The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, we operate on a scale that is almost unmatched anywhere in Europe and most people in Britain come into contact with us at some point in their lives.

Service Excellence exists to drive the best and most affordable service for those customers, by combining our transformation, planning and improvement skills with the knowledge and expertise of others across various strands of DWP business. Service Planning and Delivery, within Service Excellence, is a fast paced and challenging, with a diversity of roles which include Change Delivery, Performance Insight, Contract Management and Design, Relationship Management and Delivery of customer service.

There is a GB wide presence and lead the successful delivery of change across DWP Service Delivery area, enabling improvements to customer service, increased quality, and at a reduced cost. We are accountable for the delivery of the change portfolio, departmental planning, Service Excellence Relationship Management and managing a quality service for our customers and our people.

SPD are relentlessly focused on outcomes by driving improvement in design and efficiency to ensure tangible value for money thereby helping to make the DWP a great place to work. These are challenging but exciting roles. The Department has developed and agreed a coordinated strategy which will, over the next ten years, reshape how, where and when it delivers its services.

Over the ten-year period the Department will transition to an estate footprint that is smaller, greener, and better. DWP will support you in developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and future career development. For this role you may be expected to undertake an Apprenticeship – further details are included in the candidate pack.

Job description

This is a fantastic opportunity to enable someone to broaden their knowledge and skills, which is fast paced, transforming services across a range of products and making a difference to our customers every day.

You will be a positive ambassador for people engagement within your team, set high standards for people leadership throughout the business and inspire colleagues through difficult situations, transform performance and build high performing teams.

We are looking for people who can demonstrate our values and commitment to leadership which are based around Collaboration, Resilience and Inclusivity.

We look for emotionally aware leaders who encourage innovation, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. We want you to be comfortable challenging the norm and finding daring and dynamic solutions that support our values and enable colleagues to shine in whatever role they do.

We welcome applications from candidates who demonstrate inspirational and resourceful leadership to help drive performance and deliver a positive and efficient service to our customers.

We are committed to the Civil Service ambition to become the UK’s most inclusive employer and we absolutely welcome and encourage applications from every part of our community, particularly from groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and those with protected characteristics.

Responsibilities

This is an exciting and challenging role, working with multiple stakeholders, supporting work to deliver improvements across Benefit Product Design & Development. As a HEO relationship manager, you will be responsible for all aspects of service and process design, leading the end-to-end journeys for Benefit Products. This will often involve responding to ministerial priorities, changes in policy or activity to address or prevent service failure.

Successful candidates will have the ability to;

• Lead effectively within a fast paced and high-profile area, able to flex and adapt to changes at team, directorate and departmental level.
• Contribute to swift effective decision making and the ability to prioritise plans and resources; role modelling positive confident and supportive leadership.
• Work constructively with colleagues at all levels and operate in a cohesive manner, delivering through high performing teams across and between directorates.
• Communicate effectively at all levels, think laterally, and collaborate across boundaries to achieve desired outcomes; positively influencing key internal and external stakeholders; building trust and confidence.
• Demonstrate excellent stakeholder engagement, collaboration and influencing skills, able to successfully delivery at pace.
• Have good organisational skills – including clear understanding of required outcomes, the expected benefits, planning, monitoring etc, ensuring responsibilities for themselves and others are clear.
• Through your behaviour and ways of working make DWP an inclusive place where people can be their best.
• You may also be involved in researching and drafting replies to parliamentary questions, treat officially cases and/or providing input to official correspondence and complaints.

Essential Criteria Lead Criteria

• You will be able to demonstrate experience of driving improvements to the customer journey and associated business processes, driving specific activities, at pace, which increase efficiency, improve performance, and enhance the customer experience.
• You will have evidence of delivering changes and new initiatives at pace, assessing the customer journey impact, highlighting opportunities and risks.

Further Essential Criteria

• You will have the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with a range of stakeholders, planning and designing changes to services.
• You will be able to engage people across your team and the wider business, inspire colleagues through difficult situations, and make a positive impact on service delivery in terms of quality and performance.
• You will be able to demonstrate a flexible/proactive approach when leading/operating within a team, with the ability to professionally challenge where needed to ensure successful outcomes.

Desirable Criteria 

• The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for positions based in Wales.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

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%