Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Parklands, Callendar Boulevard - Falkirk, Pedmore House, Level Street - Dudley, Crown Building, Wellington Street - Leicester, Tyneview Park, Whitley Road - Newcastle upon Tyne, Havelock Place, Havelock Road - Hastings, Clearbrook House, Bickleigh Down Business Park - Plymouth, Great Western House, Woodside Ferry Approach - Birkenhead. Post is not finalised; successful candidates will be notified after interviews have taken place regarding the available posts and locations, in line with site capacity and business need. About the job Job summary The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UKs biggest public service department it administers a range of working age, pension age, disability and ill health benefits to around 18 million claimants and customers. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is responsible for all aspects of child maintenance in Great Britain. Our role is to promote financial responsibility, and to encourage and support private maintenance arrangements, as well as provide a statutory maintenance service. Job description The CMS Application and Maintenance Directors Office Support role is a high profile role within a fast paced, changeable and demanding environment. CMS is undergoing a significant period of change as we drive a crucial transformation agenda, whilst continuing to deliver a politically significant and fundamentally crucial service to millions of separated families around the country who depend upon the work we do. Your main focus will be in supporting activity within the Applications and Maintenance structure, whilst remaining linked to the wider Directorate, as it continues to be colleague and customer focused, efficient and transforms its service offering optimising contact channels and digital services. The role will involve regular contact with the Director in an office support role, working closely with; the applications and maintenance leadership team, other Directors and their support teams and Operational Leadership Team members including Partners, Ministerial office, People & Capability partners and other DWP directorates where required. You will be expected to keep abreast of developments affecting CMS, bringing items of interest to the attention of the CMS Applications and Maintenance Director. The job requires flexibility and openness to change, excellent drafting skills, outstanding team-working and communications skills. Key Responsibilities include: Support the CMS Applications and Maintenance Director across the full range of business priorities in Child Maintenance, e nsuring that they are supported on a day-to-day basis with briefings and other information needed to carry out the role effectively. Directly line manage the CMS Applications and Maintenance Support team. Manage actions and responses to Directors e-mails, prioritising correspondence based on importance and urgency, ensuring that systems are in place for all e-mails and correspondence to be dealt with effectively and within deadlines. Perform secretariat duties for the CMS Applications and Maintenance Director and Leadership team as required, arranging meetings, preparing agendas, capturing actions and decisions, following up on outstanding actions. Liaise on a regular basis with other Directors Offices, the Director Generals Office, MPs offices, working collaboratively to organise Directors time effectively whilst prioritising activities. Deal with and escalate urgent/high profile matters professionally and effectively, identifying and collaborating with various senior leader stakeholders. Play a significant role in the wider team's communication activities, via multiple channels. Use own initiative to take ownership of discreet areas of work, and pick up and handle cross-cutting work on the Directors behalf. Draft presentations and briefings for meetings, seeking input and clarity from others. Person specification Your evidence will be assessed against the following essential criteria. You must ensure you provide specific examples to demonstrate these criteria in your personal statement. You will have a proven track record of building and maintaining collaborative working relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels, driving outcomes through others (Lead Criteria). You will demonstrate strong interpersonal/communication skills, both face to face and in writing with senior leaders and cross departmental stakeholders. You will be highly organised with strong planning and prioritisation skills, having the ability to work flexibly and at pace to meet rapidly changing priorities with competing deadlines at short notice and to very short timescales. You can display high levels of judgment on a broad range of issues, often dealing with varied and highly sensitive matters, in line with CMSs priorities, purpose and vision. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Working Together Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Seeing the Big Picture Benefits Working for DWP will include benefits such as learning and development tailored to your role, an environment with flexible working options, a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity and a Civil Service pension CMS is committed to the Wellbeing of all colleagues, support includes Wellbeing conversations, dedicated Wellbeing Advocates in each Service Centre to develop and deliver health and wellbeing initiatives and Hotel CMS, our own Intranet site offering a wealth of information, guidance and support. We Value Everybody is one of our five Core Values here in CMS. We have active National Network Groups for Race, Disability, Carers, Wellbeing, Faith & Belief and Age. Our monthly People Group meeting draws these groups together to listen, act, and update CMS Directors with our plans. CMS Colleagues have the opportunity to join HASSRA, a vibrant and successful organisation that provides a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly). It also has an important part to play in helping us achieve a healthy work-life balance and wellbeing in the workplace. Working hours - The contracted working hours for the Department are 07:45 hours to 20:00 hours, Monday to Friday, and 08:45 hours to 17:00 hours on Saturday. Employees are contracted to work a specific number of hours per week within the above times. Employees will be required to work the number of hours per week for which they are contracted. For example, for full time employees this will be 37 hours net (42 hours gross including meal breaks). For part-time employees it will be less. Access to flexible working hours scheme will be available. 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 needs of the business, 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. Please refer to the candidate pack for further information contained in this section of the advert and more information in relation to the Benefits of working for DWP. 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. 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. 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 & Sift Use your 1250 word Personal Statement to describe how you meet the Essential Criteria as detailed in the job advert. The CV is an on-line tool, there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. When giving details of your employment history, you should include details of work you have completed and projects you have been involved in. However the CV is not scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement. Important Information Regarding Anonymisation Due to the DWPs use of anonymised recruitment practices it is not possible for applicants to upload/attach a CV; any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form. When entering information relating to your employment history you will be asked to remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your CV/Personal statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn. Your Personal Statement should contain no more than 1250 words. The layout is entirely your choice, you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criterion separately; however, one narrative example may cover and evidence several of the criteria. Please share with us what makes you suited to this role. We would like to find out what you can do, the skills you hold and the life experience or passion that you have that could be aligned to the criteria listed within the Person Specification. Sift The sift panel will use the information in your Personal Statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential Criteria outlined in the advert. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Lead Criteria: You will have a proven track record of building and maintaining collaborative working relationships with a range of stakeholders at all levels, driving outcomes through others. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift where all applications will be assessed and sifted against all the essential criteria outlined in the advert. Please note depending on the volume of applications we may choose to invite candidates straight to interview and dispense with the sift stage. For this reason, the timeline for the interview window is subject to change depending on the approach we choose to take. Stage 2: Interview Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be a blended interview via Microsoft Teams. To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your abilities and strengths. The Behaviours you will be assessed against at interview are: Working Together (Lead Behaviour) Delivering at Pace Communicating and Influencing Seeing the Big Picture All elements of the interview will be via video link, and the whole process should take approximately 40 - 50 minutes. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation at interview, offering a more inclusive approach. The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential. Please refer to the Candidate Pack for further information. Approximate sift and interview dates: Sift Period: 19 - 21 November 2024. Interviews: 4 6 December 2024. Sift and Interview dates are subject to change. Tenure in post Candidates should note that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months following completion of the appropriate apprenticeship unless on promotion. Reserve lists A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made. If you are p laced on a reserve list if your application is successful but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note: 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. Any further appointments made from the reserve list will be allocated in merit order. Further Information Find out more about Working for DWP A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 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 be carried out. In order to process applications without de lay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland 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. For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Infodisclosurescotland.co.uk 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. 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. 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 candidates failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract. Important If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them. 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). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : Mike Healy Email : Mike.healydwp.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : dwprecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DWP by email: HR.BUSINESSASSURANCEDWP.GOV.UK. 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. Attachments Candidate Pack - Child Maintenance Service Application and Maintenance Director's Office Support role Opens in new window (pdf, 669kB) Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview-Accessble-Version Opens in new window (docx, 67kB) DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 17kB) Share this page Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn GMail