Deputy Briefing Team Leader Leeds, England
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About the job
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Things you need to know
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Location
About the job
Job summary
The Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and a joint agenda between DWP and DHSC. Its vision is to open up opportunities to good work, supporting a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, through helping more disabled people and people with health conditions to:
- start good work;
- stay and succeed in good work where it is appropriate to do so; and;
- get back into good work as quickly as possible once they have fallen out of work.
It does this through challenging siloed ways of working to deliver evidence based programmes, trials and tests, working with employers, local areas and wider government.
Job description
The Briefing Team:
- Provides the directorate with a dedicated resource to facilitate briefing commissions, ensuring true representation of policies, strategy and the agenda to Ministers and wider stakeholders.
- Maintains cross cutting briefing documents including the directorate Core Brief and Ministerial Day 1 pack
- Manages responses to written and oral Parliamentary Questions
- Facilitates collaborative drafting of cross cutting briefing and contributions
- Co-ordinates responses to ministerial correspondence and FOI requests
The Briefing Team Lead will:
- Confidently manage the day to day running of a team of HEOs, and in the absence of the Grade 7, assume accountability for decision making and team performance.
- Ensure all briefing commissions, including PQs, ministerial correspondence and FOIs of high quality, meeting the needs of Ministers, senior leaders, and wider stakeholders.
- Understand the health and work policy landscape and ensure that is translated into clear concise briefing.
- Work strategically, building relationships at all levels to ensure an effective service is delivered.
- Ensure the continuous development of themselves and the team, while supporting colleagues throughout the directorate with drafting and understanding of parliamentary processes.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Excellent drafting skills and attention to detail considering the strategic and political landscape of the directorate’s policies. (Lead Criteria)
- Leading and motivating a team to deliver within tight timescales.
- Relationship building with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including OGDs and Private offices.
- Building and continually improving team capability.
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 and Sheffield hubs
To understand more about DWP and Policy Group – and full information on applying for this vacancy - you must read the attached Candidate Pack.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Seeing the Big Picture
Benefits
- An employer pension contribution of up to 27%
- Generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days for new entrants rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern)
- Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours
- Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff networks including: Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more
- Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.
- Time off volunteering and charitable giving
- Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
- Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket
Things you need to know
Selection process details
There are three elements to the selection process comprising of an online test, a sift, and the interview stage.
1. Online Test
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.
The closing date for the application is 23:55 on 10/05/2023. You must have completed the test and submitted your full application in advance of this deadline. Do not leave it to the last minute. If you fail to complete the online test/s and submit your application before the deadline, your application will be unsuccessful. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. When you are invited to take the test/s you will be sent full guidance and also a link to Practice tests which provide an authentic test-taking experience, so you can understand how the tests work.
2. Application & Sift
As part of your application you will be asked to provide a CV, this is for reference only and will not be scored.
A sift will be carried out using your 1000 word Personal Statement.
Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below and not the published behaviours listed in this advert.
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement must show demonstrable evidence of what you did, how you did it, and what outcome was achieved. This should include the impact of your approach and evidence of your ability to take forward different approaches in different circumstances.
The standards detailed in the Experience Key Criteria are the minimum expectations for the role and only candidates with the strongest evidence will be invited to interview. In the event of a large number of applications, meeting the pass standard for the lead criteria ‘Excellent drafting skills and attention to detail considering the strategic and political landscape of the directorate’s policies.’ will determine if the other criteria are scored. Candidates will have to meet the standard for all criteria to progress to interview.
Your statement must not exceed 1000 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
Essential Criteria:
- Excellent drafting skills and attention to detail considering the strategic and political landscape of the directorate’s policies. (Lead Criteria)
- Leading and motivating a team to deliver within tight timescales.
- Relationship building with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including OGDs and Private offices.
- Building and continually improving team capability
Please ensure that your application is submitted by the deadline of 10/05/2023 at 23:55.
3. Interview Stage
If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to an interview. The interview will comprise a blended mix of Behaviour and Strength-Based questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert. Because of the nature of Strength-Based questions you will not be told which Strengths are being assessed.
Behaviours:
- Managing a quality Service
- Communicating and influencing
- Working together
- Seeing the big picture
Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.
When applying for these roles, you will be required to state in preference order which of the three Policy Group Hub locations you can work from. Please be aware these roles can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and your office base must be one of the three Policy Group Hubs:
- Quarry House, Leeds, LS2 7UA
- Caxton House, 1-11 Tothill St, London, SW1H 9NA
- King’s Court, Hanover Way, Sheffield, S3 7UF
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required.
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 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.
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.
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
Security Information
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.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
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 here to visit Civil Service Commission
