Economist (SEO)

Job summary

DWP are recruiting experienced Economists (SEO) to fill key posts across a range of policy and business areas over the next six months.

The roles will be based in one of our analytical hubs in the following locations Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Treforest.

Due to ongoing headcount restrictions, London is only available as a location option for existing DWP candidates who are already based in London.

All locations are subject to demand management approvals so we cannot guarantee a particular location.

For individuals based in Treforest, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable.

For candidates requesting to work in Sheffield King’s Court, please note these roles will initially be based at King’s Court and then move to 1 West Bar by early 2028. Similarly for candidates requesting to work in Sheffield Hartshead Square, please note these roles will initially be based at Hartshead Square and then move to 1 West Bar by early 2028.

For candidates requesting to work in Newcastle Benton Park View, please note these roles will initially be based at Benton Park View and then move to Newcastle Pilgrim Place by early 2028.

For candidates requesting to work in London Caxton House, please note these roles will initially be based at Caxton House and then move Sanctuary House by early 2028.

Successful candidates will be posted in merit order based on your location preferences, the geographical requirements of the business and business demands. ​

Successful internal DWP candidates (working already as badged analysts) should note that these roles may be outside your current business area and therefore you should only apply if you are content to potentially be placed in another part of the business.

Candidates mustmeet the eligibility requirements set out in the ‘Essential Qualifications’ sections of the candidate pack; which is eithertobe a member of the Government Economic Service (GES) or have the required qualifications to become a member of this profession. ​

If you meet the eligibility requirements you should then provide evidence against the Essential Criteria listed in the Person Specification section of this job advert.

Please note that if you are successful at interview, you must be able to start within 3 months of being offered a role.

Job description

DWP has an excellent reputation for ensuring its work is underpinned by robust evidence and award-winning analysis. Analysts work flexibly, in multi-disciplinary, multi-site teams across the organisation, embedded within policy, operational and wider analytical teams, to develop DWP’s evidence base and provide analysis that supports key decisions underpinning Departmental policies and projects. The wealth of data we have access to is unprecedented and allows us to work in real time, quickly being able to see the outcome of those decisions. ​

DWP’s Analytical Community (AC) has over 900 analysts made up of Economists, Operational Researchers, Social Researchers, Statisticians, Data Scientists and Data Analysts. Analysts are grouped into 23 Lead Analyst areas, embedded across the Department. Our services are in high demand from ministers, senior leaders and policy and operational stakeholders. The DWP AC is an excellent place to work and being one of the largest in Government we can offer a wide variety of development, training and progression opportunities, making us a great place to grow as an analyst. Many DWP analytical roles are profession neutral, offering analysts access to a wide range of analytical roles.

Through this campaign, if you are not already a badged member of GES you will become one.This means that as well as joining the community of analysts in DWP you will join a community of analysts working across many Government departments, agencies and public bodies, playing a pivotal role in Government decision-making.

Senior Analyst Roles at DWP

We are recruiting for posts across a range of policy and business areas, more information on the types of analytical roles available at DWP can be found in the candidate pack.

Person specification

If you meet the eligibility requirements, then you will be asked to provide a 750-word personal statement as part of the application process. ​This statement should highlight your experience in line with the criteria below.

We are looking for applicants who are able to demonstrate experience against the following criteria:

• Proven analytical experience of applying relevant professional tools and techniques to solve complex problems and ensuring appropriate quality assurance of analysis. (Lead Experience Criterion).
• Proven experience of using and communicating analytical findings, context, caveats and limitations clearly and effectively to maximise the value and impact of analysis in decision making.
• Proven experience of proactive ownership and leading complex analytical projects, proactively engaging and building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and balancing competing priorities to deliver high-quality outcomes.

If there are a high number of applications, the lead Experience Criterion will be used to conduct an initial sift and applications that do not meet the minimum requirement for this criterion will not progress to a full sift.

In the event of a large number of candidates meeting the pass standard at sift, we may take the option of only the strongest candidates proceeding to interview. The remaining candidates will be longlisted and their applications only proceeded if roles remain unfilled.

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications

In order to be eligible to apply for these posts you must either be:

A current, permanent, badged member of the Government Economic Service (GES).

OR

Hold the qualifications to become a badged member of the Government Economic Service (GES).

Full details of the qualifications required for candidates who are not already badged members of GES listed are provided in the candidate pack. If successful in the recruitment exercise you will be badged into GES. You must provide sufficient detail on the qualifications required and already hold the required qualifications, otherwise your application will not be sifted.

If you are applying as a current, permanent, badged member then you must say yes to having the qualifications required and state this in the additional questions section of the application form. You may be asked to provide proof of membership and we will verify this in the recruitment process with the relevant Government professional body. If membership is not verified then you will be withdrawn immediately from the recruitment round.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £50,487, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £14,626 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 and Experience.

We will be holding an MS Teams information session to talk through the application process on Tuesday 22 September at 16:00. Please contact us at analysts.seorecruitment@DWP.GOV.UK if you would like to join this live session. ​Recordings will not be available.

