SEO Policy Adviser London, England
Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
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 will 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. Please be aware there is a requirement to work at least 40% of your time in your corporate hub.
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.
Job description
You will be part of the Employment, Youth and Skills Directorate. This is a multidisciplinary directorate in Policy Group that works to deliver excellent outcomes for our customers by combining analysis, policy expertise, behavioural science and applied psychology. We are a caring, friendly and engaged team that values diversity and inclusion and seeks to create an environment where colleagues can take good care of themselves and of each other.
Within the Employment, Youth and Skills Directorate, your role would be based in the Employment Policy Division who are responsible for setting policy that supports people into employment and self-employment, and to progress in work primarily through activity in Jobcentre Plus. This activity is a key part of the Department and wider government’s objective to maximise employment and is a particularly high priority as we support people to respond to the cost of living challenge.
These are stretching roles that are essential to enable the Department to focus on delivering its core labour market regime, maximising employment and in work progression.
3 x posts will be highly focused on ensuring the delivery of the core conditionality policy supported by sanctions, and their work will be challenging, varied and multi-faceted. This is a fast-paced area with extensive opportunities for development of core policy making skills, and stakeholder, Parliamentary and Ministerial engagement. The role would suit someone seeking a professional challenge/career development.
1 x post will be in the In Work Progression Team, which will be focussed on the design and delivery of a new labour market offer for working claimants to support them to increase their earnings. This is a high profile policy area and will involve senior level stakeholder engagement both internally and externally.
1 x post will be in the Self-Employment policy team. The postholder will work with policy, legal, digital and operational colleagues to identify and deliver improvements to the customer journey for self-employed people on Universal Credit. They will also be involved in ensuring the in work progression offer (referenced above) is supporting self-employed claimants appropriately and resulting in actionable insights.
The exact split of responsibilities will be determined when the successful candidates are appointed. The post-holders will have responsibility for a strand of policy development and delivery but will be expected to play a flexible role across the team, getting involved in other areas depending on priorities.
Person specification
Stakeholder engagement and working effectively with others will be critical to the success of this role and the post-holders must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to drive work forwards pro-actively and strong people skills. The post-holders will co-design policy with operational, digital, legal, and other colleagues and the role will require post-holders to work collaboratively with other colleagues across the business.
Post-holders will be expected to play an active leadership role in the Division, by engaging in Divisional meetings, leading on corporate initiatives, and supporting the development and wellbeing of members in the team.
Experience Key Criteria
- (Lead Criteria) You have wide experience of working collaboratively, and have an ability to communicate with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm with Senior Leaders, colleagues, partners and stakeholders
- Ability to influence effectively across boundaries in uncertain and complex environments
- Confident problem-solver, able to break down complex issues and work with analysts and researchers to come to informed conclusions / recommendations
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Proactive, able to spot risks and opportunities
- Ability to build effective senior relationships, with credibility and confidence
- The capacity to both work and deliver, in a fast paced and ever-changing environment. You are able to balance competing priorities, work to tight deadlines and adapt to emerging issues.
- Evidence of strong drafting skills, strategic thinking and the ability to be able to interpret evidence from a wide range of sources in order to make policy recommendations is essential.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- 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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Stage 1 - Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets all the Experience Key Criteria set out above and not the published behaviours listed in this advert (they will be assessed at interview).
We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather what actions you took and how you have performed. Your example(s) can be taken from a work or personal situation. Your Personal Statement must demonstrate 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.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria ‘having wide experience of working collaboratively, and an ability to communicate with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm with Senior Leaders, colleagues, partners and stakeholders’ 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 1250 words and you are advised to take advantage of the full word count.
If you fail to submit your Personal Statement before the deadline of 23:55 on 6 March 2023 your application will be withdrawn.
Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.
Stage 2 - Interview
If you are successful at Stage 1 then you will be invited to an interview. The interview will comprise a blended mix of level 3 Behaviours 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, as we need your first natural response, you will not be told which Strengths are being assessed.
As part of the blended interview, you will also be invited to undertake a presentation lasting 10 mins on a question that will be provided to you in advance of the interview. This presentation will cover the Behaviour ‘Seeing the Bigger Picture’
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.
Further information about the process can be found in the Candidate Pack.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
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.
