Job description; Advocacy Senior Leader (SEO) SEO Leaders inspire colleagues through difficult situations, transform performance and are accountable for the effective utilisation of operational resources, delivering improved value for money and driving out inefficiencies. Key tasks include: Directly line manage a team, provide clear, visible and strong leadership and engage with colleagues to drive high performance and quality. Create an inclusive team environment, embracing different individual needs, views and ideas promoting an inclusive workforce. Vast experience (proven track record) of experience of dealing with internal/external stakeholder engagement at all levels. Motivate, develop and encourage teams, undertake regular performance reviews, provide coaching, learning and development and one to ones to develop skills. Drive forward continuous improvements and how this impacts on quality outcomes to customers. Monitor and improve the quality of the end-to-end customer experience via stakeholder engagement ensuring that one customer, one service, one business becomes a reality within DWP. Provide relevant information to colleagues regarding changes to policy, legislation and statutory requirements as appropriate, and identify and implement best practice. Ensure all security matters (including information protection) are dealt with promptly and sensitively, in line with DWP policies and procedures. Work closely with wider SLT to influence decision making to deliver positive outcomes for customers and business. Use networking and influencing to create, maintain and improve service delivery for all customers. Support the identification of priorities and work collaboratively to ensure the delivery of both your own and others objectives. Person specification Essential Criteria What we are looking for in our leaders: Strong leadership and interpersonal skills. Must have experience of stakeholder engagement at all levels both internal and external. Must be willing to travel across the UK to various events and large stakeholder meetings on a regular basis. Excellent communication & presentational skills delivering to a diverse range of stakeholders via teams and face to face. Demonstrate experience in supporting/collaborating with specialist/key roles within the Jobcentres; such the Armed Forces Champions, Supported Families Employment Advisers, Prison Work Coaches, Disability Employment Advisers and School Advisors. Must have experience of dealing with MPs and parliamentary office. Must be resilient when difficult messages are to be presented, being an ambassador on behalf of DWP. Sound knowledge and understanding of interpreting and sharing complex data to senior leaders. A driven, energetic leader who is able to improve quality and consistency within our customer journey. Strong collaboration and negotiation skills, with experience of influencing and managing effective stakeholder relationships. Able to innovate and make sound business decisions at pace, through creative thinking and a flexible, agile outlook and approach. Able to work at pace in an ambiguous and changing business landscape, keeping updated with all changes relating to DS benefits and services. Ability to lead a diverse workforce, promote inclusivity and hold a solid understanding of equality and diversity and how it impacts upon service delivery. Ability to build a strong network for all DS services. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Communicating and Influencing Leadership Managing a Quality Service Working Together Benefits Alongside your salary of 42,614, Department for Work and Pensions contributes 12,345 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. DWP 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 (prorata 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 years 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 Womens Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. STAGE 1 Written Application As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your Personal Statement of 1250 words. When completing your Personal Statement, you should provide evidence in response to the questions which demonstrates your experience under against each of the key criteria. This is what your written evidence will assessed against. The written evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in. It may help touse one or more examples of a piece of workyou havecompleted or a situationyou havebeen in,and use the WHO or STAR model to explain: What was thetask? How did you approach thework/situation? What werethe Outcomes ? Or Whatwas the Situation ? What were the Tasks ? What Action did you take? What were the Results of your actions? STAGE 2 - Selection If you meet the required standard and your application is successful, you will receive an invitation to a blended Microsoft Teams interview. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Preparing for the interview If you are invited to interview you will receive an electronic notification to your Civil Service Jobs site. Once you receive the invite to interview you will need to access the system and book yourself an interview slot. Full details of the behavioural questions will be given to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interview. The interviews will be conducted by MS Teams and you will need to use your personal device to access the platform. We will provide instructions at the time as to how you do this. The interview will follow a blended approach and will last approximately 45 minutes. You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at the interview, offering a more inclusive approach. Behavioural questions will explore what you have done in previous jobs or experiences as well as what you have achieved and/or learned. The interview will include a blend of: Behaviour and Strength-based questions. Civil Service key elements, of which you will be asked to provide examples of each of the 4 behaviours. At interview you will be assessed the following Behaviours (Level 3): Leadership Managing a quality service Working Together Communicating and Influencing STAGE 3 - Offer If you are successful at the interview stage, we will be in touch to offer you a role or confirm that you have been added to the Reserve List. Offers will be made in strict merit order with offers being made to the highest scoring candidates first, taking into account the availability of selected location preference(s). If we are unable to offer you a role initially, we will place your name on a reserve list for up to 6 months. The reserve lists may also be used to offer future permanent opportunities which are considered similar in criteria and responsibilities, not necessarily restricted to the current locations included in the advert. They may also extend to permanent opportunities which arise across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order to all candidates remaining on the reserve list. The location and job role would be fully explained to you. Refusal of the offer would not change your reserve list position. 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 becarried 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.grscabinetoffice.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 applicants 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. 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. 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 DWPRecruitment.grscabinetoffice.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 youre 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 Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .