Centralised Operations Team (COT) Associate Business Function Practitioner - Indirect Wing

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) touches the lives of everyone in the UK in some shape or form, delivering services and support to help people find work, assist with a disability or provide support through their retirement. As a key part of DWP, the Commercial Directorate (CD) shapes how services are delivered across their 3rd party contractual arrangements.

Indirect Wing

CD's organisational structure is divided into 3 strategic teams; one of which is the Indirect Wing team. The team has over 130 commercial professionals, including a Senior Leadership Team of 5 Senior Civil Servants (SCS). The 4 strategic categories: Estates, Digital, Automated Buying, Business Services and External Resources teams deliver via 941 live 3rd party contractual arrangements @£6.8b DWP's core business services for internal staff and external customers. The COT support the Category and Senior Management teams with the day-to-day non-commercial activity that allows them to focus on their commercial delivery.

Indirect Wing Central Operations Team (COT)

The Indirect Wing Business Function (BF) Team support all 4 Categories and manage all non-commercial queries via the centralised team inbox, managing in and out bound communications to ensure team updates are delivered in an accurate and timely manner.

BF manage all workforce planning, organisational charts, reporting and recruitment, alongside providing responses to Freedom of Information requests and Parliamentary queries. They ensure compliance of mandatory training and learning, and track and maintain staff absence to manage capacity planning and Business Continuity Planning. Parallel to this, support is given to all colleagues on a daily basis on everything non-commercial enabling the commercial team to maintain delivery of their CD Objectives. The team also support 5 SCS staff to ensure they can fully optimise their time effectively, leading the delivery and support of their teams and CD's objectives.

The Indirect Wing Data & Reporting team, provide timely and accurate Management Information (MI) to ensure the 4 Categories are fully represented when providing Ministerial, Cabinet Office and Treasury returns. The team also oversee the comprehensive MI reporting linked with Contract Pipelines which allow for Strategic Commercial forecasting and wider impacting with business stakeholders. The team are the expert domain for Power BI reporting and provide ad-hoc and strategic reporting to the wing's Senior Management team, Executive teams and colleagues, alongside strategic reporting of DWP's commercial Savings.

This is a is well-established role in the Business Function Team within the Indirect Wing Central Operations team (COT) and is fundamental in supporting the Category and Senior Management Team with the day-to-day non-commercial activity that allows them to focus on their commercial delivery.

The COT team is required to support the Commercial teams who have responsibility for operational implementation and delivery of key corporate commercially related strategies via 3rd party Supplier Services. In addition, as an Associate Business Function Practitioner, you may be asked to lead and/or support a number of key cross category business activities, whilst also supporting wider CD and Indirect Wing transformation activity and have an interest in building knowledge of DWP Commercial business, demonstrating commitment to advancing the COT role, within the Indirect Wing COT function.

The role is fast paced and challenging and includes working with key stakeholders and building effective relationships. It requires pro-active and innovative thinking, with excellent communication skills and an outgoing and enthusiastic approach to challenges. You will be required to frequently work alongside your colleagues in the COT team as well as key stakeholders to ensure information collected is accurately reflected to allow senior colleagues make informed decisions that increase efficiency of delivery and quality of service outcomes.