DWP HEO UC Operational Leader - London & Essex

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy and is responsible for helping people move into employment, supporting pensioners and protecting some of the most vulnerable in our society. HEO Operational Leaders in Universal Credit (UC) are accountable for creating an environment to support the flexible effective personalised delivery of customer services, quality and performance across the site/geographical cluster. They provide senior management leadership and effective use of resource to ensure performance targets and customer objectives are met. They will drive people engagement across their site/cluster, setting high standards for people leadership throughout the business, and personally exemplifying “one customer, one business” behaviours. Provide transformational leadership to the site/cluster and beyond - inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming performance, and building high-performing teams. Managers work collaboratively with One Service, wider DWP, other Government Departments and external partners and providers to support the achievement of the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) objectives. For a list of locations and roles available please see Attachments., We are looking for people who will help us deliver excellent customer service, make sound decisions, implement change and lead others. Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following: + Lead by example and provide inspiration, direction and support to colleagues by communicating corporate changes with clarity and purpose. + Create a culture that promotes, supports and delivers improvements to performance and customer service through strong, inclusive and effective leadership. + Be innovative and lead activities to support efficiencies and improvements to service delivery. + Create an environment that empowers others to do the right thing for customers, being responsible for delivering an excellent service to achieve quality outcomes. + Operate as part of a team focused on agreed goals and priorities to achieve collective commitments, effectively managing resources in an ever-changing organisational structure to drive efficiencies and keep costs down. + Accountable for managing workloads, attendance and conducting regular face to face performance reviews confidently addressing risks to performance., Evidence of how you have met the Key Criteria and your suitability for the role needs to be included in your Personal Statement. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullet points, etc. You may choose to address each criterion separately; however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several Key Criteria. Please ensure you provide as much evidence as you can to allow us to assess your skills, knowledge, and experience against the Key Criteria; share with us what makes you suited to this role. We would like to find out what you can do, the skills you hold and the life experience or passion that you have that could be aligned to the Key Criteria. We will assess and score your Personal Statement against each of the Key Criteria in the advert. The scores for each individual criteria will be added together to give a single total score which you will receive once the sift results are released. We may increase the minimum score to progress to interview if a high number of applications are successful at the sift stage. Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions. Optional stage of the process Please note: This recruitment campaign includes a new assessment trial. Your participation in the additional assessment is completely voluntary. Civil Service Styles Assessment Trial. What is it . . . This is a self-assessment questionnaire which will ask you to compare a number of statements and choose the ones which are most like you. The trial of the Civil Service Styles Assessment (CSSA) will be available to you following submission of your CV and Personal Statement (see below). The CSSA will not be scored and will not affect your application in any way. We would really encourage you to participate and complete the test as your involvement will help shape the future of our recruitment processes in DWP and give you an opportunity to try a new and exciting Civil Service recruitment assessment. If you would prefer not to take part in the trial, this will not affect your application. A link to access the questionnaire will be shared with you after you have submitted your CV and Personal Statement and the advert has closed. This will remain open for you to complete until 23:59 on Wednesday 6th November. Feedback will not be provided as part of the trial. We really hope that you take the opportunity to take part in this exciting trial as the results will be invaluable to DWP and we take this opportunity to thank you for getting involved. Interview Stage All applicants that progress will be invited to interview. If you receive an invite you will need to access the system and book yourself an interview slot. The interview will be face-to-face, held at Westminster Jobcentre and will last approximately 45 minutes. It will be a blended interview which consists of a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. You will be assessed against the Behaviours listed below at Level 3. Behaviours + Leadership. + Managing a Quality Service. + Communicating and Influencing. To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview, 5 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. A location preference template will be issued with your invitation to interview, please remember to complete and bring it with you when you attend your interview., 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 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. 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. 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. 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. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 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. 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.

+ Strong leadership and coaching skills, able to identify and support the development needs of themselves and others to reach the Operational Delivery Professional standards and digital capability. + Excellent people engagement skills and a focus on building collaborative working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across the wider team and Department. + Ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities, managing a diverse workload and optimising resources to meet current and future customer expectations. + Ability to positively inspire, encourage and influence others to obtain buy-in from colleagues, actively seeking and listening to feedback by encouraging discussion and ideas in support of the long term DWP vision and acting on feedback. + Ability to critically analyse products and processes including MI, to identify areas for action, resolving issues and making suggestions for improvement. + Confident decision making, taking a leading role in proactively managing team performance, demonstrating a firm and fair approach to line management responsibilities in accordance with policy and procedures., + Leadership + Managing a Quality Service + Communicating and Influencing

Are you someone who strives to make a difference to people’s lives? Do you have a passion for Public Service? If so, we would like to hear from you! You will be at the centre of DWP’s front line operations helping to positively change people lives in our communities. Please note that the roles advertised are front facing and require attendance in the Jobcentre 5 days per week., Alongside your salary of £39,209, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £11,358 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., All communications will be electronic therefore it is vitally important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly. If you withdraw your application at any stage, it will not be progressed any further. After the Interview Successful candidates will be posted in merit order. When posting every effort will be made to post people to one of their selected locations. However, there is no guarantee that there will be a vacancy at this location. During initial posting, we will not offer people a post in a location that they have not selected. Reserve List Successful candidates not offered a posting will be placed on the reserve list which will be held for 3 months. + 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, other than in exceptional circumstances

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+ 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.
• Note - Exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual Part Time Working Pattern and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health.