Departmental Planning and Performance Lead

This is a fantastic opportunity to join the Departmental Planning and Performance Team (DPP) which sits within Strategic Finance Directorate in Finance Group. DPP is a kind supportive and inclusive team which puts a huge emphasis on work life balance and staff wellbeing. We are at the forefront of the DWP agenda to improve how we plan, monitor and improve performance across the department to support senior decision makers. Our work focuses on priorities for the Permanent Secretary, the Executive Team (ET) and the Secretary of State.
DPP is responsible for drafting DWP’s Departmental Plan, assessing and monitoring progress against the Plan, through production of internal quarterly progress reports to ET and ministers and assessing the on-going deliverability of the Plan. In this context, deliverability is the degree to which we have confidence we can deliver the Departmental Plan in full, within the timescales of the Plan, within the cost and resource envelope set for the Department; and to the quality Ministers and the Executive Team and our customers/clients rightly expect. The team is also responsible for delivering the Performance Report section of the DWP Annual Report and Accounts, which is laid in Parliament and published in the public domain, allowing the public and Parliament to hold the Department to account.
These are high profile and stretching roles, with frequent opportunities to work with senior officials up to and including the Permanent Secretary, Executive Team, and Ministers and a wide range of DWP’s central teams and enabling functions. The role offers the post holder a wide range of developmental opportunities to lead on key elements of the team’s work.
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer, ensuring equal opportunities and accommodating all working practices. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minority people, people with a disability, and people with gender-diverse identities. We would also encourage flexible workers and job-sharers to apply., The post holder will be joining an energetic, vibrant team, which plays a vital role in developing the Department’s Plan and assessing and assuring its deliverability throughout the year.
This is a challenging and exciting role in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, working with senior officials in the organisation.
Your main responsibilities will include:
+ Leading and iterating the process for the regular deliverability assessments of the Departmental Plan which take place on approximately a quarterly basis including in-year reviews and at fiscal events. This involves close collaboration across central teams and wider stakeholders to ensure we understand the ability of DWP to deliver what we have committed to within the Departmental Plan, and where there are challenges and constraints suggestions to address these are proposed to ET and other governance boards.
+ At fiscal events, working closely with central teams in Finance and Strategy to understand the scope of proposed measures and with our ‘deliverability community’ of representatives from core enabling functions and delivery areas to understand the impact of accommodating the new measures. This involves proactive engagement at working and senior level to drive forward the deliverability agenda to ensure it is given due consideration in the decision-making process.
+ Maintaining a strong stakeholder network across the deliverability community and central teams, leading regular cross-team meetings and building one-to-one relationships at working and senior level
+ Issuing commissions to enabling functions and other central teams, and analysing the returns, distilling complex and at times contradictory information into clear, concise documents that can be used by ET and senior leaders to enable decision-making.
+ Contributing to ET advice and ministerial briefings, occasionally deputising for Senior Leaders at ET meetings and ensuring the latest deliverability position is accurately reflected.
+ Writing and delivering presentations to a variety of internal and cross-government audiences to raise awareness of deliverability and the Departmental Plan.
+ Working closely with the Risk Management Directorate and Departmental Planning Performance Senior Leadership Team to ensure the principal risk of delivering our strategic outcomes and Departmental Plan is regularly reviewed and accurately reflects the mitigations and controls we have in place.
+ Contributing to the wider team's work, including a quarterly update on the performance of key enabling functions as part of our ET-reviewed Performance Dashboard, and quarterly updates as part of our Departmental Plan reporting to Cabinet Office
+ Contributing to and supporting wider work of the team on planning and engagement, occasionally providing cover for other leads and working flexibly across team boundaries.
+ Leading and motivating a small team, building capability and adaptability, and empowering the team to think creatively and develop innovative approaches that support them to deliver a quality service in sometimes ambiguous environments.
+ Contributing to the team's corporate activities e.g., strands of work to improve learning and development, team management and ways of working.
Role 2: Annual Report and Accounts (Performance Report) Lead
The post holder will be joining an energetic, vibrant team, which plays a vital role in ensuring that the Performance Report provides a fair and balanced representation of what the Department has delivered over the reporting year. You will expertly manage your and the team's work to ensure objectives are met.
Your main responsibilities will include:
+ Leading and managing the Annual Report and Accounts Performance Report process, including planning the timeline, commissioning and drafting content to ensure a factual and balanced report that reads with a single voice.
+ Leading and planning stakeholder engagement across the various stakeholder groups to ensure key stakeholders are engaged at the right time. Pro-actively managing the clearance process for Directors, Director’s General, and the Permanent Secretary.
+ Lead discrete sections of the Performance Report, building and maintaining relevant stakeholder relationships, negotiating, influencing and challenging as appropriate.
+ Overseeing the continuous improvement process, ensuring that ongoing improvements to the Annual Report and Accounts process are captured, progressed, and tracked via existing processes.
+ Leading and motivating a small team, building capability and adaptability, and empowering the team to think creatively and develop innovative approaches that support them to deliver a quality service in sometimes ambiguous environments.
+ Contributing to the Team's corporate activities e.g., strands of work to improve learning and development, team management and ways of working.
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., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Delivering at Pace
+ Working Together, Candidates are required to indicate which role they would like to be considered for. Candidates may wish to be considered for both roles. Successful candidates will be assigned to a role based on their previous experience and skills.
Sift stage:
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a Personal Statement of no more than 750 words and enter basic job history details.
The sift panel will use your Personal Statement to assess your skills and experience against the essential criteria listed within this advert.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Criteria identified above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift on the remaining Essential Criteria.
The job history will be used for background information only to aid in assigning candidates to roles. This will not form part of the sift and will not be scored. With this in mind, please ensure all your evidence is within your personal statement.
Interview stage:
If you have been successful in sift stage, you will be invited to an online interview via Teams. You will need to produce evidence of ID at the video interview.
The interview will take a blended approach, and you will be assessed against the behaviours outlined in the job advert, as well as strength-based questions.
Further information will be provided to those who are invited to interview, and feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Application sift is planned to be carried out WC: 21st October 2024
Interviews are planned to be carried out WC: Mid November 2024
Please be advised that the above dates are indicative only and are subject to change.
We will endeavour to post successful candidates into their preferred role where possible. If candidates show a preference for both roles, appointments will be made on the basis of previous experience and skills.
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.
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.
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).
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+ (Lead Criteria) Excellent stakeholder management skills and ability to work well as part of a team, with experience of developing and maintaining strong and influential relationships with senior stakeholders to deliver shared objectives and outcomes.
+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience of drafting advice and/or reports to senior stakeholders to support strategic discussions and the ability to summarise and explain technical issues in a clear and straightforward way for internal and external audiences.
+ Strong record of proactivity with excellent problem-solving skills. Experience of dealing with uncertainty and making sense of a vast array of often complex and ambiguous information, providing effective challenge to draw out the key messages and themes at a macro level.
+ Strong track record of delivering at pace with a high degree of autonomy, effectively managing substantial workloads and competing priorities to deliver high quality outputs, which can be to very short deadlines.
+ Experience of providing visible leadership, and a track record of building capability and driving continuous learning, creating the environment for your team to thrive and deliver high quality outcomes.

Alongside your salary of £52,412, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £15,183 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%