Correspondence Officer

Would you like to be part of a busy team, working on the issues that people care about most: housing, spreading opportunity around the country and creating communities where we are proud to live?

Do you want to be at the heart of a Government department, writing on behalf of Ministers as part of our conversation with the public? If so, we can offer you an exciting opportunity to join the fast-paced and welcoming correspondence team at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Citizens are at the heart of DLUHC's agenda, which attracts strong interest from across Parliament, the corporate and third sector and the public. We are looking for one Correspondence Officer, based in London to handle enquiries from Parliamentarians and stakeholders, and draft replies that will be sent on behalf of the Secretary of State. We have ambitions to become the best-performing and most innovative correspondence team in Government.

The successful candidate will play a vital role in helping us achieve our target of responding to more than 80% of correspondence within 20 working days. This will require rapid commissioning of information from policy teams and fast, tightly drafted replies. The ideal candidate will pride themselves on their writing and case management capabilities: an interest in policy development, as well as accuracy and organisation are all useful qualities. A role in correspondence is an excellent base for developing detailed knowledge of the Department's work, and for personal development and career progression.,

• Drafting replies to correspondence from Parliamentarians and stakeholders


• Managing and prioritising casework so that replies to correspondence are sent within 20 working days


• Ensuring that casework is accurately logged, processed, and tracked via our casework management systems, As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process.


Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system - this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).

At application stage you will be asked to upload a CV document. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage.

Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions, for example all candidates' responses to 'Seeing the Big Picture' rather than seeing a candidate's full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

When writing your application, remember:

• The assessor won't be reading your answers sequentially.


• Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.


• If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!), 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
  
  Confident writers with a keen eye for detail; able to strike the right tone depending on subject matter and respondent


• Proactive and able to manage their time effectively


• Able to manage multiple competing priorities


• Interested in policy developments across Government, current affairs and how Parliament works


• Confident about building positive working relationships with a wide range of teams


• Experienced users of Office365, and willing to learn how to use our case management systems, Behaviour 1 (lead behaviour) - Managing a Quality Service


Behaviour 2 - Delivering at pace

Experience 1 - Please outline the skills and experience you would bring to this role?

Experience 2 - Please outline your motivation for applying for an operational delivery focussed role?

There is a 250 word limit per question.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:

Behaviour - Managing A Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Any move to DLUHC 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

£29,691
For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.
A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%, Alongside your salary of £29,691, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £7,145 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role


• An environment with flexible working options


• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity


• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%


Things you need to know, Behaviours: Managing A Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing

Experience: Yes

Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox - you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

EO salary

• The salary for this role is £29,691 (London)


• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.