Accountability and Assurance Lead and Private Secretary to the Non-Executive Directors

Job summary

The post sits within Governance and Legislation Division which brings together the Permanent Secretary’s office, Legislation, Departmental Governance and the Accountability and Liaison Team within which this role sits. The division is led by the Permanent Secretary’s Chief of Staff.

This is an exciting role which provides an opportunity to work at the heart of the department. There is a lot of variety on any given day. The team supports the Permanent Secretary to fulfil their responsibilities as Accounting Officer by collaborating with cross departmental and bringing in external perspectives to the department.

The role works to a Grade 6 and leads a team of three SEOs and two HEOs. The diverse portfolio of the team spans the following:

• Private Secretary to our Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and Non-Executive Members (NEMs): from recruitment and onboarding to supporting and managing their workplans and contributions to the department.
• Supporting the Permanent Secretary with setting accountabilities for their Directors General and setting the process to gather and scrutinise assurances from them on how they are managing their resources. Deliver the Governance Statement for inclusion in the Annual Report and Accounts. Providing advice and signposting to teams on Direct Ministerial Appointments.
• Working with the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee to help shape their programme of work, scope reports and facilitate contributions and commitments from across the department. Identifying and sharing lessons learned from this programme of work.

Job description

Private Secretary to our Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and Non-Executive Members (NEMs)

• Overseeing NED and NEM recruitment and onboarding to ensure the Governance Code on Public Appointments is followed
• Build strong relationships with all 15 the NEDs and NEMs to help shape and organise their work with the department
• Support meetings with senior stakeholders including Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and DGs by providing briefings and readouts
• Establish strong links with the Departmental Governance team where NEDs chair or sit on boards
• Review their performance and ensure they add value
• Working with Ministerial Private Offices and other teams across the department to advise on the process for Direct Ministerial Appointments or other public appointments and maintaining a central record of all such appointments.

Assurance and Accountability

• Working with the Permanent Secretary’s office to set out DG’s responsibilities and accountabilities
• Running a process to get assurances from DGs how they are managing their area of the department. Scrutinising the evidence in those returns about controls in place and sharing insights with the Departmental Audit and Risk Committee and the Permanent Secretary.
• Continually learning from the assurance process, working with Risk. Finance and other teams
• Coordinating the Governance Statement for the Annual Report and Accounts ensuring sign off by the Finance DG and Permanent Secretary by the key deadlines

Working with the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee

• Facilitating the departments’ relationship with NAO during value for money studies or investigations.
• Prepare teams ahead of studies commencing and provide advice and guidance throughout the process
• Continually learning about how to improve the process and spotting insights from wider NAO studies to disseminate
• Providing high-quality support to the Permanent Secretary and other senior officials in handling the programme of NAO studies.
• Liaising with the Clerk of the Public Accounts Committee and providing guidance and support to senior leaders giving evidence, supporting preparation and sharing good practice.

A line manager and leader

• Leading a team of 3 SEOs and 2 HEOs, supporting and empowering them to deliver an excellent service
• A visible leader across the Governance and Legislation Division, in particular building strong relationships with the Permanent Secretary’s Office and Departmental Governance Team.

Key relationships

• Permanent Secretary and their office
• Non-Executive Directors and Non-Executive Members
• National Audit Office, Government Internal Audit Agency and the Public Accounts Committee
• Ministerial Private Offices, Special Advisors
• Directors General and Senior stakeholders across the department
• Departmental Governance Team, Finance and Risk Management
• Cabinet Office Officials

Person specification

Experience Key Criteria

• Lead criterion: Experience of building strong and influential relationships with, and the confidence of, senior leaders and wider teams across the department

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage competing demands across the team

• Ensuring the team meets set deadlines, follows guidance and continually learns and improves

• Strong communication skills, ability to express clear advice in writing and verbally

• Curiosity and an ability to understand the big picture/wider context and apply this to briefings and work plans

• Ability to gather and assimilate information from a range of sources and scrutinise content with strong attention to detail.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,075, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £18,272 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. The CV is for reference only and will not be scored.

A sift will be carried out using your 1000 word 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. We are not looking at how much time you have spent in a job, but rather how you have performed. Your Personal Statement 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 criterion "Experience of building strong and influential relationships with, and the confidence of, senior leaders and wider teams across the department " 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.

Interview Stage

If you are successful at the sift you will be invited to a face to face interview at Caxton House, London, SW1H 9NA. The interview will comprise of Behaviour-Based questions and shorter strength based questions. The guidance on Success Profiles explains these selection tools. The Behaviours being assessed are detailed in the job advert.

Note that the Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage only.

This role is based in either Caxton House, London, SW1H 9NA or Sanctuary House, London, SW1P 3B. No other locations will be considered. For all locations, travel to other sites may be required.

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. This role 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.

If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office. Please note, the nature of the role may require some in-office attendance at short notice.

If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.

Further Information

At the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

Find out more about working for DWP on the DWP Careers Hub.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

If you are placed on a reserve list but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you are later offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a contractual Part Time Working Pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health).

• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

Disability Confident Scheme

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

Reasonable Adjustments

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 the Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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.

Disclosure and Barring Service and Internal Fraud Database Checks

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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check will be carried out.

Important

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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. If you are a current employee and are successful you must be able to be released from your current post within four weeks.

Those on protected TUPE/ COSoP terms and conditions applying on promotion or voluntary permanent level move will adopt DWP’s Terms and Conditions and this may have a different impact on pay and allowances. Please review this prior to acceptance of a role.

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. Accepting a post will be taken to mean acceptance of revised terms & conditions.

Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.

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 the Childcare Choices Website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Kate Masri, Head of Departmental Accountability
• Email : KATE.MASRI@DWP.GOV.UK

Recruitment team

• Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DWP by email: HR.BUSINESSASSURANCE@DWP.GOV.UK.
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.

Attachments

DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 17kB)Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB)