Digital Service Assessor

Job summary

Do you have a strong drive to support and develop teams so that they can achieve their full potential in delivering digital services?

If so, this job could be for you!

DWP Digital is transforming DWP’s services by unlocking the potential of leading-edge technologies and ways of working. With our partners, we’re focused on building and running innovative digital technology solutions that meet and respond to the changing needs and expectations of millions of people. We want to make it quicker, easier, and less costly for DWP’s customers to get the support they need.

DWP Digital offers uniquely challenging and fulfilling careers for people interested in using their skills to make a genuine difference to society. We’re part of the UK’s biggest government department, and along with 85,000 colleagues, we support 20 million people every day to help them to find work and save for their future. Few other organisations globally provide the same opportunity to apply next-generation digital technology on a massive scale to issues which touch the lives of so many.

As a Digital Service Assessor, you will ensure DWP services and those of its Arm’s Length Bodies, comply to the Government’s Service Standard for delivery of high-quality services aligned to Government spend controls.

You will undertake assessments for services, communicating outcomes and championing the Service Standard across DWP and Digital. You will play a key role as an ambassador of the Service Standard and actively contribute to a range of forums, meetings, networks, conferences and online communities to increase its eminence. Working as a Digital Service Assessor provides a great opportunity to:

• Enhance your personal development through studying for professional qualifications and by contributing to a range of collaboration forums, meetings, networks, conferences and online communities, both internally within DWP and more widely across government; and
• Build strategic relationships which enable you to influence both departmental and wider government strategy, particularly in relation to the design and delivery of quality services able to positively improve experience for citizen and internal users.

Job description

The Service Standard assurance function provides a great opportunity to ensure user needs are understood and appropriately reflected in the design and delivery of Government brilliant services. As a Digital Service Assessor, you will:

• Use evidence-based assessment methods and approaches to determine if services comply with the Service Standard.
• Communicate outcome of assessments enabling a range of stakeholders to understand how the Service Standard supports Government transformation, applies to their work and what they need to do to comply with it.
• Produce briefings/reports to track and report on the status of a service to proceed to the next lifecycle stage, actively contributing to key governance decisions.
• Provide advice, guidance, and training to digital colleagues about the Service Standard to develop capability.
• Actively build and maintain a diverse network of colleagues, collaborating in multidisciplinary teams to achieve objectives and provide expert input into Service Standard Assessments.

Digital Service Assessors may also be required to line manage Associate Service Assessors.

Person specification

See selection process for further details.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact natalie.selby1@dwp.gov.uk.

Technical skills

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

• Quality Assurance

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,447, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £12,876 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We also 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 25 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.

Hybrid Working

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.

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.

Salary Information

New entrants to the Civil Service will join on band minimum.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer will maintain their current substantive salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion will move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase applied to their current substantive salary, whichever is greater.

Any temporary allowances that you are currently in receipt of will not form part of the calculation to determine your pay. Any allowances that are in payment will cease when you move into your new role.

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 Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of four parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.

3. Personal statement - up to 1000 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:

• Communication: ability to communicate clearly, adapting to different audiences to increase awareness of organisational standards and processes, helping them to understand what compliance means for their organisation. Provide a consistent and supportive assessment journey, overseeing assurance activities.

• Stakeholder engagement: Experience of building strong, collaborative relationships across small and large-scale organisations, to influence service design and delivery. Able to ensure stakeholders understand assessment objectives, evidence requirements, timelines and the implications of outcomes. Demonstrable experience of facilitating constructive discussions, balancing and addressing conflicting viewpoints to maintain a professional environment.

• Analysis and evidence-based judgement: Draw on credible evidence in conjunction with fellow experts from documentation and conversations with others. Able to make confident, balanced decisions - even in areas of uncertainty - ensuring that impacts on users are fully considered. Demonstrable evidence of being able to present clear, timely reports grounded in evidence, working with teams to remediate non-compliance, supporting with potential options and highlighting risks.

• Leadership: Proven ability to demonstrate strong leadership, including the confidence to lead assessments, manage discussions, and keep assessments on track. Work effectively under pressure, managing multiple assessments, competing priorities and challenging timelines. Proven track record of supporting others by recognising strengths and helping them understand how to improve capability and maturity.

4. Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of Quality Assurance. This statement should be used to provide example(s) of how you meet the criterion below:

• Able to plan and deliver assurance assessments, clearly report risks and non‑compliance with standards, and drive corrective actions. Analyse assessment results to identify recurring issues and improve compliance and efficiency.

Ensure that all examples provided in your statements are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. If you choose to use gen-AI to support your statements, you must follow the guidelines outlined in the Artificial intelligence and recruitment guide.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.

An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.

If you do progress to a full sift, you will be provided with one combined overall assessment score for both your employment history and Personal Statement.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised. Please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history, personal statement or technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview

If you’re successful at the sift stage, you’ll be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. During the interview, you’ll be assessed against the experience criteria listed under both the essential criteria and technical skill.

You will be asked to do a 5-minute presentation on a specific topic. The use of visual aids such as PowerPoint will be allowed. There will be a further 5 minutes for questions. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Interviews will take place from mid April 2026. Interview dates to be confirmed.

Other information:

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.

All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.

For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

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 DigitalRecruitment.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.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : Natalie Selby
• Email : natalie.selby1@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/.

Attachments

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