Administrative Officer – DWP - Bangor

Are you looking to enhance or gain experience in both Customer Service and Administration?
Do you enjoy helping others?
If so, we would like to hear from you. As part of the DWP Operational Delivery you will be at the heart of DWP’s front line operations helping to change people’s lives in our communities from around the 20 million plus customer base., What you will be doing:
+ Demonstrate strong telephony and digital communication skills with a diverse range of claimants.
+ Take ownership and manage cases by engaging across DWP to progress claimants in preparation for their journey towards work.
+ Tailor the claimant journey and ensure claimants receive the correct payment amount, at the right time.
+ Build positive relationships with claimants that encourage, motivate and build trust by demonstrating empathy and compassion.
+ Handle sensitive and challenging situations with all claimants in a positive way.
+ Be aware of labour market policy and its impact on claimant’s conditionality requirements.
+ Make decisions by examining the available facts and giving explanations to claimants as required.
+ Take ownership of personal development by accessing digital learning and communications tools.
+ Work effectively with colleagues across the service.

Person specification
Key Criteria
+ Be competent in delivering a quality customer service, tailoring the service to meet the needs of the individual.
+ Communicate well with a diverse customer base.
+ Ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities.
+ Act on feedback to enhance quality of service delivery.
+ Take ownership of complaints and support their resolution.
+ Be able to provide support where appropriate to claimants who require assistance.
Preferable skills:
The ability to speak Welsh would be desirable.
You may be required to work at any time between the hours of 7.45am and 8pm on any day between Monday to Friday and 8.45am to 5pm on Saturday. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule.
DWP is a family-friendly employer and we try to accommodate the widest range of working patterns, including part-time and job-sharing, but we cannot guarantee doing so because our ability to deliver our business locally must always be taken into account.
Full learning and development for the role will be provided including Diversity & Equality. Initial training and consolidation may take up to 10 weeks to complete, dependent on the role, and may be delivered virtually.
Candidates will be required to work full time, Monday to Friday during all training and consolidation periods.

Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Making Effective Decisions
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
+ Managing a Quality Service, Selection will be by an on-line assessment, written sift, followed by a Face-to-Face interview at Bangor Service Centre. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Online Assessment
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Customer Service Skills Test.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is 28 October 2024 at 23:55. If you fail to complete the online test before the above deadline your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/preparing-for-the-customer-service-skills-test#taking-the-test
Written Assessment
If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete your application and a written sift using one behaviour which will comprise of 250 words at Level 1 on Managing a Quality Service
Please note depending on the volume of applications we may choose to invite those who pass the skills test straight to interview and dispense with the sift stage. For this reason, the timeline for post Skills Test is subject to change depending on the approach we chose to take.
Interview Stage
The interview process will consist of a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions based on the three behaviours listed above which will last approximately 30 minutes. The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.
To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your strengths.
Interviews will be held face to face at Bangor Service Centre., 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
The reserve list may be used to offer future vacancies which arise in Wales Group and across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order and the location and job role would be fully explained.
You may be placed on the reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:
+ If you accept an offer of a post, you will be expected to withdraw from any reserve lists of campaigns you have applied for, with DWP, at this grade.
+ If you are offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list,
+ If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.
Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP.
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.
DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified – as determined by the business. To support this aim you may be required to undertake a work based qualification, which may be in the form of an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time, you agree to take this job on the basis that you may be required to undertake a work based qualification; a candidate’s failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract.
Important
If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.
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.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

+ Generous annual leave 23 days for Full time new entrants (rising to 25 after 1 year), plus all bank holidays
+ Flexible working patterns available
+ Competitive maternity, paternity, and parental leave
+ A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
+ Employee Assistance with emphasis on wellbeing
+ Career and Personal Development through Operational Delivery Profession
+ Employee discount schemes
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 considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post, you will be required to work on site within the office during the training, consolidation and probation periods full time. Suitability for hybrid working will be considered after successful completion of probation.