Legal Editor
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 30th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
DMA Leeds is a team of experts that provides specialised services to help manage DWP’s legal risks, ensuring that Social Security Benefits and Child Maintenance are administered in compliance with the legislation, whilst effectively reflecting their intended policies. It sits within Policy Group and manages all DWP appeals to Upper Tribunal and the higher courts, publishes legal guidance for decision makers in the Decision Makers Guide (DMG), Child Maintenance Decision Makers Guide (CMDMG) and Advice for Decision Making (ADM) and runs a complex case guidance service for decision makers.
The team works closely with policy colleagues, lawyers, operational delivery staff and the tribunal services to help achieve accuracy, fairness and consistency in decision making.
Supporting welfare delivery is another significant area of the unit’s work. In advance of drafting legal guidance, this involves scrutinising ministerial submissions, instructions to lawyers and draft regulations to ensure that they are accurate, correctly reflect case law and reflect policy intent.
It is also responsible for working closely with National Archive to maintain an accurate record of DWP social security legislation on legislation.gov.uk.
Job description
Working as part of a team of Legal Editors, this role involves undertaking legal editorial work to bring legislation on www.legislation.gov.uk fully up to date and to maintain this service on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. You will work closely with the National Archives Legislation Services Team to support the effective management of legislative updates, identifying the impact of new legislation on existing legislation and ensuring those amendments are published on the existing database.
Key functions
- Closely analyse the text of new legislation, identifying impact(s) on existing legislation and extracting potentially complex information, such as that relating to commencement and geographical extent.
- Update legislation on the database using a bespoke X-MetaL authoring tool, applying amendments to the required editorial standard in a timely manner.
- Work as part of a team of Legal Editors, sharing knowledge and best practice to maintain consistency of approach.
- Update the unit’s public facing guidance on Gov.uk within agreed timescales and standards to ensure DWP’s guidance is accurate and reflects changes in legislation to the general public.
- Identify and implement improvements to layout, format and content of DWP’s public facing guidance.
- Undertake editorial checks, proof reading of internal products to ensure accuracy of content.
Person specification
The successful candidate should be someone who has:
- Experience of legal editorial work and using mark-up languages (X-MetaL, SGML or HTML), databases or content management systems.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to interpret complex information and make decisions effectively, seeking advice as required.
- Experience of working to tight deadlines and the ability to work well under pressure with little supervision, prioritising appropriately.
- Excellent IT skills, especially in Microsoft Word, Excel and SharePoint.
- Knowledge of the welfare system and benefit legislation.
- The ability to work effectively and flexibly as part of a team.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% 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.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
1. Application and Sift
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and provide three 250 word Behaviour examples. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The sift will be assessed on the 3 behaviours listed in the advert, for which examples of 250 words are required. Using the Situation, Task, Action and Result (STAR) method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did and how you did it and explain the overall outcome.
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your examples must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances.
The standards detailed above are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. In the event of a large number of applications, meeting the pass standard for the lead behaviour “Making Effective Decisions” will determine if the other behaviours are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all behaviours to progress to interview.
Your examples must not exceed 250 words each and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
2. Interview Stage
If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to a MS Teams interview. The interview will comprise of Behaviour-based questions. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert.
Behaviours:
- Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
Candidates invited to interview will receive the Behaviours questions in advance of their interview.
This role is based in our Policy Group Hub location in Leeds. Please be aware that this role can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, and your office base must be our Leeds hub location.
The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
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.
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.
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Sarah Turner
- Email : sarah.turner1@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.
