Labour Market Strategy Advisor Leeds, England
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Job summary
Job description
The Labour Market Strategy Division sits within the Strategy Directorate, at the heart of Policy Group in DWP. The Directorate works to provide a clearer focus for policy development on labour market issues, setting the agenda on cross-cutting issues and linking ministerial and departmental priorities together to ensure greater coherence and consistency.
The Labour Market Strategy Division is made up of:
The Cross-cutting Labour Market Strategy team, which works on a variety of high-profile labour market areas, including but not limited to our overall labour market strategy, including how this is delivered through employers and in jobcentres, tackling economic inactivity, supporting work on departmental Spending Reviews and supporting decision-making across labour market policy through governance and secretariat of senior departmental and cross-Government decision making forums.
The Places Strategy team, which is responsible for leading DWP’s strategy to level up place-based inequalities (e.g. disparities in employment, skills, health). Getting people both into work and progressing in work is key to levelling up for the whole of the UK, and DWP is playing a central role in this. As part of this, we work to bring a stronger place-based “lens” to the development of new policies across the department in order to drive better policy outcomes by addressing local labour market needs. We also liaise with stakeholders inside and outside the Department to deliver our English Devolution commitments.
The Sectors Strategy team, which is responsible for leading work to remove barriers to employment and progression in a series of priority sectors. We work across DWP, with sector owning departments and No.10, and with industry to identify the challenges faced by our customers in accessing or progressing in work in these sectors, and work to remove these barriers. We also lead on the Green Jobs agenda for DWP.
The teams are friendly and sociable, with a strong focus on personal and team development. We promote individuals’ development through on-the-job learning and internal and external courses and encourage each other to get involved in new and stretching bits of work as they come up. We are also an inclusive teams that care about encouraging a contribution from all and making the team the best place to work.
Various roles are available within the Cross-cutting Labour Market Strategy, Sectors Strategy, and Places Strategy teams.
Person specification
Due to the variety of roles on offer, we have roles that would benefit experienced SEOs looking for stretch and evidence towards a move to the next grade as well as others looking to build a good foundation in the SEO role.
Each role is likely to include leadership on discrete, high profile policy areas, which may include:
- Building and owning relationships with policy teams, analysts, and operations across DWP, with key partners in other departments, and with local government and industry partners, and leveraging these to support our policy aims.
- Coordinating and challenging internal stakeholders to bring together DWP’s response and involvement in a number of areas and projects, which we use to influence external stakeholders.
- Drafting and delivering high quality advice and briefing for Ministers and senior officials, which takes into account latest developments and the bigger picture, and delivering briefing in-person.
- Monitoring and actioning priorities coming from the centre and other Government Departments in order to ensure cross-Government cohesion.
Essential Criteria
- Ability to evaluate information, think critically, link to the bigger picture, and bring challenge where appropriate. Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity. (Lead criteria)
- Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, potentially with competing aims, to deliver outcomes at pace.
- Good communication skills, particularly drafting and briefing skills. Ability to present complex issues effectively and to influence a position or negotiation.
- Ability to reassess and prioritise workloads to manage competing demands of different policies and projects.
- Ability to role-model commitment and satisfaction with own role, and demonstrates consideration of impacts of own and team's activities on stakeholders.
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:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
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
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
Your personal statement (max 1000 words) needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out below.
Experience Key Criteria:
- Ability to evaluate information, think critically, link to the bigger picture, and bring challenge where appropriate. Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity. (Lead criteria)
- Ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, potentially with competing aims, to deliver outcomes at pace.
- Good communication skills, particularly drafting and briefing skills. Ability to present complex issues effectively and to influence a position or negotiation.
- Ability to reassess and prioritise workloads to manage competing demands of different policies and projects.
- Ability to role-model commitment and satisfaction with own role, and demonstrates consideration of impacts of own and team's activities on stakeholders.
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your examples 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 ‘Ability to evaluate information, think critically, link to the bigger picture, and bring challenge where appropriate. Comfortable with high levels of ambiguity.’ 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.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2 – Sift and Interview
Candidates who pass the sift will be progressed to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of a presentation, and a 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.
The Behaviours you will be questioned on are:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Communicating & Influencing
- Leadership
We aim to complete the sift stage of this recruitment campaign and notify outcomes to candidates in early March 2023. Successful candidates will be invited for interview in mid to late March 2023.
Please note that interviews will be conducted via video link using MS Teams. Full details will be provided for those applicants invited to book an interview.
We aim to release interview results in April 2023.
These sift and interview dates are to be confirmed.
Locations
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
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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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.
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).
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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
