsible for managing delivery of the Department’s Early Career Framework (ECF) and the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) programmes, together with targeted CPD programmes delivered by the National Institute of Teaching. These programmes have overall contract values exceeding £200m and include both multi-provider frameworks and single provider contracts and grants; they already reach tens of thousands of teachers, and this number will continue to grow.

The role works closely with the National Institute of Teaching and other Lead Providers, developing strong relationships to ensure high quality delivery.

The role will be accountable for the successful management of a portfolio of contracts, working in a fast-paced environment across multiple workstreams, including HEO and EO task management. The role will work closely with business partners, including commercial, communications, analytical, digital and finance teams to support delivery. Priorities include (but are not limited to) ensuring milestones and key performance measures are met, accuracy of outputs is assured, and value for money is achieved.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Contract management: including financial and performance monitoring of external stakeholders using a range of techniques, tools, and systems to produce and deliver dynamic plans to guarantee the successful delivery of multiple contracts.
• Stakeholder engagement: including regular meetings with external stakeholders and a wide range of internal teams across the Division/Department including, policy, commercial, finance, communications, research and digital to ensure that delivery is aligned and to identify and implement new requirements as needed.
• Chairing monthly contract management meetings: analysing provider reports; identifying, reviewing notes/actions from meetings; and working with colleagues across the Department to ensure actions are implemented successfully. (see above stakeholders).
• Programme management: input into Ministerial briefings, reports, submissions, and official correspondence related to contracts. Support the establishment of future delivery functions and represent SRM Unit at internal and external stakeholder meetings as required.
• Using subject matter expertise and technical knowledge to anticipate any risks to delivery and to develop innovative solutions as mitigation. To influence other teams to take action where required.
• Task management: to work with other contract managers and support officers to ensure contractual milestones and key performance indicators are tracked accurately and business as usual activity is managed effectively. To provide coaching, development, or performance management to address any issues.

Team: We are a friendly, supportive, and high performing team. Our work is challenging, high paced and rewarding. For the right applicant, this role offers an opportunity to hone stakeholder engagement, analytical and team working skills, as well as providing an opportunity to gain experience in the commercial and delivery aspects of policy making.

Person specification

You will be supporting the unit to meet its contractual and stakeholder obligations.

Candidates will require strong organisation and planning skills, with the ability to communicate and work flexibly in order to manage competing demands to deliver high-quality outcomes.

You will gain a good understanding of the teacher development landscape including knowledge of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) and the Early Career Framework (ECF) programmes.

Essential criteria:

• Working knowledge of commercial and contract management standards, awareness of DfE commercial policies.
• Project management skills: decision making, risk management, budget management, negotiating skills, prioritising, managing expectations.
• Stakeholder engagement (relationship building) and customer service skills.
• Strong communication skills with ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences, both verbally and in writing.
• Task management skills and experience: coaching, support, and wellbeing.
• Ability to deliver work at pace.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• A self-starter with a flexible and adaptable approach.

Desirable Criteria:

• Commercial knowledge and experience of procurement.
• Knowledge of the education sector (understanding provider types, policy for these provider types, pressures in the system/sector) and funding streams, awareness of different funding streams, the policy intent and contracting milestones.

Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision. 

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

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

Application

To apply for this role, please provide a CV (including the job history and full qualification details) and a personal statement (maximum 1000 words). The personal statement should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria, listed in the person specification section of the advert.

You will also be required to provide 250-word statement against each of the listed behaviours:

• Delivering at pace
• Managing a quality service
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing

As written communication is a required skill for the role, part of our assessment will be looking at how an application is written as well as its content.

In the event of a large number of applications, we will sift on the lead behaviour of Delivering at Pace. In this instance, if your application progresses to a full sift, we will conduct a sift on the remaining behaviours. 

We recommend you structure your answers to behaviour questions using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format:

Situation – Describe the situation you found yourself in and what happened.

Task – The Hiring Manager will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation that you found yourself in.

Action – What actions did you take and how did you do it. Make sure to use “I”, not “we” to explain how your actions lead to a result.

Result – Use facts and statistics to demonstrate the results that your actions produced. Explain whether it was a successful outcome, and if not, what you learned from the experience.

Interview

If you are successful at application stage, you will be invited for an interview. This will be via Microsoft Teams.

The purpose of the interview is to assess your suitability for the role. It will usually last 40-60 minutes, during the interview, you will be asked to describe specific occasions from when you have demonstrated the behaviours we are looking for. You will also be asked various strengths-based questions.

Strengths

These questions will help the interview panel assess your strengths and preferred style of working.

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, although you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well as well as what you feel your personal strengths and preferred ways of working are.

Full guidance on Success profiles can be found here.

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. 

Reasonable adjustment 

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/

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.