Are you looking to enhance or gain experience in both Customer Service and Administration?

Do you enjoy helping others? 

If so, we would like to hear from you. 

As part of the DWP Operational Delivery you will be at the heart of DWP’s front line operations helping to change people’s lives in our communities from around the 20 million plus customer base.

Job description

The role will involve a variety of activities which may include:

• Demonstrating strong telephony and digital communication skills with a diverse range of claimants.​
• Taking ownership and working effectively with colleagues across the DWP organisation.
• Tailoring your approach to accommodate individual circumstances and ensuring claimants receive the correct information or payment amount at the right time.
• ​Building positive relationships with claimants, that encourage, motivate and build trust, by demonstrating empathy and compassion.
• Handling sensitive and challenging situations with all claimants in a positive way.
• Following DWP policy and understand the impact on your work.
• Making decisions by examining the available facts and giving explanations to claimants as required.
• Taking ownership of your personal development by accessing digital learning and communications tools.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need the following Essential Criteria:

• To be competent in delivering a quality service to a diverse claimant base via face to face and telephony interactions.
• To undertake self-serve learning to meet requirements of the role and enhance your digital confidence.
• The ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities, managing a diverse workload.
• Be able to confidently tailor the service to meet the needs of the individual.
• To act on feedback to enhance quality of service delivery.
• To take ownership of complaints and supports their resolution.
• To be able to provide support where appropriate to claimants who require assistance.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,770, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £7,755 towards you 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 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

Selection process details

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

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Judgement Test and Customer Service Skills Test. If you successfully reach the pass mark* in the test, you will be invited to interview.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is 14 April 2025 at 23:55. If you fail to complete the online test before the above deadline your application will be withdrawn. 

Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/preparing-for-the-customer-service-skills-test#taking-the-test

*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 invite to continue the selection process.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on Saturday 29 March & Sunday 30 March. There will be up to 1 hour during this time where candidates will not be able to access tests.  

All online tests will be affected.

Impact for candidates

Candidates who are taking a test when the downtime starts will have their test paused. They will be able to pick up where they left off after the downtime. They can do this by accessing the test again from their application centre.

Please note there is no requirement to provide any additional information such as a CV or Personal statement on completion of the test as there will be no sift stage for this campaign. 

Interview Stage

The interview process will consist of a mixture of Behaviour and Strength questions based on the three behaviours listed above which will last approximately 30 minutes. The Strength and Behaviour based questioning explores what the candidate can and has done, but also their potential.​

To help you prepare and settle into the interview you will be sent the behaviour questions in advance of your 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, and those about your strengths.

Please note that interviews will be via video using Microsoft Teams and you will need to use your personal or work device to access the video link. You will receive a link to join the interview at the appointed time through the email account you provide us with on your application.

Communications will be electronic and/or by telephone therefore it is vitally 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.  

Proposed interview dates: We expect notification of interviews to be issued to candidates after the closing date.

Interviews – Will take place between 23rd April 2025 to 2nd May 2025 Via Microsoft Teams

The above dates may change depending on the numbers involved; however, candidates invited to interview will be given at least three working days’ notice.

Please note: If you will not be available to attend an interview within these dates please do not apply as we have no capacity to hold interviews outside that period.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made. The reserve list may be used to offer future vacancies which arise in Scotland Group and across the wider DWP network. Any such offers would be made in strict merit order and the location and job role would be fully explained

You may be placed on the reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note: 

• If you accept an offer of a post, you will be expected to withdraw from any reserve lists of campaigns you have applied for, with DWP, at this grade.
• 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 post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list,
• 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. 

Please note that these vacancies are not currently eligible for Visa Sponsorship on the Skilled Worker route, even if relying on tradeable points (including the new entrant tradeable points option) as they do not satisfy the minimum salary hourly rate requirement. This information is offered as guidance only, and we recommend that applicants seek specialist advice on their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship (if applicable) when considering whether to apply for any role.

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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

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

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 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 

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.

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, 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.

Important

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. 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.

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.

You may be required to work at any time between the hours of 7.45am and 8pm on any day between Monday to Friday and 8.45am to 5pm on Saturday. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule. DWP is a family-friendly employer and we try to accommodate the widest range of working patterns, including part-time and job-sharing, but we cannot guarantee doing so because our ability to deliver our business locally must always be taken into account. Full learning and development for the role will be provided including Diversity & Equality. Initial training and consolidation may take up to 10 weeks to complete, dependent on the role, and may be delivered virtually.

Candidates will be required to work full time, Monday to Friday during all training and consolidation periods.

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 may be required to undertake a work based qualification, which may be in the form of 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 may be required to undertake a work based qualification; a candidate’s failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract. 

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.

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 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 :Service Centre Scotland Recruitment Team
• Email :SC.SCOTLANDRECRUITMENT@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

AO Dundee Service Centre Candidate Pack(pdf, 568kB)Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours(pdf, 998kB)