About the job

Job summary

The Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) was established to work across Government on work and health-related issues, bringing together staff from both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). JWHD contributes to the Government priority to reduce ill-health related job loss and reduce the disability employment gap by supporting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to get into and stay in work.

At Spring Budget 2023, the UK Government announced over £2 billion to support disabled people and people with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work This suite of measures – of which WorkWell is a key component, will drive forward new approaches to work and health, and also includes, for example, introducing Employment Advisors into Musculoskeletal (MSK) clinical pathways and scaling up MSK community hubs to improve access. The Autumn Statement 2023 went further, announcing an expansion to the Universal Support programme, delivering a supported employment intervention, and plans for wider testing of fit note reforms, among other measures.   

WorkWell (WW) will pilot support for disabled people and people with health conditions who want help to start, stay and succeed in work.  Services will provide light touch work and health support, with the aim of preventing and reducing economic inactivity and inequality among disabled people and people with health conditions. It will bring together the NHS, local authorities and other partners including jobcentres, to design and deliver a new local integrated service that will assess people’s psychological, physical and social barriers to work and offer them a tailored support plan in response.     

WorkWell will be locally-led and, building on existing assets and resources, ​designed to respond to local population needs. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities (LAs) will play a central role in convening local partnerships to design and deliver the WorkWell pilot services in around 15 local areas.  

WorkWell services should also reduce the burden on primary care in pilot areas as creating this additional capacity to treat work-related health issues will free up clinicians to focus on health.   

Services are planned to commence in Autumn 2024 and the pilot is funded to deliver until Spring 2026.  Support will be available nationally to promote shared system learning​ during this period.

Job description

The Regional Adviser roles will work nationally, regionally and locally with government departments, NHS, local government, and other key stakeholders to facilitate a robust understanding of the importance of work and health to each part of the local system and help to translate this into integrated strategy and provision. They will be line managed through the DWP/DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate and given support and direction by senior Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities (OHID) regional Work and Health leads.

The roles will:

• Work with OHID regions to support collaboration and cross system join up on work and health, particularly WorkWell vanguards and non-vanguards, MSK, Fitnote, Occupational Health, Universal support and other key work and health programmes. This will include preparing the ground, bringing partners together, supporting local implementation and development and monitoring progress.
• Offer challenge and support to local systems to develop integrated and effective work and health services, drawing on existing provision where appropriate using best available evidence.
• Support ICB work and health development leads in the planning and implementation of WorkWell, particularly ensuring fidelity to key elements of WW model and adherence to management information requirements.
• Be a key point of contact for the National Support Team for WorkWell, helping to facilitate regional learning and improvement events and opportunities in line with national learning and improvement support, ensuring join-up and synergy across wider work and health programmes such as MSK, Occupational Health, Fitnote and Universal Support as appropriate.
• Identify where additional support is needed for systems if there are concerns around capacity or capability to deliver and work with national support team, national and regional policy teams to identify appropriate action.
• Provide specialist advice, regional and local intelligence on the delivery of health and work improvement outcomes.
• Support strategic discussions with partners in relation to the achievement of work, health and disability related public health outcomes.
• Support on the development of best practice guidance documents.
• Lead regionally and locally on specific work streams within the DWP/DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate as appropriate to specific regional priorities.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and implementation of DWP/DHSC Joint Work & Health Directorate.

Person specification

Essential Key Criteria

• Exceptional collaborative working with a wide range of stakeholders and experience of delivering outcomes through multiple systems and functions (Lead Criteria)
• Experience in local work and health policy and/or delivery, with the ability to demonstrate understanding of delivery through local systems; particularly health settings, local authorities and local Jobcentre Plus networks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to establish the confidence of a variety of stakeholders; navigating through complexity to practical solutions and deliverables.
• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to: inspire and motivate others to be part of a shared vision; seek out shared areas of interest across a wide group of stakeholders; and to work through other teams securing commitment and enthusiasm to a programme of work to deliver your objectives by working collaboratively.
• Experience of leading change at pace, putting in place the plans and structures to deliver high quality work to short deadlines, operating flexibly as priorities change.

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

Location

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

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

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 

But you will be expected to predominantly work from one of the 7 Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities regional hubs on an outreach basis:

• East of England region 
• Midlands region 
• London region 
• North-East England and Yorkshire region 
• North-West England region 
• South-East England region
• South-West England region 

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

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

Stage 1 - Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement (1250 words max). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please read the guidance in relation to success profiles.

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

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:

• Exceptional collaborative working with a wide range of stakeholders and experience of delivering outcomes through multiple systems and functions.

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 in mid March. 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.

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. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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.