Business Support Manager for the Work & Health Area Director Central England – SEO
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 7th May 2024
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About the job
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast paced dynamic team working to the Area Director within Central England Universal Credit Operations.
The Area Director has responsibility for the day to day delivery of Universal Credit Operations in Central England via Jobcentres and Service Centres, including the relationship with employers and other external partners.
This role will provide the successful candidate with a wider understanding and knowledge of working in an Area Director’s office, which will see them working closely with senior colleagues and their support teams including Group Director’s, Service Leaders, Ministerial Private Offices, Permanent Secretary’s Office and colleagues across the Department.
Job description
Key accountabilities
- Drafting communications for the Area Director, including letters, videos, blogs, podcasts, internal communications and briefings.
- Acting as a key contact across the Area in cascading communications and information from the Area Director.
- Being confident in providing briefing, views, advice to the Area Director and other senior colleagues.
- Commissioning and quality assuring and/or producing responses and briefing material on Area Director’s behalf.
- Providing effective secretariat for the Area Director’s key governance meetings (e.g. senior leadership team) to ensure agendas and papers are issued on time, organising inputs to align with strategic priorities, arranging appropriate presenters, and developing and maintaining excellent working relationships with key stakeholders.
- Managing and overseeing a portfolio of work on behalf of the Area Director. This will involve ensuring the Area Director’s day to day business is transacted correctly, efficiently and punctually by coordinating actions, tracking progress and providing timely updates.
- Acting as a key contact for the Director General’s Office and other senior colleagues and stakeholders.
- Working effectively with the Director General team and other private offices.
- Handling enquiries and ad hoc requests, including from the Director General, Ministers and the Permanent Secretary.
- Play a leadership role in the Area Director’s office team to ensure a smooth day to day running of the Area Director’s office, including line management of some colleagues.
Training and support can be provided to help the successful candidate develop their skills to confidently support the Area Director and their Senior Team in shaping the delivery of Work & Health Services in Central England and providing an interface with colleagues and stakeholders.
Location
Applicants should apply for suitable posts where they can travel to and from their home office location daily within a reasonable time.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.
Hybrid Working
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Standard promotion rules will apply, and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP.
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.
For more information about the role please refer to the candidate pack.
Person specification
Key Criteria
The post holder will need to demonstrate:
- Excellent planning and organisational skills: ability to prioritise and organise workloads effectively and react quickly, take the lead on issues arising in a fast-moving and, at times, pressurised environment working to tight deadlines, demonstrating personal resilience. Lead Key Criteria
- A proven track record of successfully leading and managing a function and team, ideally in a high profile, fast paced and complex Business Support role or the aptitude to hit the floor running.
- Building and maintaining excellent working relationships with colleagues and senior leaders across the Department.
- Communicating and challenging effectively and confidently with people at all levels including Directors and Ministerial Private offices.
- Analysing and interpreting senior level communications and data.
- Providing an effective secretariat function and conveying clear messages on behalf of the Area Director.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays
- Competitive maternity, paternity, and parental leave
- Employee Assistance with emphasis on wellbeing
- Employee discount schemes
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to Apply , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk) provides advice and tips on applying for roles in the Civil Service
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a 1250 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Personal Statement
A Personal statement (no longer than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the Key Criteria.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Key Criteria to initially assess your application at the sift stage.
Excellent planning and organisational skills: ability to prioritise and organise workloads effectively and react quickly, take the lead on issues arising in a fast-moving and, at times, pressurised environment working to tight deadlines, demonstrating personal resilience.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the Key Criteria, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.
Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several Key Criteria. You may not be able to meet all the Key Criteria, but please ensure you evidence: the key personal requirements and what have you done that relates to the requirements. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the skills you have that are transferable to the key requirements, and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.
Interview
This will consist of an interview which will last approximately 40 to 45 minutes conducted by Microsoft Teams video. Further details regarding the interview arrangements will be included in the invite to interview.
This will be a blended interview assessing a mixture of Behaviours and Strengths as detailed in Success Profiles. The interview aims to be more of a conversation exploring the candidate’s capability for the role, offering a more inclusive approach.
The Behaviour questions will be sent to candidates 5 working days in advance of their interview to the email address used in their application (i.e. questions will be sent on Wednesday for interviews scheduled for the following Tuesday). Candidates are advised to check their inbox and spam/junk folders regularly once their interview has been booked.
If the questions have not been received prior to your interview, please contact the vacancy holder via nem.grouprecruitment@dwp.gov.uk
Sift Dates: w/c 6 May 2024
Interview Dates: w/c 27 May 2024
Due to time constraints interviews will only be undertaken on the above dates unless advised otherwise.
More detail on the selection process and timeline is included in the Candidate Information Pack.
Reasonable Adjustments
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.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made. The reserve list may be used to offer future vacancies which arise in Central England and across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order and the location and job role would be fully explained.
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 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
Find out more about Working for DWP
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 is valued and has 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)
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 but not transferring from another Government Department, 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.
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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Important
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.
Applicants who are currently employed on a Fixed Term Appointment basis must have continuous service throughout the selection process and their contract must not end before the proposed start date for the new posts.
When submitting your application for a post in the DWP you will be asked;
"Are you currently undergoing any formal discipline, absence or poor performance action?"
It is important that you only tick this box if you are currently within the formal review period for attendance or performance management, or have penalty banning you from promotion.
Do not tick the box if;
- you are in a 'Sustained performance period' for Performance,
- you are in a 'Backsliding Period' for Attendance, or
- You have any other disciplinary that does not specifically have a restriction on applying for promotion.
To be eligible to apply for a position within DWP, candidates must not currently have any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.
To be eligible to apply for a position within DWP, candidates must have passed their probationary period with their home department.
Standard promotion rules will apply, and successful candidates will be placed on the pay scale and terms and conditions of DWP.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : North and East Midlands Recruitment Team
- Email : nem.grouprecruitment@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.
