This campaign has roles available in several locations. Whilst you are able to select up to 3 location preferences, this is not mandatory and you should not choose any locations you are not prepared to travel or re-locate to at your own expense. Candidates who are made an offer for any of locations they have expressed a preference for and decline or are unable to take up post within a reasonable timeframe will be withdrawn from the campaign.
Please note that these vacancies are not currently eligible for new applications for Visa Sponsorship on the Skilled Worker route, for any candidates who do not currently have permission to be in the UK as a Skilled Worker where they were sponsored before 4 April 2024, even if relying on tradeable points (including the new entrant tradeable points option) as they do not satisfy the minimum salary hourly rate requirement. This information is offered as guidance only, and we recommend that applicants seek specialist advice on their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship (if applicable) when considering whether to apply for any role.
Decision Making
Your role as a Decision Maker will be to determine benefit entitlement and eligibility, taking into account a wide range of customer circumstances.
You will use your judgement to make effective decisions on complex cases, including areas such as medical assessments and UK residency tests. You will gather evidence, examine the facts and consider the relevant legislation in each case. Decision Makers have the ability and resilience to handle sensitive and challenging situations with a diverse range of customers, always considering the person behind the decision.
These roles support the delivery of Universal Credit as well as some other areas of our business. You will be part of a team where you can be yourself, feel supported, empowered, valued and respected.
There is the opportunity to develop your skills and talents with access to a range of technical and professional learning to allow you to build a rewarding career.
If you are passionate about customer service and supporting vulnerable customers and are looking for a career that challenges you, with plenty scope for development then this is the role for you.
Find out about the role of our Decision Makers, how they help individuals and their families and what makes their work rewarding’. A Day in the Life of a Decision Maker (please use the settings cog to amend subtitles between English/Welsh)
Job description
The Decision Maker Role is a key role for people who have a positive attitude, a desire for public service and want to make a difference to people’s lives.. You will be using and developing influencing and communication skills across a diverse group of customers and co-ordinate complex information I order to make accurate decisions on benefit claims.
You will be gathering and examining facts, relating to labour market, benefit entitlements, Work Capability Assessments (WCAs), Habitual Residency Tests (HRTs) reconsiderations and appeals and critically analysing and interpret information. The data you gather will support you to make decisions on complex cases in line with legislation updating customer accounts.
In such a key role you will need strong communication skills both verbally and digitally in order to discuss and explain decisions to claimants with a range of diverse needs. You will also need to show resilience when faced with sensitive and challenging situations and ensure internal networks are aware of any issues.
You will have the autonomy to prioritise your caseload in order to complete effectively building a strong knowledge of DWP legislation, labour market policy and Decision Making and Appeals (DMA) processes to support your Decision Making.
Person Specification
We are looking for someone who is able to listen and empathise with the ability to understand complex information and use sound judgement and objective thinking. You will need to be able to effectively communicate, both verbally and in writing to a wide range of diverse customers and be able to explain decisions clearly, in a logical way.
You will need to be able to work independently when required, collaborating with colleagues to share information, solve issues and develop new thinking.
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. This means for your salary of £30,975, DWP contributes £8973.46. This will increase if your location attracts London weighting.
We also 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 (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.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .