Administrative Officer - DWP Basildon

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 lives in our communities from around the 20 million plus customer base., The role will involve a variety of activities which may include:
+ Demonstrating strong telephony and digital communication skills with a diverse range of claimants.
+ Developing your face-to-face customer interaction skills.
+ Taking ownership and working effectively with colleagues across the DWP organisation.
+ Tailoring your approach to accommodate individual circumstances and ensuring claimants receive the correct information or payment amount at the right time.
+ Building positive relationships with claimants, that encourage, motivate and build trust, by demonstrating empathy and compassion.
+ Handling sensitive and challenging situations with all claimants in a positive way.
+ Following DWP policy and understand the impact on your work.
+ Making decisions by examining the available facts and giving explanations to claimants as required.
+ Taking ownership of your personal development by accessing digital learning and communications tools.

Person specification
To be successful in this role you will need:
+ To be competent in delivering a quality service to a diverse claimant base via face to face and telephony interactions.
+ To undertake self-serve learning to meet requirements of the role and enhance your digital confidence.
+ The ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities, managing a diverse workload.
+ Be able to confidently tailor the service to meet the needs of the individual.
+ To act on feedback to enhance quality of service delivery.
+ To take ownership of complaints and supports their resolution.
+ To be able to provide support where appropriate to claimants who require assistance

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, After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Customer Service Skills Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for applications is 23:55 on 9th October 2024. If you fail to complete the online test before the 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.
Stage 3 - If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete your application using one behaviour which will comprise of 250 words on:
Level 1 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 choose to take.
Stage 4 - The interview process:
This will consist of three behaviour based questions based on the three behaviours listed below which will last approximately 30 minutes. This will be a face-to-face.
+ Managing a Quality Service
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Making Effective Decisions
To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview, 7 days prior to 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.
Proposed Sift and interview dates:
Sift Period – week commencing 10/10/2024 to 15/10/2024
Interviews – from week commencing 21/10/2024 to 08/11/2024
Dates are subject to change.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Alongside your salary of £27,215, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £7,884 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
+ Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
+ Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
+ Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
+ Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
+ Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
+ Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
+ An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.