As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 1: Application
Your personal statement (max 1000 words) needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below.
Experience Key Criteria:
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Ability to evaluate information, think critically, link to the bigger picture, and bring challenge where appropriate. Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity. (Lead criteria)
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Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, potentially with competing aims, to deliver outcomes at pace.
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Good communication skills, particularly drafting and briefing skills. Ability to present complex issues effectively and to influence a position or negotiation.
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Ability to reassess and prioritise workloads to manage competing demands of different policies and projects.
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Ability to role-model commitment and satisfaction with own role, and demonstrates consideration of impacts of own and team's activities on stakeholders.
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 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 ‘Ability to evaluate information, think critically, link to the bigger picture, and bring challenge where appropriate. Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity.’ 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 1000 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2 – Sift and Interview
Candidates who pass the sift will be progressed to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of a presentation, and a mix of behaviour and strength-based questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. Because of the nature of Strength-Based questions you will not be told which Strengths are being assessed.
The Behaviours you will be questioned on are:
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Seeing the Big Picture
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Working Together
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Communicating & Influencing
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Leadership
We aim to complete the sift stage of this recruitment campaign and notify outcomes to candidates in early March 2023. Successful candidates will be invited for interview in mid to late March 2023.
Please note that interviews will be conducted via video link using MS Teams. Full details will be provided for those applicants invited to book an interview.
We aim to release interview results in April 2023.
These sift and interview dates are to be confirmed.
Locations
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. Please be aware these roles can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and your office base must be one of the three Policy Group Hubs:
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Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA
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Caxton House, 1-11 Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA
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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.
Certain job roles 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.
The corporate hub location will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to your designated place of work or contractual Terms and Conditions.
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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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
Security Information
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 [email protected] 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.
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.
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 [email protected] 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.