Are you someone who is a leader and motivator and can ensure your team is fully skilled to deliver excellent customer service and achieve effective performance? Then this role sounds right for you!

Operational Delivery Team Leaders lead a team of colleagues at Administrative Officer grade. Administrative Officers carry out a range of duties; these can range from undertaking in-bound telephony services to processing claims on behalf of customers often on a hybrid basis, spending some of their time in the office and the remainder working from home. The specific roles available will be dependent on location and vacancy availability.

The Team leader role is a key role that requires flexibility and versatility to deliver excellent customer service, make sound decisions, implement change and support their teams.

Job description

As a Team Leader, you will lead and motivate a team, providing visible and effective leadership to staff at all levels of the business always engaging in constructive and open way displaying the DWP values.

Responsibilities will include but will not be restricted to:

• Act as a positive role model for all staff, motivating, supporting and managing team development.
• Ability to lead teams who are operating in a hybrid way of working, spending some of their time in the office and some at home, with emphasis on driving productivity, and developing staff through coaching.
• Focus on delivering to agreed goals and priorities to achieve collective commitments, team expectations and quality outcomes.
• Take responsibility for one's own development to improve competency and skills, and support and coach others to do the same.
• Promote the work of the department and play an active part in supporting the Civil Service and DWP values and culture.
• Effectively manage your time and workload to ensure the team you lead meet the business and key performance indicators and objectives through their agreed contributions to the team. 
• Develop a high performing team through effective and inclusive leadership. Utilise best practice to develop and build a good strong team morale that promotes and values diversity and wellbeing. Highlight importance of working together to efficiently manage workloads to ensure the highest level of customer service is delivered and maintained.
• Take accountability for your team’s performance and undertake the necessary actions to improve and maintain performance outputs.
• Take ownership for the accuracy and quality of your team’s work, encouraging a once and done approach, preventing repeat demand.

Person specification

Key Criteria

• Lead by example, demonstrating exemplary behaviours to provide a quality service.
• Demonstrate effective leadership and communication skills.
• Display integrity and support for others, acting as a positive role model for the team and colleagues.
• Ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities, managing a diverse workload.
• Demonstrate accountability and ownership, providing context and rationale for decisions, and display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular.
• Display confidence and resilience in decision making, delivering difficult messages and dealing effectively with HR issues.
• Ability to work collaboratively with wider teams to support delivery outcomes.
• Deal appropriately with challenging and vulnerable individuals.
• Inspire others through positivity, drive, and energy to achieve outcomes and deliver change.
• Have a flexible and adaptable leadership style with an ability to reach a diverse audience and be prepared to engage effectively with our partners.
• Have a desire to showcase public service at its best.
• Can work in a demanding and complex environment with changing priorities.
• Accountability of team delivery and achievement of agreed Operational Key Performance Indicators.
• Responsible for creating an inclusive team environment aligned to DWP values.

** Please note that these vacancies are not currently eligible for new applications for Visa Sponsorship on the Skilled Worker route, for any candidates who do not currently have permission to be in the UK as a Skilled Worker where they were sponsored before 4 April 2024, 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

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Developing Self and Others

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,975, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes £8,973 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.

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.

We recognise that AI may be helpful when applying for this role, but it is important to use it in the right way. Read the DWP AI Candidate Guide to understand how you can make the best use of GenAI while ensuring your application remains authentic and effective.

Stage 1 - Application form 

Please complete the First Stage Short Application Form. 

Stage 2 - Tests

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Customer Service Skills Test. The Customer Service Skills Test is an online test of your skills and abilities in relation to customer service roles, and provides a realistic preview of what is typically involved in such roles in the Civil Service.

The test assesses your skills and abilities in three ways:

1. Your ability to manage difficult customers
2. Your judgment and decision-making abilities in relation to a range of scenarios customer service advisors are likely to encounter in the Civil Service
3. Your attention to detail and ability to work quickly and accurately under timed conditions

If you successfully pass the Customer Service Skills Test, you will be invited to complete the Civil Service Management Judgement Test.

The Civil Service Management Judgement Test is an online situational judgement test.

It measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding day to day management of others. The aspects of behaviour measured have been selected as important for line management success in your chosen job.

The five aspects of behaviour measured in the test are:

Collaborative   

Empowering and developing others, working as a team, sharing knowledge

Decisive

Using evidence to make effective and fair decisions

Empathetic

Considering others’ needs and feelings, acting in a calm and resilient manner

Confident

Having courage in your convictions, taking responsibility and setting expectations

Agile

Self-aware and able to adapt quickly to change

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23.55PM on 24/04/2025. If you fail to complete the online tests and full written application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take them. The tests are administered 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 invite to continue the selection process.

Stage 3 - Written Application and Sift

Those candidates who meet the minimum required test score for the Civil Service Management Judgement Test will be invited to complete a personal statement detailing the relevant skills and experience they can bring to the role.

Please write up to 250 words providing examples of how things you have done in the past and your skills and experience help you demonstrate the Civil Service behaviour - Leadership at Executive Officer (EO) grade (Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK )

You should also consider both the job description and person specification details above when providing your evidence.

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the requirements set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You don’t have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why. What you can do, the skills you have that are transferable and the life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.

If you don’t have work-based examples, then give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.

Please note-  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.

Depending on application numbers, we may progress all candidates who have been successful at the online test through to interview without assessing the written application evidence.

Stage 4 - Interview

If you meet the required score, you will be invited to a blended interview and will receive an electronic notification to your Civil Service Jobs account.

The interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Interviews are scheduled to take place from 07/05/2025 to 28/05/2025, 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 therefore it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.

Preparing for the interview 

The interview will take approximately 45 minutes and will consist 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 Executive Officer (EO) grade.  

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 5 – Offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidates first.

The successful candidates will be notified of a start date following successful security checks, which is likely to be from July 2025. 

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 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; for further information, visit the Childcare Choices website. 

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 on your behalf.

However, we recognise that 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

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 the government.

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

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.

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.

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 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 an 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 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: EO Recruitment
• Email: eo.resourcing@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

399966 Candidate Pack(pdf, 592kB)

399966 Candidate Pack - Welsh(pdf, 647kB)

Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview-Accessble-Version(docx, 67kB)

DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024(docx, 17kB)