Do you have an inquisitive mind? 

Do you enjoy engaging with customers? 

Do you want a job where you can work independently but also within a supportive team? Would others say you have good judgment skills? 

Are you looking for a route into an exciting counter-fraud career where you can make a real difference? 

If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’ click that apply button now and become our next Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt apprentice. 

Here, you will have the opportunity to continually learn and work with a great team. The roles available are within our Compliance Teams, and you will work towards completion of the Public Sector Compliance Investigator and Officer apprenticeship.

We are here to support you with your learning and self-development throughout the apprenticeship and beyond. You will grow your skills and experience through working with more experienced colleagues and through the support of other people in the same profession. 

This is an exciting opportunity to earn as you learn and gain practical experience while you study towards achieving practitioner-level membership in the Government Counter Fraud Profession. You’ll receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and be part of a great team. If you wish to find out more about the Government Counter Fraud Profession, please click Government Counter Fraud Profession.

Why join DWP? Watch our recruitment video

Job description

Your work as an Apprentice Compliance Officer will involve different aspects subject to changing business priorities, therefore we need people who are adaptable and flexible.  

The job may include a range of duties, with the following provided as examples:

• Conduct robust and challenging interviews by telephone or in-person in accordance with all legal and policy requirements, pursuing all reasonable lines of enquiry. Ensuring declarations and changes have been reported at the right time and taking appropriate corrective action if errors are found. 
• Ensure quality standards are maintained through adherence to all DWP policies and procedures and CFCD operational instructions. 
• Work collaboratively, effectively and flexibly within a team and contribute towards team expectations. 
• Promote fraud awareness within DWP and to wider external business partners. 
• Gather, verify, and assess all available information to submit to the appropriate Decision Maker to enable accurate benefit reassessment and overpayment calculation. 
• Maintain accurate records and retain relevant evidence, redacting and annotating sensitive material when appropriate. 
• Liaise with other departments/organisations within the framework of any existing partnership agreements. 
• Prioritise workload in line with conflicting and changing priorities.

Person specification

As a Compliance Officer, upon completion of the required learning and practical experience, you will: 

• Demonstrate effective, flexible leadership and communication skills with an ability to reach a diverse audience and be prepared to engage effectively with our partners.
• Have excellent organisational and planning capabilities. 
• Demonstrate strong judgement and decision-making skills. 
• Present information to internal and external audiences in a professional and credible manner. 
• Be able to work effectively as an individual and as part of a team. 
• Deal appropriately with challenging and vulnerable individuals through effective use of interview techniques and strong communication skills. 
• Inspire others through positivity, drive and energy to achieve outcomes and deliver change.
• Be willing to travel between sites if required, depending on business needs. 
• Have the ability to work in a demanding and complex environment with changing priorities.

Learning requirements

The DWP is committed to investing in people and developing a professional workforce. It is a requirement for people working within DWP counter fraud to attain and retain membership in the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) at the Practitioner level.

During your apprenticeship, you will be asked to produce a portfolio of work demonstrating your learning and use of different compliance tools and techniques, which may include:

• Interview techniques and questions
• GDPR – what it is, why it’s important
• Legislation relevant to the role

The Public Sector Compliance Investigation and Officer Apprenticeship is expected to take up to 22 months to complete, however the full learning journey for this role will take up to 25 months. You will be given time out from your role to work on your apprenticeship. You must be committed to seeing through the apprenticeship and completing the qualification within the appropriate time period.

You will be supported by your line manager, skills coach, fellow apprentices, DWP Apprenticeship Team and the Government Counter Fraud Profession team within CFCD. You will have access to a variety of sources of encouragement to help you succeed. There is a lot to learn and do, so you need to be proactive, work hard and participate in the many opportunities you will be given to showcase your skills.

Please Note - Successful appointments to this role will be subject to completion of the apprenticeship programme. Failure to comply or failure to achieve the required apprenticeship may be dealt with under disciplinary or poor performance procedures and may lead to termination of the employment contract or, exceptionally, redeployment into another DWP role.

The apprenticeship for the Apprentice Compliance Officer role is designed to work towards achieving Category A Investigator practitioner-level membership of the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP). On achievement of the apprenticeship, you will be required to complete an annual self-assessment to evidence your knowledge, skills, and experience.  

Further information on the Public Sector Compliance Investigation and Officer Apprenticeship can be found attached at the bottom of this advert.

