Decision Making and Appeals AO Roles Leeds, England
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About the job
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Decision Making and Appeals (DMA) is a specialist unit which manages all DWP appeals to Upper Tribunal Judges and the higher courts. We are also responsible for legal guidance published in the Decision Makers Guide (DMG) and Advice for Decision Making (ADM). Further support is provided by way of a complex case guidance service for front line decision makers.
Supporting welfare delivery is another significant area of the unit’s work. In advance of drafting legal guidance, this involves scrutinising ministerial submissions, instructions to lawyers and draft regulations to ensure that they are accurate, correctly reflect case law and reflect policy intent.
The DMA is a Directorate within Policy Group and has over 60 staff based in Quarry House, Leeds. The role involves working collaboratively as part of a close team to provide administrative support to DMA business ensuring service delivery standards are met by demonstrating excellent communication and prioritising skills.
Job description
Duties include maintaining targets by ensuring appeal work is registered accurately on e-case and passed to relevant DMA colleagues or handed off to relevant stakeholders within set timescales. This is achieved by:-
- Actively follow up on appeal cases, consulting relevant internal and external colleagues as necessary.
- Ensure Oral Hearing diary is monitored to check that all necessary action has been taken in advance of the oral hearing date. Liaising with Legal Services as required.
- Maintain clerical and electronic records accurately.
- Proactively address and resolve colleague and stakeholder issues helpfully, promptly and accurately.
- Provide support to Publications work.
- Undertake ad-hoc stationery/stockholder duties.
People development activities:
Participation in regular performance discussions with your line manager to develop skills and behaviours, and actively engage in development to understand the wider work of the unit through time spent in technical teams publication activities and shadowing Authors.
We particularly welcome people from ethnic minority backgrounds applying as they are under-represented groups in DWP; and applications from people able to work from our Leeds hub.
Person specification
We are looking for candidates with:
- Strong verbal and written skills
- Good organisation skills
- An eye for accuracy
- Confidence using various Microsoft Products including Outlook, Word and Excel
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Additional Location Information:
Please be aware these roles can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and your office base must be the following Policy Group Hub:
- Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA
This role is largely office based with minimum hybrid work due to its nature. Appeal files from HMCTS must be filed and stored securely within the unit.
The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency.
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 considered. 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.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is 23:55 on 9th June 2023. If you fail to complete the online test and full written application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
You will know within a few minutes if you have been successful at test stage.
You will then be invited to provide a CV Career History. We will use this for background and context. It will not be scored.
The final part of the sift applications stage requires you to provide 250 words (per example) on each of these behaviours:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
Those invited to interview will be assessed on four Behaviours:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
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.
