Bolton, Glasgow, Lincoln, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Stockport Job Summary DWP is looking to fill 2 Senior Business Support Manager roles within National Services Operations. Working as part of a team providing high quality support on Communications, Briefings, MI, Quality, and other aspects of Universal Credit delivery. National Services is part of Universal Credit Operations within DWP and are a geographically dispersed operational team spread over 6 sites delivering a telephony service to over 6m Universal Credit claimants nationally. In addition, National Services are responsible for delivering activities surrounding child verification, real time information/earnings, national inbox work generated by key stakeholders as well as work around state pension migration and national insurance contributions. To support the smooth running and high performance and quality of service delivered across National Services, there are 2 roles available. Job Description Role 1, Group Office: As well as overseeing/being involved in all Business Support duties, you will work closely with stakeholders across Operations Directorate/Districts as well as wider directorates within DWP. National Services Group office is a small team, collaborative working with the wider District/Area teams is essential to ensure the varied duties of the team are prioritised supporting the smooth running of the office. You will be required to balance and manage a number of competing priorities and will work closely with colleagues throughout the Operations Directorate as well as counterparts across DWP. The post holder will be responsible for Leading and supporting the National Services Group Office, working to the Grade 6 Service Leader. This will include working closely with the wider Operational teams. You will provide this support by having a full understanding of the priorities across UC, UCR, Fraud and Error Prevention/Correction. The vacancy offers an opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the Operations Directorate and the wider DWP business, whilst developing your skills and capability. Role 2, Performance Assurance, Core Team: The job holder will lead the National Services Core Team; a small team where collaborative working with the wider District/Area teams is essential to ensure all workstreams through National Services are covered, colleagues are trained, deployed on the correct workstreams and performance including the prioritisation of resource is managed to maintain high levels of customer service and delivery. The vacancy offers an excellent opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the Operations Directorate and the wider DWP business, whilst developing your skills and capability. The post holder will be responsible for Leading and supporting the National Services Core Team, working alongside the Grade 7 Leader. This will include working closely with the wider Group Office support team. You will provide this support by having a full understanding of the operational priorities across UC, UCR, Fraud and Error Prevention/Correction. Roles will be offered based on performance at interview aligned to the best skills and experience match to the role. Role 2, Performance Assurance, Core Team: The job holder will lead the National Services Core Team; a small team where collaborative working with the wider District/Area teams is essential to ensure all workstreams through National Services are covered, colleagues are trained, deployed on the correct workstreams and performance including the prioritisation of resource is managed to maintain high levels of customer service and delivery. The vacancy offers an excellent opportunity to broaden your knowledge of the Operations Directorate and the wider DWP business, whilst developing your skills and capability. The post holder will be responsible for Leading and supporting the National Services Core Team, working alongside the Grade 7 Leader. This will include working closely with the wider Group Office support team. You will provide this support by having a full understanding of the operational priorities across UC, UCR, Fraud and Error Prevention/Correction. Roles will be offered based on performance at interview aligned to the best skills and experience match to the role. Person specification Key Accountabilities: The role is very flexible, and the National Services, Service leader will look to you to provide support in a range of areas, including: Ensuring the Service Leader and subsequently all senior leaders across UC are provided with sound, accurate and timely advice to enable them to effectively conduct all of their decision-making and business responsibilities. Oversee the diary management so competing priorities are managed professionally. Drafting communications for senior leaders including letters and internal communications. Managing one off pieces of work as directed by the Grade 6 and/or senior Leaders across the network, these will be dependent on current priorities. Collating and monitoring data, ensuring this is gathered accurately, with the confidence to discuss this across a number of forums. Preparing information and presentations for the Area Director. Building your knowledge of the priority areas and develop a network of key contacts in the DWP and across the Civil Service. As part of this, build and maintain effective working relationships with other Business Support Teams across DWP. Ad-hoc duties as required by the Service Leader and wider SLT Business Support Manager. Essential Criteria The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the following: Due to the nature of the work undertaken across National Services, knowledge and experience of Leading in a telephony environment, understanding key telephony metrics, process and procedures are an essential criteria for both roles. (Lead criteria) Ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions and effectively manage complexity and change, with strong attention to detail to ensure the accuracy of documents/statistics produced. Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to communicate with senior leaders across the department or business – including but not limited to the use of excellent drafting skills. Strong organisational skills and ability to forward plan, with a good working knowledge of Microsoft products. High level of judgement and ability to deal confidentially with sensitive matters. A positive approach to working in a fast-paced environment Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and innovate the people who work within your team and actively seeks ways to continuously improve. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Seeing the Big Picture Making Effective Decisions Working Together Delivering at Pace 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 (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. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Stages for applying – See Candidate Pack for fuller details about each stage. 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 – Complete eligibility section of the application form Stage 2 - If eligible, you will be invited to complete your application using a Personal Statement of 1000 words. You need to demonstrate evidence against the key criteria Stage 3 – Written Sift - The written sift will be conducted using evidence from your Personal Statement of 1000 words and CV. This will be assessed against the Key Criteria within the responsibilities section of the advert. The CV is an on-line tool accessed through the Civil Service Jobsite and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. Our CV element is short, and allows an initial check of eligibility, it will not be scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement. When completing your Personal Statement, please read and understand the Key Criteria thoroughly, 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 provide as much evidence as you can to allow us to assess your skills, knowledge and experience. 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 Key Criteria. In The Event Of a Large Number Of Applications We Will Use a Lead Key Criteria To Initially Assess Your Application At The Sift Stage: Due to the nature of the work undertaken across National Services, knowledge and experience of Leading in a telephony environment, understanding key telephony metrics, process and procedures are an essential criteria for both roles. Candidates who pass the initial Sift may be progressed to a full Sift or direct to interview. Stage 4 - The Interview Process: This will consist of an interview which will last approximately 30 – 40 minutes. This will be a blended interview assessing a mixture of behaviours and strengths as detailed in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview. Blended Interview You will be asked a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions. 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. An Example Of a Behavioural Question Would Be: Tell me about a time you have set about improving customer service, giving a sense of pace and criticality of success? How did you ensure this activity achieved its objectives whilst keeping costs under control? What tools and techniques did you use? It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain. To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of the interview, 5 days prior to your interview. These questions should be treated as confidential. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions, and those about your strengths. It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role. While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this. 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website. 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, 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 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. 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. 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 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 Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. 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. 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. 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). 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 : Genna Foster Email : genna.fosterdwp.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : dwprecruitment.grscabinetoffice.gov.uk Further information Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s 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.