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Location
About the job
Job summary
In Regions Group we aim to improve outcomes for children, families and learners by accelerating system improvement and reform through active intervention and by better aligning the Department’s operations and users’ needs at a local and regional level.
We will:
- Bring together improvement and intervention work in Children’s Social Care, SEND and Schools as well as area-based programs like Opportunity Areas and Education Investment Areas
- Maintain the stewardship of the school system and, working with the Future ESFA, provide a unified voice to academy trusts and to individual Local Authorities at a local level
- Set DfE up to deliver for and respond more effectively to local needs and to understand how local contexts impact on children and learners in a place, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people.
Diversity and inclusion is our top priority and we embrace uniqueness. We strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are a welcoming and inclusive workplace where our people are able to bring their whole selves to work.
This role includes completion of the Business Administrator apprenticeship Level 3. A fantastic opportunity to enhance and develop your skills in Civil Service Business Administration.
There are 3 EO roles on offer - two Delivery roles and one Programme Management Office (PMO) role.
Delivery Officer - the successful candidates will work closely with Local Authorities, Multi-Academy Trusts and other external school sector stakeholders such as Diocese and with internal DfE teams such as the Education Funding Agency, Press Office and Correspondence teams.- PMO Officer - you will work closely mainly with internal stakeholders, providing diary and admin support to Senior Leaders, secretariat support to key meetings, support on regional communications and events, manage the distribution of external correspondence, monitoring the progress of work and coordinating casework data.
You will join a friendly and supportive team who work together to make a real tangible difference to schools and pupils in the region.
Job description
We are looking for 3 enthusiastic new entrants to our team, who are motivated to develop their knowledge and skills through the Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship.
You will have transferrable skills in managing projects, customer service and communication and you will be an excellent team player. While you may not have worked in a public sector role previously, you will be positive about the opportunity to make a difference to the children and young people that we provide services for. You will be excited about beginning your career in Business Administration through this apprenticeship.
Further information on each vacancy is listed below:
1. Delivery Officer (x 2 roles)
You’ll spend the majority of your time on:
Sub-regional delivery:
- Supporting the effective delivery of the ambitions of the Schools White Paper including: supporting timely and effective intervention, the school and trust improvement offer, free schools programme, Education Investment Areas and the academies programme.
- Supporting the sub-region in the management of cases (safeguarding, changes to funding agreements and non-financial governance) with single and multi-academy trusts.
- Leading delivery of transactional customer facing casework.
- Providing administrative support for the sub-regional team.
- Maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders in the education sector, including multi-academy trusts, local authorities and maintained schools.
- Maintaining accurate and timely records and management information to support effective governance and delivery.
Depending on delivery priorities, you could also spend some of your time on:
Work across your region and/or with other regions:
- Supporting the effective delivery of cross-regional work, such as academy trust reviews, the teacher vacancy service, or building capacity in the school system.
This could include contributing to briefing and advice on your work area to colleagues across the region, project and data management, monitoring progress and providing suggestions for continuous improvement.
2. PMO Officer (x1 role)
You’ll spend the majority of your time on:
PMO Administrative support to Senior Civil Servants and the directorate:
- Diary and inbox management for Senior Civil Servants, including booking meetings and meeting rooms, travel and accommodation
- Co-ordinating papers and logistics for key external and internal stakeholder meetings, such as Advisory Boards and assessments of progress against directorate plans
- Reviewing and allocating correspondence cases from members of the public to the appropriate sub-regional lead contact, tracking progress to ensure timely responses
- Supporting regional communications activity with internal and external stakeholders including academy trusts, local authorities and maintained schools
- Acting as liaison between colleagues in the regions and national directorate, to ensure effective responses to state business and regional implementation of national processes
Person specification
There are two types of EO Apprentice posts available. 2 Delivery and 1 PMO Officers. You should specify whether you wish to be considered for one type of post or for both posts.
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate that they meet the majority of this essential criteria:
- Is motivated and can manage a varied workload.
- Can work at pace and respond flexibly to emerging priorities or urgent tasks.
- Has the confidence to make recommendations and understand when to escalate and seek the views of others.
- Has great communication skills.
- Is agile in their approach to working
- Enjoys working in a team and establishing good relationships with all around them.
Apprenticeship Eligibility Statement
This role includes completion of the Business Administrator Apprenticeship (Level 3). This apprenticeship will take twelve to eighteen months to complete (pro rata for part time) and will equip you with the opportunity to develop and make the most of your skills. You will be expected to maintain the commitment required to complete your training.
To be eligible to apply for the apprenticeship you need to meet the following criteria:
- Must have lived in the UK and/or EU for 3 years prior to apprenticeship start date
- Not be undertaking another apprenticeship at the same time
- Candidates need to make sure they do not have pre-existing qualifications at the same or higher level in a similar subject as the apprenticeship.
- Part of this apprenticeship is to complete a level 2 English and Maths functional skills qualification. If you have already achieved GCSEs in English and Maths at Level 4 (grade C) or above you will not need to complete functional skills.
Please note: This is a Level 3 Business Administrator qualification, please do not apply if:
- You already have the skills and knowledge that is covered in the contents of the apprenticeship standard.
- You have already worked in an administrative/business administration role, or your previous learning, and/or work experience covers the contents (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours) of the apprenticeship standard.
- You have a degree in Business Management/Business Admin.
At the enrolment state, the individual's eligibility will be checked by the training provider.
If you are unsure of your eligibility, please review the content of the apprenticeship standard on the IfATE website: Business administrator / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and assess whether your skills, previous learning and previous work experience has already covered much of this content. If it has, you’re unlikely to be eligible for the apprenticeship.
Benefits
Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.
As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.
You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.
We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances, but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.
Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.
As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Applicant Support
Please visit the below webinars for further information and support in completing your application and preparing for an interview:
- How to craft a well written job application in the UK Civil Service
- Crafting a CV that stands out in the UK Civil Service
- Writing a personal statement in the UK Civil Service
- How to ace interviews in the public service
Application Stage
At the application stage, we will assess Experience. Candidates will be sifted through their CV and a personal statement. Your personal statement should display how your experience meets the essential criteria of the role, listed in the Person Specification section.
The sift will likely take place during week commencing 27th March.
Interview Stage
The interview will involve experience and strength-based questions.
Interviews will likely take place in the week commencing 17th April.
Feedback on your application will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Other Information
We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.
The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.
For this role the department would not consider sponsoring a Certificate of Sponsorship/visa. Please note we are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe 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 circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.
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.
Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs
Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.
Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.
Reasonable adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Department of Education via [email protected] soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” 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.
Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/
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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