Universal Credit Operational Leader - North East Scotland

Operational Leader roles are office-based, offering a supportive team environment where youll collaborate closely with colleagues each day. If you are successful and receive an offer for your preferred location, we will aim to agree a reasonable start date that works for you; however, candidates who are unable to take up the role within an appropriate timeframe may be withdrawn from the campaign.,

• Do you have a passion for delivering exceptional customer service, helping positively change lives in your local community?
• Do you enjoy working full time on site, leading and coaching a team to deliver quality service in a face-to-face office environment?
• Are you looking for a public service leadership role at the centre of operations, leading the delivery of Universal Credit on the high street?
If so, we would like to hear from you! As part of the DWP Operational Delivery you will be at the heart of DWPs front line operations helping to change people lives in our communities from around the 20 million plus customer base. DWP is responsible for:
• helping people to move into work and supporting those already in work to progress, with the aim of increasing overall workforce participation
• helping people to plan and save for later life, while providing a safety net for those who need it now
• providing effective, efficient, and innovative services to the millions of claimants who rely on us every day, including the most vulnerable in society
• improving experience of our services while maximising value for money for the taxpayer, Operational Leaders are accountable for creating an environment to support the flexible, effective, personalised delivery of customer service to those receiving support via Universal Credit.
You will lead a team of 12-15 Jobcentre colleagues to support a caseload of customers to move closer to, or into work, ensuring performance measures are achieved and quality standards are met. You will be office-based (these are not hybrid / home-working roles), with travel between Jobcentres and within the community required. This is a fast-paced role, where you will be faced with challenging circumstances whilst supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society, requiring resilience and strong, adaptable leadership skills. Leadership behaviours that show a caring, inclusive, flexible, adaptable approach will be key to your success. Enabling your teams to explore options and identify solutions to achieve successful business outcomes is critical for this role. You will gain knowledge of the local labour market and sustain various relationships across the organisation, other government departments, and partner organisations to support the effectiveness of your team and the service provided to customers. You will also take into account the impact of devolution in Scotland. You will be responsiblefor managing the workload of your team and undertaking first line manager tasks such as regular discussions with your team members relating to wellbeing, performance, development, and career aspirations. Your role also includes applying and making decisions in line with DWP People Policies. Person specification In this role we are looking for people who will:
• Inspire front-line teams to deliver the best for our customers.
• Encourage innovation and deliver high performance using data insights and coaching techniques.
• Be leaders who will communicate with clarity and purpose.
• Make fair, sound decisions.
• Understand the strategic landscape, devolution and localism plans to deliver successful business outcomes through collaboration with external stakeholders.
• Manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively.
• Lead people through change, ensuring our teams are adaptable and flexible to support efficiency and improve service delivery., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together, Civil Service Judgement Test. This is an online test which provides a measure of behavioural potential (the potential to perform behaviours effectively in the role) and self-assessed potential to progress. (career aspirations and work engagement).
You will need to pass the Civil Service on-line test to progress through to CV, written sift and interview. Once you submit your answer at the end of the test you will not be able to change or update your response. Before you begin, please ensure you are in a suitable environment with a stable internet connection and there are no issues with your device. If your test is interrupted for any reason, you will not be able to retake it. Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4pm and midnight on 28th June 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period. If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline., Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary. 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 the Childcare Choices Website. 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) .
• Strong leadership and coaching skills,with the ability to inspire, encourage and influence teams. (Lead criteria)
• Ability to create an engaging and inclusive environment, empowering others to deliver excellent customer service through coaching, listening, and acting on feedback.
• Ability to critically analyse data and insight, to identify areas for action and involve others in developing solutions.
• Ability to work flexibly and at pace to meet changing priorities.
• Confident decision making, with a firm and fair approach to line management responsibilities using people policy and procedures.
• A commitment to continued self-development and to recognising and supporting the development needs of others.
• Experience of building collaborative working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders to achieve business objectives, In the event of a large number of applications we may use the Lead Criteria, "Strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to inspire, encourage and influence teams" to initially assess your application during the Sift stage. In this instance candidates who pass the initial Sift will be progressed to a full Sift.
  This rewarding role in Universal Credit operations offers a range of benefits including competitive salary, pension, flexible working, employee discount schemes, and a range of development programmes including professional learning and accreditation., Alongside your salary of 38,772, Department for Work and Pensions contributes 11,232 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 (prorata 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 years 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 Womens 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., You will be assessed against your experience and the Civil Service Behaviours listed below at level 3.
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
Sift and Interview dates to be confirmed. Reserve List A reserve list may be held for a period of 3months from which further appointments can be made. If you are placed on a reserve list but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:
• If you are later 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 (e.g. a contractual Part Time Working Pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health).
• 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.
Disability Confident Scheme 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. Reasonable Adjustments 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 View email address on s1jobs.com 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 youre 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. Integrity, plagiarism and Civil Service Principles 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. Examples of plagiarism can include:
• Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own
• Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own