Department for Work and Pensions
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Contents
- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know
- Apply and further information
Wolverhampton and Dudley
About the job
Job summary
These roles are 12-month Fixed Term Appointments.
Existing civil servants may apply for these Fixed Term Appointments (FTA). If successful, in all cases we will want first to explore taking you on so you can return to your current department at the end of the FTA. You are not required to come on loan. If you wish, you can choose to join DWP as an ordinary fixed term worker. Also, your current department may not agree to a loan. If a transfer on a loan basis cannot be agreed by your home department, you would transfer to DWP on the basis that you would lose your permanent civil service status and become a fixed term worker. However, for the purpose of calculating contractual entitlements and employment rights, your previous and new fixed term service will be combined to give you continuity of employment. For example, if at the end of your FTA your post is declared redundant and you must leave the Civil Service, your combined service will be used to calculate any entitlement you have to redundancy pay.
Therefore, you should be aware that when your FTA at DWP comes to an end, your employment in the Civil Service will end, unless:
- An extension to your FTA position has been agreed by DWP.
- A conversion to permanent status has been agreed by DWP.
- You are successfully redeployed into a suitable alternative post.
Extensions, conversions to permanent status and finding a suitable alternative role cannot be guaranteed at the end of the fixed term. Therefore, you must be aware of the risk associated with your accepting a new FTA contract with DWP, rather than transferring on loan.
Please note these roles are 12-month Fixed Term Appointments only and are due to finish in December 2025 and the business rationale is:
- Temporary increase in work
Job description
DWP is hiring Administrative Officers to join our growing Universal Credit (UC) team.
You’ll play an important role in helping us to deliver vital services to UK Citizens. As part of a supportive team, you’ll help us deliver an excellent customer experience to the people we advise and support.
These jobs are based in our Wolverhampton and Dudley Universal Credit Service Centres.
This is a customer facing role, working with claimants who are adapting to significant change in the way they receive their benefits as they Move to Universal Credit. Over the phone and via email on DWP portals, you’ll help us ensure the best outcomes for all our claimants.
You’ll be taking phone calls and giving advice, education, guidance and reassurance to claimants who are moving from their existing benefits to Universal Credit, and doing the administrative work related to this change.
What you will be doing:
- Using your communication skills, you’ll support a diverse range of claimants by providing advice and guidance on our benefits services through inbound call handling and over email.
- You’ll build positive, trust-based relationships with claimants handling sensitive and challenging conversations with empathy, understanding and positivity.
- You’ll be responsible for making decisions, based on the available facts, whilst providing explanations to claimants to reduce anxiety and ensuring they receive accurate advice.
- You’ll focus on providing the right solution for each claimant, ensuring they receive the correct payment amount at the right time.
- You’ll manage cases by working with colleagues across UC and DWP, supporting claimants in their journey towards work.
- We’ll help you build an awareness of labour market policy, and its impact on claimants’ conditionality requirements.
- You’ll be able to take ownership of your professional development, with a suite of digital learning and communications resources available to you.
Person specification
- Be competent in delivering a quality customer service, tailoring the service to meet the needs of the individual.
- Communicate well with a diverse customer base.
- Ability to work flexibly to meet changing priorities.
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 need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. 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.
Upon starting, all successful candidates will be expected to undertake full time training and consolidation for a minimum of 5 weeks. We are unable to offer an alternative working pattern during this period other than in exceptional circumstances and with prior agreement of the business. Once training and consolidation have been completed you would revert to your agreed working pattern. Candidates may therefore wish to decide at application stage whether, if your job application was successful and knowing the restrictions we necessarily apply as an employer, you wish to pursue your application with DWP.
Please see the candidate pack for additional information about the job roles available.
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 £25,082, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £7,266 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.
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 : [email protected]
- Email : [email protected]
Recruitment team
- Email : [email protected]
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: [email protected].
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.
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