If you are an existing civil servant and want to know more about transferring to another department you should refer initially to your current department’s guidance on transfers within the Civil Service and seek advice from your HR business partner. If you have further specific questions about transferring to DWP, you should contact the vacancy holder.

If you are already a member of Government Economic Service (GES), please follow the instructions on the Essential Qualifications section and answer ‘yes’ on the membership question when you complete your application form. ​

Please check you are eligible and follow the instructions on the Essential Qualifications section of the candidate pack when completing your application form.

Selection will be by a sift of the written application, followed by an interview for candidates who pass the sift stage.

After sift, if you are not currently a badged member of GES you may also be required to complete further testing prior to, or at, interview. Full details will be provided to candidates where applicable.

Written Sift​

The written sift will be conducted in two parts – one to check qualifications (on your employment history and qualifications as listed on your CV) and one to check Essential Criteria evidence (on your personal statement).

If you are not an existing member of GES and do not meet the eligibility requirements (the first stage of the sift), then your personal statement will not be sifted, and your application will be withdrawn at pre-sift stage. ​

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

CV​

The CV is an on-line tool accessed through Civil Service Jobs and there is no requirement to upload your personal CV. It is made up of several boxes on the application form and should be short. Your CV will be used to check eligibility on qualifications and to outline your employment history.​

Please make sure that you fully complete the qualifications and employment history section in the application form. We do not require qualifications below degree level to be listed.

For non-badged candidates, applications submitted without key details like: degree studied, grades and credits or without sufficient detail of relevant modules will be discounted. Failure to provide this information clearly will result in your application being sifted out of the process.​

The CV (qualifications and employment history sections) should be used to detail the information required on qualifications and relevant experience if applicable and the main content of your evidence against the Essential Criteria should be put in your personal statement.

Personal Statement​

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the three Essential Criteria listed in the person specification section thoroughly as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.

Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You need to provide evidence against all three Essential Criteria as you will be scored against each one separately. You may choose to address each criterion separately, however, one narrative example may cover and evidence three Essential Criteria. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills, experience you have used.

If you are interested in applying to these roles as a job share then please submit separate applications and, if there is an existing partnership, make it clear in the separate question about the route under which you are applying (i.e. as either a badged member or holding the required qualifications) that you would like to be considered as a job share (do not provide any names). Once sifting has been completed if you are invited to interview, we will contact you directly about assessment arrangements.

Please do not use excessive forward slash (/), backslash (\) or dashes (-) in your personal statement. By excessive, we mean hyphenating words that are not normally hyphenated, using slashes between many words or formatting slashes in white font so they can’t immediately be seen. Any applications that do this will not be sifted or the form will be amended to remove the excess slashes and then anything after the750 word count will be ignored.

Badging Exercises​

If you are not currently a badged member of GES then you will be required to complete additional testing.

Full details of this testing will be provided to candidates who reach the relevant stage in the recruitment process.

Candidates who are required to sit badging exercises and do not meet the required standard will be withdrawn from the recruitment process.

Candidates will be asked if they require any reasonable adjustments for any additional testing.

Interview

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Interviews will have Behaviour questions and will include a presentation element assessed against the whole GES Technical Framework.

Further details will be provided to candidates who reach this stage.

Further details

Near miss candidates

Candidates who achieve a high score but do not meet the required standard for appointment at Senior Executive Officer (SEO) level may be offered a position at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) level instead.

Offers will be made in line with business requirements and may be on a permanent or fixed-term basis.

Sift and interview dates:

Closing date for applications: 29 September 2026 at 23:55

Sift week commencing 8 October - 23 October 2026

Interviews 16 November 2026 - 18 December 2026

Results notified Wee commencing 11 January 2027

Please note: All dates are estimates and are subject to change dependant on business needs or unexpected delays.

Reserve list:

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

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 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, if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional may be required; or additional time may be needed in certain circumstances.

DWP is committed to making reasonable adjustments for candidates who may require additional help throughout the application process. Adjustments to the recruitment process can vary, as they are personal to a candidate’s needs, so it is important to contact us about any adjustments you feel could help your circumstances. More about the adjustments we could offer are provided in the candidate pack.​

​Some examples are:​

Written tests instead of a computer assessment​

Extra time to take written tests​

Larger print for written information ​

Being accompanied by an interpreter​

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Disability Confident Scheme:​

DWP is recognised as a Disability Confident Leader, demonstrating the departmental commitment to attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled people, and supporting them in achieving their full potential. As users of the disability confident symbol, we have made a firm commitment to guarantee a place in the final assessment stage to all disabled applicants who have:​​

• a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term (over 12 months) adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities; or have been diagnosed with HIV infection, cancer or multiple sclerosis; and​

meet the minimum criteria at the application stage​

You will be asked at the initial application stage if you wish to apply via the scheme.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

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 /Disclosure Scotland 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.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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., location, 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 : Laurence Wynne
• Email : analysts.seorecruitment@DWP.GOV.UK
• Telephone : 07935970201

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 Candidate Pack SEO Econ FINAL Opens in new window (pdf, 329kB)DWP Candidate Pack SEO Econ FINAL Opens in new window (docx, 188kB)479063 CPW - Economist Opens in new window (pdf, 444kB)