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About the job
Job summary
The Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales (the LGPS) is one of the largest pension schemes in the world, with over 6.2 million scheme members and assets of £364bn, making it a globally significant investor. The scheme supports the provision of local services across England and Wales as a key part of the reward package for staff working in local authorities, service providers, and schools.
The role is based in the Local Government Pensions team which is responsible for the stewardship and oversight of the scheme. We set the framework of law and guidance for the scheme’s governance, administration and investments to support our aim of achieving a sustainable, affordable and efficiently run LGPS, with real impacts for millions of individuals.
Job description
There are two key focuses of the role:
- We are looking for a high performing individual to support a G7 to deliver within local government the Government’s manifesto commitment to reform of redundancy payments in the public sector. This is a high profile project working with ministers and senior leaders in Whitehall, the Local Government Association and Trade Unions.
- In addition to that, you will be drawn on across the team to assist with multiple projects. This may include a major project to improve governance and administration standards across scheme, reforms to the pension forfeiture provisions in the scheme, or work around the investment framework of the scheme.
What you could be responsible for:
- The development of new policy, ideas, and approaches to deliver new legislation and guidance to reform redundancy payments in local government.
- Assisting with Trade Union negotiation, including assisting to devise a strategy and approach.
- Leading on the Government’s response to the public consultation on reforming redundancy payments in local government.
- Delivering research and information gathering exercises to identify evidence and data to support our policy development objectives.
- Providing briefings alongside considered, accurate, robust, and concise advice for Ministers and senior officials on complex policy and legal issues.
- Forming productive and collaborative working relationships with a wide range of partners including Private Offices, colleagues across DLUHC, other government departments, local government, and Trade Unions.
- Support the wider directorate by coordinating incoming commissions and requests for information as well as drafting letters and queries from MPs and members of the public on a range of issues related to the LGPS and local government redundancy reforms.
- We work flexibly across the wider pensions team so there will be the opportunity to get involved with other projects across the team.
Person specification
Essential skills:
- The ability to develop and influence strategy, taking account of external developments and wider high level priorities
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with audiences at all levels.
- Experience of building and maintaining effective and supportive stakeholder relationships, particularly in challenging circumstances.
- Experience with Government consultations, including working on Government responses.
- Research and analytic skills and the ability to use data, evidence, and stakeholders’ views to outline options for policy development, and present clear conclusions.
- Develop creative and innovative policy ideas, drawing from learning across the sector and your own understanding of the policy area and our delivery mechanisms.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
We are for everyone
At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.
We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.
We are for everyone
DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects, and we want to reduce this as much as possible.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
When writing your application, remember:
- The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.
- Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.
- If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)
At sift, we will be assessing
Behaviour 1 (lead behaviour) - Communicating and influencing
Behaviour 2 - Seeing the big picture
Behaviour 3 - Working Together
Behaviour 4 - Managing a Quality Service
There is a 250 word limit per question.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviour, technical and strength based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates. Candidates will be expected to prepare a presentation, details of which will be sent on invitation to interview.
In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Communicating and influencing, Seeing the big picture, Working Together, Managing a Quality Service
Technical: Through the presentation at interview
Strengths: Yes
We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs
Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign
SEO salary
- The salary for this role is £40,390 (London) or £37,064 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.
BENEFITS:
For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
- London
- Darlington*
There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
- Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service. This role is based at DLUHC and we will be joined on the campus by:
HM Treasury
Department for International Trade
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Office for National Statistics
Department for Education
For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.
Sift and Interview dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place from 15/05/2023 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact [email protected] to be removed from the reserve list.
CTC (Counter-terrorism Clearance):
Important note
Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the CTC security checks – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC).
Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.
Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Internal Fraud Database
The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.
For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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