Eligibility Criteria: 

To be eligible for this appointment and the apprenticeship funding, there are a number of eligibility criteria set out by the ESFA. Full details can be found at Apprenticeship funding rules - GOV.UK. Candidates should ensure that they can meet these before applying. Some key points are listed below:

• Have the right to live and work in the UK valid for the full 25-month duration of the apprenticeship and associated learning journey.  
• Must have lived in the UK and/or EEA for 3 years prior to apprenticeship start date or hold some form of exemption see ESFA funding rules Annex A.
• Not be in full-time education or be already undertaking another apprenticeship by the apprenticeship start date. If you are 16 or 17, you are required to stay in full-time education or training until you are 18 – commencing this apprenticeship will allow you to meet this requirement.  
• You must not hold an existing qualification at the same or higher level in a similar subject to the apprenticeship. A qualification in a non-related subject would be acceptable.  
• You must not already have significant previous work experience covering the knowledge, skills and behaviours demonstrated in the apprenticeship standard Public sector compliance Investigator and officer / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education If you have already worked in a similar field such as fraud, compliance or debt management, you should consider applying for other vacancies that do not require you to complete the apprenticeship, as too much relevant experience will make you ineligible and we would need to withdraw the offer in these circumstances.  
• If you do not possess Maths and English GCSE A-C and can evidence that, you will be required to complete and pass a level 2 functional skills exam for which support will be provided.
• Please list your qualifications in the qualification section. Failure to meet any of the eligibility criteria or not listing your qualifications may result in your being withdrawn.

Webinar Event

We will be holding a webinar event to let you know more about these roles. This will take place on the following dates:

• Wednesday 12th February 2025 12:00-13:00 PM Apprentice Compliance Officer Webinar 12/02/25

If you would like to join the event, please click on the link above and complete your details to register interest. You will then be automatically enrolled on the webinar and can access the event on the day via the link sent to your email address. 

If you attend the webinar for this role, you may be sent a survey afterwards to help us improve our service.  

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Developing Self and Others

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,975, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes £8,973 towards your being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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 well-being, 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

Selection process details

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

Your application will consist of six stages: 

Stage 1 - Application Form 

Please complete the first stage of the short application form. 

Stage 2 – Tests

After you submit the first stage of your application, you will be invited to take a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass this, you will be invited to take the Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass both tests, you will be invited to complete the final stages of your application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). The deadline for the tests is 23:55 pm on 18th February 2025. Please allow sufficient time to complete the online tests and your full written application before the deadline. Failing to complete the test before the deadline will result in the withdrawal of your application. Guidance will be provided when you are invited. The tests are online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

*IMPORTANT:  After the test deadline, we will look at all applicant scores to decide what the job’s pass mark will be. We will consider the impact on protected groups and the number of invitations to the next stage. We may decide to raise the pass mark for the job - if so, you will be informed, and you will be told if you have passed or failed at the raised standard. Meeting the minimum test requirements for a job level is no guarantee of an invitation to continue the selection process.

Stage 3 – Written Application and Sift

Following successful completion of the tests, you will be asked to submit a personal statement (maximum 750 words) detailing your relevant skills and experience. 

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

You should address the following when constructing your personal statement.

• Explain how you would conduct a challenging interview to determine the accuracy and correctness of the information provided
• Please tell us why you would like to undertake the Public Sector Compliance Apprenticeship
• Describe your commitment and passion for learning

Please consider the job description and person specification when providing your evidence.

Your personal statement should show how your skills and/or experience meet the requirements listed. You can use any format you like: narrative, bullet points, etc. You can use one example to cover all the requirements. Focus on what you have done or would do and the skills and experience you used or would use. Tell us why you are suited for this role, what skills you have, and any relevant life experiences or passions.

If you don't have work-related examples, you can use examples from school, college, clubs, volunteering, or other activities.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead question. If so, we will sift on:   

• Explain how you would conduct a challenging interview to determine the accuracy and correctness of the information provided (Lead question).  

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to the eligibility check. 

You will also be asked to complete a CV with details of your education, professional qualifications and full employment history. Your CV will not be formally assessed so please put the evidence of your skills into your personal statement. Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement and to check eligibility by the external provider. 

**Please note the closing date for your full application is 23:55 on 18/02/2025** 

The sift is scheduled to be held from 24/02/2025 to 07/03/2025. These dates may be subject to change.

Stage 4 – Apprenticeship Eligibility and Skills Check

Candidates who reach the required pass mark at sift will progress to ‘Interview 1’, and their details will be passed to our external apprenticeship provider, Central Training.

Central training will contact each candidate and undertake a check of the following.

• Qualifications
• Eligibility
• Functional Skills (if required)
• Skills Scan

The Eligibility and Skills check is scheduled to be held from 10/03/2025 to 21/03/2025. These dates may be subject to change.

Please ensure you engage with Central training to enable this check to take place, as failure to do so may result in us being unable to progress your application.

Stage 5 - Interview

If you pass the written application, sift with the required score, and you are eligible for an apprenticeship with DWP following the provider check, you will be invited to a blended interview, ‘Interview 2’. You will receive an electronic notification to your Civil Service Jobs account.

