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DLUHC is seeking exceptional people to help us transform into an agile, user-centered digital organisation. We’re already doing amazing things. We’re moving away from our large, legacy IT contracts, bringing more people with digital skills in house and delivering modern IT and collaboration tools.    

We work with policy teams to apply digital, user-centred thinking to big important problems like homelessness, job creation, and getting onto the property ladder. In some cases, we’ll build new digital services – in others we expect to discover from our users that digital isn’t the answer. We build agile, multidisciplinary teams to help us find which is which. Find out more about the work we’re doing on our blog. 

We’re looking for a confident and performance-focused leader to manage our Publishing Service. This is a new service bringing together our intranet team and our GOV.UK publishing team. It does not include external comms and is not aligned to the Communications Profession. Our goal is to make DLUHC informational content user-centred and accessible, whether for staff or citizens. Working alongside our specialist content designers the Service Manager will be responsible for the day to day running of the service, making sure it is responsive, user-centred and measurably high performing. 

We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work.

Find out more about what it's like to work in a digital, data and technology role at DLUHC including our culture, ways of working, career progression and staff benefits. You can also read the DLUHC Digital blog to learn about the work we're doing.

Important - To apply for this role, you’ll need to submit a CV and covering letter together in a single document. We cannot accept applications without both. 

The Agile Service Manager for the Publishing Service will be based in the Digital directorate but will have strong connections to DLUHC’s policy and corporate teams, who are the customers of the service. You will be in close proximity to the Content Design Community but this is not a role for a writer.  

The service manager will be the main escalation point for the service team and hold the stakeholder relationships. They will have an in-depth understanding of the service, and use digital thinking, culture, service design and agile delivery practices to keep it running smoothly and responsively. You will be a confident leader to those delivering the service, as well as thinking strategically and advocating for the service. You will represent the service and its users’ needs within the organisation. 

This is not a technical IT post but experience of working with websites or digital content design would be beneficial. Agile delivery management and user-centred design skills will also help you, because these are core values of the team.  

In this role you will:      

• lead a team that is focused on embedding user-centred design, and help them to work with others for whom it may be a new concept 

• be accountable for the quality and usage of your service, iterating and improving the service based on user feedback  

• set direction and provide leadership for the publishing service    

• work with the team to deliver a quality service, considering user needs, organisational goals, financial constraints, technical opportunities, etc.   

• build and maintain strong relationships with customers of the publishing service and stakeholders such as GDS  

• create a culture of continuous improvement and performance measurement    

• communicate the benefits and performance of the service, including to other government departments looking to learn from our experience  

Essential skills and experience:  

• experience in managing internal or external customer-facing services, including continuous improvement       

• experience of working with senior stakeholders to communicate the possibilities and limitations of a service, and being comfortable saying no under pressure 

• experience of leading in an agile team, empowering others to autonomously deliver to the best of their abilities    

• an ability to translate business aims, user needs and performance data into clear and manageable plans and communicating these in an open and transparent way 

• a high-level understanding of user-centred service design, content design and accessibility principles  

• expertise in gathering, analysing, and using user insight and performance data to design and continually improve a service 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,934, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £14,022 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: 

Any move to DLUHC 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. 

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. 

Things you need to know

We are for everyone 

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. 

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role. 

We are for everyone 

CV and Cover Letter Declaration 

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment. 

Please remove references to your: 

• name/title

• educational institutions

• age

• gender

• email address

• postal address

• phone number

• nationality/immigration status

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter. 

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors. 

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing: 

• Experience

• Behaviours - leadership

Please submit a CV and a cover letter that explains your experience and provides evidence that you have led work to meet user needs whilst coping with pressure from difficult stakeholders. Your covering letter should be no more than 1 page. 

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:

• Experience

• Behaviours: seeing the big picture, leadership, managing a quality service

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:

• Experience

• Behaviours: seeing the big picture, leadership, managing a quality service

Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs: 

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

Grade 7 salary 

• The salary for this role is £51,934 (National). 

• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. 

Benefits 

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: 

Any move to DLUHC 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. 

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. 

Location 

Wolverhampton

Darlington

Leeds

Manchester

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role. 

*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.  This role is based at DLUHC and we will be joined on the campus by: 

• HM Treasury  

• Department for International Trade 

• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy  

• Office for National Statistics  

• Department for Education 

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack. 

Sift and Interview dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the W/C 19th of February 2024 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. 

Reserve List 

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list. 

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

Internal Fraud Database

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned.The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

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.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Job contact :

• Name :DDaT recruitment Team

• Email :DDaTrecruitment@levellingup.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email :DDaTrecruitment@levellingup.gov.uk