Skills England – Chief Executive Officer
Department for Education
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 31st October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
This high-profile and high-impact role requires an inspirational and impactful senior leader, with a successful track record of leading, developing and motivating multidisciplinary teams in a high profile and politically sensitive environment.
Candidates for this role should be senior leaders from Government or from business, who can demonstrate the ability to lead an organisation, to work successfully in a Government context, and to work closely and effectively with business leaders.
As an applicant to this role, you will have experience of using a range of powers, levers and interventions to achieve measurable impact, and of understanding and balancing the conflicting demands of a range of stakeholders.
Your influence will extend not only across the breadth of the Agency and the Department, but across Government and skills bodies across the country. As such, you will have excellent communication skills, and experience of advising non-executives, Boards, Commissioners, Ministers, or their equivalent, using consensus building skills.
As the Chief Executive Officer of Skills England, you will be responsible for ensuring Skills England plays a critical role in transforming the approach to meeting the skills needs of the next decade, closely aligned to the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
This is a new and vital role, and organisation, and as such you will have the opportunity to shape the role at a challenging and pivotal time for this newly forming agency and the sectors that it serves, whilst delivering inspirational leadership to the Agency’s workforce.
Job description
Meeting the skills needs of the next decade is central to delivering the Government’s missions across all regions and nations. Skills England will drive this effort forward by bringing together Central and Regional Government, Businesses, Training Providers and unions to a) develop a single picture of national skills needs, b) identify priority training programmes to receive funding and c) ensure that national and regional skills systems are meeting skills need.
Skills England, currently a ‘shadow’ body sitting within the Department for Education, is being established in phases over the next 6 to 9 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system.
Reporting to the DfE Director General for Skills, you will:
- Provide strategic leadership of the Agency, translating strategy into delivery, ensuring the agency uses its powers efficiently and effectively.
- Take a key leadership role across the skills sector, building trusted relationships within Government, Employers and Providers. This will include working across boundaries in a complex environment, in order to secure change, reform, impact and a more sustainable system for the future.
- Lead the establishment of this new body – the precise form of which is subject to parliamentary authorisation - developing a commitment to a shared vision for the agency and lead and inspire a culture of collaborative leadership and teamwork to deliver the Agency’s mission and plans with creativity, pace, impact and rigour and with a clear sense of purpose and employee engagement.
Person specification
Applicants will be assessed against the following criteria. If applicant numbers are excessive, preliminary sifting will be done using only Leadership and Influence, authority and integrity.
It is important that, through your CV and Statement of Suitability, you provide evidence and examples of proven experience for each of the selection criteria detailed.
- Leadership - be an inspirational and impactful leader, with a track record of operating successfully in a senior leadership role in a high-profile and politically sensitive environment. The ability to lead, motivate, build and develop an organisation, through a time of significant change, continually improving and delivering results. This includes the ability to plan and set a direction, and a track record of collaborative leadership with external stakeholders to deliver agreed outcomes. A commitment to a culture of high performance, inclusion, diversity, empowerment and the promotion of staff wellbeing.
- Influence, authority and integrity: excellent communication skills in a range of contexts and mediums with good personal impact and integrity and the ability to develop trusted relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders at the most senior levels, both internal and external to Government, including Ministers and business.
- Knowledge of the skills context: strong understanding of the context/landscape in which the agency will be operating and the mission of the agency in driving social and economic benefits.
- Personal effectiveness and delivery: highly motivated to make a positive personal impact and secure results, able to handle a range of internal and external pressures, while acting as a role model and ambassador for the values of the agency. This includes using your leadership skills to deliver through others at pace and get the best out of the people around you to deliver in a political and complex environment.
Benefits
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances, but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application
To apply for this role, you need to complete an online application via the Civil Service Jobs portal. Applications will be accepted until 23:55 on 31st October 2024.
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 2 sides or 1,000 words) detailing ‘why should we consider you for this role’ (up to 500 words) and why you have chosen the Department for Education (up to 500 words). You can choose to outline any further information you believe is relevant for the role or further demonstrates.
Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
If you are unable to apply online please contact scs.recruitment@education.gov.uk in the first instance.
Please visit our career site for further information on the Civil Service application process.
Please note the following:
- we cannot accept applications submitted after the closing date;
- applications will be assessed solely on the documentation provided;
- please refer to the advert and checklist above to ensure you have provided everything requested;
- applications will be acknowledged upon receipt;
- feedback will only be given to candidates unsuccessful following interview.
Interview
Shortlisted candidates will:
- Undertake an Individual Leadership Assessment with an Occupational Psychologist, to be held week commencing 11th November 2024.
- Take part in a Staff Engagement Panel (which typically takes up to 1 hour to complete) to be held week commencing 11th November 2024.
Following the above assessments, a formal panel interview on w/c 2nd of December 2024. These will be face to face in Sanctuary Buildings, London. You will be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview (further information will be shared with shortlisted candidates) and you will be asked questions to further assess your Experience and Strengths using the Civil Service Strengths Dictionary.
Candidates invited to interview will be expected to meet a member of the Department for Education Ministerial Team for an informal conversation week commencing the 11th November and 18th November 2024.
As part of the recruitment process, if you are invited to interview, we will be undertaking references from two named individuals – one being an employer.
Please note the Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
Please note that at interview stage we may ask if you have any conflicts of interest to declare.
Other Information
We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe 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 circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
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.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” 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.
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
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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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : SCS.Recruitment@education.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : SCS.Recruitment@education.gov.uk
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