The interviews will be conducted face-to-face. Where possible, the interviews will take place at the locations listed in the Candidate Pack (slide 2). However, candidates may be expected to travel to an alternative location as required. If you require any reasonable adjustments to attend a face-to-face interview, please ensure you state those on your application form when asked to do so.

Interviews are scheduled to take place from 07/04/2025 to 18/04/2025; please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. Interviews will be scheduled Monday to Friday between 09:00 to 17:00.

Communications will be electronic and/or by telephone; therefore, it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder. Telephone calls may show as a withheld number; it is important that you answer so that your interview can be confirmed.  

Preparing for the interview

The interview will take approximately 40 minutes, and you will be asked a mixture of behaviour and strength-based questions. A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation, offering a more inclusive approach. The behaviour and strength-based questioning explores what you, the candidate, can and have done, but also your potential.  

Behaviours

You will be assessed against the Civil Service Behaviours listed above at level 2.

To help you prepare and settle into the interview, you will be sent the behavioural questions in advance of the interview. These questions should be treated as confidential and should not be shared. The interview panel may ask you other questions which will not be shared in advance, including follow-up questions on behaviours, and those about your strengths.

An example of a behavioural question would be, “Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a difficult customer.”

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:   

• WHO - What it was? How you approached the work/situation? What the Outcomes were, what did you achieve? or
• STAR - What was the Situation? What were the Tasks? What Action did you take?  What were the Results of your actions?

Strengths

It is difficult to prepare for strength-type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.

While strengths questions are shorter, and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.

If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.  

If you withdraw your application at any stage, it will not be progressed any further. 

Stage 6 – Offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. 

Successful candidates will be posted in strict merit order based on their location preferences and the geographical requirements of the business. Depending on their position on the merit list, if none of their location preferences remain at the point we make a job offer, DWP may offer a role at an alternative advertised location. If we are unable to offer a role in any of the preferred locations, and candidates are unable to accept a role at an alternative advertised location, we will add them to the reserve list. 

Subject to successful pre-employment checks, candidates will be notified of a start date, which is likely to be during May/June 2025. Please ensure that you are available to start in these months. 

Please note: 

• If you are 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*.  
• If we make 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. 

*Note: exceptional circumstances could be when a candidate has requested a contractual part-time working pattern, and this pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health.

Please Note- that if successful in this campaign, you will be expected to remain in post until you complete your apprenticeship before applying for any other lateral moves within DWP. 

Important information 

Candidate pack

It is important that you take time to read the candidate pack, which can be found at the bottom of this job advert. This provides further information about the role and working in DWP. 

Location

Please see slide 2 of the Candidate Pack for the location addresses for these posts.

You should only apply for suitable posts where you can travel to and from your home office location daily within a reasonable time. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed.

Hybrid working 

This job 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. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business needs, 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. 

Working pattern 

Part-time, part-year, and term-time compressed hours and job-sharing working patterns within working hours will be considered but must meet business needs and fulfil the requirements of the apprenticeship. We will do our best to let people with existing part-time contracts retain their contracted hours provided they are in line with current business needs and apprenticeship requirements. Please note that successful candidates with agreed alternative working patterns will be required to work full-time for specific periods to complete all technical training and consolidation, which is expected to last 12 weeks.

Hours of work  

The full-time working week in DWP is 37 hours. You may be required to work at any time between the hours of:  

• 7:45 am and 8:00 pm on any day between Monday to Friday, and
• 8:45 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday.

Managers will agree on working patterns with successful applicants within these business hours and review these as appropriate. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 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. To find out if you are eligible visit 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 directly. If you will be doing this, please advise the Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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 the 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 the government.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism or sharing of questions, information or answers throughout any part of the selection process is found, your application will be withdrawn. Examples of plagiarism can include:

• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content from an online/published source
• Using forms of Artificial Intelligence to produce application content which you present as your own.

Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

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, and allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following a successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment are current on the day they are posted unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

Learning and development

DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified – as determined by the business. To support this aim you are required to complete an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time. You agree to take this job on the basis that you will be required to undertake a work-based qualification; your failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, will be a breach of your employment contract.

If DWP decides that it is no longer a requirement for you to undertake and attain a work-based qualification, it will release you from this obligation. Any decision to release you from this obligation will not be a breach of contract by DWP.

Important

If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent), then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.

Reasonable adjustments

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 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 in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at the 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

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 attracting, retaining and investing in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil 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: CFCD Recruitment Team
• Email: cfcd.recruitmentinbox@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

389546 - EO Apprentice Compliance Officer Candidate Pack(pdf, 515kB)Public Sector Compliance Investigator and Officcer PSCIO brochure(pdf, 237kB)Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview-Accessible-Version(docx, 67kB)DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024(docx, 17kB)