Disability & Health Support G6 Roles
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Thursday 31st October 2024
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Location
No other locations will be considered. For all locations, travel to other sites may be required.
About the job
Job summary
The DWP has two stretching and interesting posts to fill in Policy Group in the Disability and Health Support Directorate.
The Directorate is responsible for designing and delivering disability and health benefits that provide support for disabled people and people with long term health conditions through income replacement due to being unable to work and/or contributing to extra costs that arise from the condition. To ensure continual improvement, DWP considers ways of improving the service and customer experience.
One post is responsible for policy on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and will have responsibility for work ranging from policy development and policy maintenance for PIP, DLA, and Motability to managing corrective exercises arising from administrative error or a court judgement.
The second post focuses on system design to ensure health and disability benefits work effectively together and the Government’s manifesto commitment to reform or replace the Work Capability Assessment.
These are exciting, fast paced roles driving forward policy improvements to stabilise health and disability benefits.
Job description
These roles involve leading teams of several G7s responsible for different aspects of policy. As a senior leader you will be responsible for planning and prioritising work in your team so we deliver a professional and efficient service and respond effectively to changing demands. As part of a senior team you will work to create a collaborative, supportive team culture that builds inclusiveness and resilience and empowers team members to excel and to drive forward work at pace.
You will develop capability and expertise in your teams by supporting individuals to clarify policy problems, evaluate uncertain or conflicting evidence, and draft submissions to Ministers to inform decision making. You will engage with private office to ensure open avenues of communication. There are opportunities to present to senior officials and to Ministers.
You will develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders to solve problems, develop consensus about solutions and test potential solutions. You will be able to explain complex systems to people who may be unfamiliar with them, be able to listen and seek ways forward where there are differing views.
These are rewarding and exciting roles. Familiarity with health and disability benefit systems would be advantageous and will help you hit the ground running.
Person specification
Experience Key Criteria
- Excellent leadership, and management skills providing direction and ensuring delivery for complex work while promoting a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture in your teams (Lead Criteria).
- Strong evidence of excellent policy and analysis skills, including being able to use data and research to inform decisions.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills enabling working across internal functions or with other government departments, identifying opportunities for improvements and driving the pace of improvement.
- Excellent communication skills for engagement with Ministers, operational, commercial, legal and analytical functions and/or with other government departments.
- Delivering outcomes at pace while managing competing demands in a complex environment where the landscape often changes at short notice, and information is uncertain.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- 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 & Sift
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Your Personal Statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out above and not the published behaviours listed in this advert.
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement 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 in the Experience Key Criteria 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 criteria “Excellent leadership, and management skills providing direction and ensuring delivery for complex work while promoting a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture in your teams” will determine if the other criteria are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all criteria to progress to interview.
Your statement must not exceed 1250 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
A sift will be carried out using your 1250 word Personal Statement.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
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 guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert.
Behaviours:
- Leadership.
- Delivering At Pace.
- Making Effective Decisions.
- Communicating and Influencing.
Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.
Candidates invited to interview will receive the Behaviours questions in advance of their interview.
When applying for these roles, you will be required to state in preference order which of the three Policy Group Hub locations you can work from, Sheffield, Leeds, and London. Please be aware these roles can only be carried out in the UK, not overseas, and your office base must be one of the three Policy Group Hubs. Appointments may be made to candidates in merit order based on location preferences and geographical requirements
By indicating your preferred Policy Group hub location(s) in your application you are stating that you are willing to accept a post in any of your chosen hub location(s).
- Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA.
- Caxton House, Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA.
- King’s Court, Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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 : Katy Roberts
- Email : katy.roberts@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.
