DWP Executive Officer - Decision Making - Treforest Ty Taf (Ref: 681)
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 8th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
About the job
Decision Making
DWP are looking to fill Executive Officer roles in DWP, Work and Health Decision Making Directorate. These are key roles for people who have a positive attitude, a desire for public service and want to make a difference to people’s lives.
We welcome applications from candidates who demonstrate they have the right influencing and communicating skills to be responsive to the needs of a diverse group of customers, an ability to understand complex information and can make the right decision at the right time.
Job description
Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following:
- Make decisions on complex cases relating to labour market, benefit entitlements, Work Capability Assessments (WCAs), Habitual Residency Tests (HRTs) reconsiderations and appeals.
- Update claimant accounts with the outcome of decisions, gather evidence, examine the facts and consider the relevant legislation in order to make a decision on each case.
- Participate in continuous service improvement by providing relevant feedback.
- Make critical and robust decisions across all parts of the Universal Credit claimant journey.
- Critically analyse and interpret data to make effective decisions.
- Maintain knowledge of DWP legislation, labour market policy and Decision Making and Appeals (DMA) processes.
- Consider each claimant case, using all available information and requesting more detail or evidence if required.
- Be mindful of the claimant experience when discussing and explaining decisions.
- Provide excellent customer service, considering a claimant’s individual circumstances including complex needs, when communicating with them.
- Demonstrate strong telephony and digital communication skills with a diverse range of claimants, some with very complex needs.
- Have the ability and resilience to handle sensitive and challenging situations with all claimants.
- Use the service to deliver strong case management by checking outstanding work to identify, prioritise and complete work as effectively as possible.
- Inform Case Managers and Work Coaches about decisions made following their referrals by issuing appropriate notifications and by taking a once and done approach to assist claimants where able.
- Do the best thing for each claimant and ensure each claimant receives the correct amount of UC, at the right time.
- Stay informed about changes within the service and have an impact on future service developments.
- Take ownership of personal development and continuous service improvement activity by self-service digital learning, communications tools and in-context prompts in the service.
- Follow the Universal Learning principle of accessing self-service guidance and in-context prompts at the point of need.
- Take appropriate action to encourage and support the reporting and logging all incidents of Unacceptable Claimant Behaviour.
Person specification
To be successful you will need to demonstrate effective communication skills across a wide range of diverse customers, along with the ability to understand and translate complex information into clear, succinct explanations for the customer. You will also need to learn to use a range of computer systems and be required to handle telephone queries, some of which may be sensitive.
You will need to have:
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to collate and analyse information – ask the right questions and solve problems.
- A good listener who is able to express empathy at the right time.
- Demonstrate sound judgement and objective thinking.
- A self-starter that can work independently and stay organised.
- A team player that can collaborate with colleagues to solve problems or develop new thinking.
- A firm commitment to being an inclusive colleague.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
With great benefits including:
- Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays.
- Flexible working patterns available.
- Competitive maternity, paternity, and parental leave.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Alongside your salary of £29,500 DWP contributes £7965 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Employee Assistance Programme with emphasis on wellbeing.
- Career and Personal Development through Operational Delivery Profession.
- Employee discount schemes.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1- Apply
Please complete the application form and write up to 500 words providing examples of how things you have done in the past and your skills and experience help you demonstrate the Civil Service Behaviour Communicating and Influencing (Level 2).
A NOTE ON ANONYMISATION
DWP operates an anonymised recruitment process, you should remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your Personal Statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.
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.
More information on Success Profiles and Civil Service Behaviours can be accessed by clicking the links.
Stage 2 - Selection
After submitting your application, you will be sent an invitation with a link to complete an online Situational Judgement Test. This is designed to test your skills for the EO role. You must complete and submit the test by the deadline stated in your invitation. If you do not complete and submit the test before the deadline, your application will not progress.
If you pass the Situational Judgement Test your written application form evidence will be assessed. If you meet the required standard and your application is successful, you will receive an invitation to a pre-recorded interview.
Depending on application numbers we may progress all candidates who have been successful at the online test through to interview without assessing the written application evidence.
You will be assessed against three Civil Service Behaviours (Level 2)
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
The evidence you provide must relate to your own thoughts and experiences.
Feedback will only be provided following an interview.
More information about the job role and additional guidance on the selection process is available here.
Stage 3 - Offer
If you are successful at the interview stage, we will be in touch to offer you a role. This role will be based at Treforest Ty Taff.
Offers will be made in merit order and business continuity.
Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP.
Reserve List
You may be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:
- If you accept an offer of a post, you will be expected to withdraw from any other reserve lists of campaigns you have applied for, with DWP, at this grade.
- 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*.
- 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.
Further Information
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this search: Equality and diversity - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme’ makes it easier for veterans to join the Civil Service. For further information please go to the Civil Service Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) If you wish to be considered for inclusion in this scheme please tick this box when applying.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. For further information please go to the Civil Service Prison Leaver recruitment page on GOV.UK.
Hours of work
The full-time working week in DWP is 37 hours (under certain circumstances 36 hours for existing DWP staff based in London).
All customers must receive a consistently good service no matter how or when they decide to contact DWP as such: You may be required to work at any time between the hours of 7.45 am and 8:00 pm on any day between Monday to Friday, and 8.45 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday.
A working pattern that meets business needs will be discussed and agreed once you have started. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule.
Working pattern
Part-time and job sharing working patterns within working hours are available but must meet business needs. We will do our best to let people with existing part time contracts retain their contracted hours provided they are in line with current business needs. Please note that successful part time and job share candidates may be required to work full time for specific periods to complete and consolidate training.
DWP is a family-friendly employer and part-time and job-sharing working patterns within these hours may be available but must meet business needs.
Existing DWP Employees
Before applying for this vacancy, current DWP employees should check on the DWP intranet whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. If you are successful you must be able to be released from your current post within 4 weeks.
Those on protected TUPE/ COSoP terms and conditions applying on promotion or voluntary permanent level move will adopt DWP’s Terms and Conditions and this may have a different impact on pay and allowances. Please review this prior to acceptance of a role.
Applying for a lateral transfer or promotion from outside DWP
Civil Servants that transfer into DWP from another government department or organisation, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, including those concerning weekly working hours, working days and times, and mobility. Exceptions may be allowed by DWP for pay, sick pay and annual leave to take account of expressed terms and conditions before the transfer. Previous service will count towards service-related entitlements. A transferee accepting a post will be taken to mean acceptance of revised terms & conditions.
Please contact the vacancy holder if you have questions regarding DWP terms & conditions.
Civil servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.
Location
This role will be based at Treforest Ty Taf.
Successful candidates will be appointed to a particular DWP office but may be required to travel regularly to other DWP premises or locations in the community that are within a reasonable commute from the home office.
Job offers will be made in merit order. If you are successful and your selected location(s) have been filled at the time of offer, DWP may offer you a role from other locations within a reasonable travelling distance of your home.
Training
Please note that successful part time and job share candidates may be required to work full time for a number of weeks to complete and consolidate training.
Apprenticeships
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.
Complaints
If you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL DWP-customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com mailto:in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission here to visit Civil Service Commission.
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SSCL Customer Hub Team
- Email : DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com
- Telephone : 0345 241 5365
Recruitment team
- Email : DWP-Customer_Hub@gov.sscl.com
Further information
