Policy Director Roles x 2

Leeds, London, Sheffield

We are recruiting for 2 roles:

Director – Private Pensions and Arm’s Length Bodies​ and Director, Disability and Health Support​

Director, Disability and Health Support​

The Disability and Health Support Directorate in Policy Group brings together DWP’s health and disability benefits, covering: the Work Capability Assessment; Employment and Support Allowance; Personal Independence Payment; Disability Living Allowance and Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit. These areas provide support to millions of people of working age, accounting for over £30 billion in public spending, including to support children and pensioners. ​

Director – Private Pensions and Arm’s Length Bodies​​

​The Private Pensions and Arm’s-Length Bodies​ Directorate leads on the delivery of several of the Departmental priorities, particularly in relation to retirement savings and financial wellbeing in later life. 

​​This role involves close working with colleagues across Government, particularly with HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority, and with the broad range of private and public sector partners in the financial services sector.​​

Director, Disability and Health Support

What are my responsibilities?

• Be an active member of Policy Group’s Senior Leadership Team and an active member of the Department’s senior leadership community,
• Lead a large & diverse Directorate of c150 people, creating a motivated and high performing team which places an emphasis on individual wellbeing and development 
• Set a clear strategy, in conjunction with Ministers, which best meets the Government’s goals in a cost effective and evidence-based way
• Ensure the delivery of the policy intent of DWP’s health and disability benefits
• Lead the implementation of the Health and Disability Benefits White Paper, including the subsequent policy and legislative programme, ensuring collaborative working with No10, HMT and other Government Departments
• Be an ambassador for DWP as the Stakeholder Relationship Director for disability organisations. 

Director – Private Pensions and Arm’s Length Bodies​

What are my responsibilities?

• Be an active member of Policy Group’s Senior Leadership Team and an active member of the Department’s senior leadership community,
• Play a full role in Policy Group’s Leadership team and wider Departmental leadership
• Lead a large & diverse Directorate of c250 people, creating a motivated and high performing team which places an emphasis on individual wellbeing and development ​
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across DWP, government and the wider pensions system to support outcomes for retirement savers, leading Government’s private pensions policy, including policy on automatic enrolment into workplace pensions.
• Managing relationships with and sponsorship of the Department’s pensions-related ALBs (The Pensions Regulator, Nest, the Pension Protection Fund, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Money and Pension Service)​
• Relationship with the private pensions industry, including key trade and professional bodies, which in effect provides the delivery system for Government pensions policy
• Provide sponsorship and oversight of the Department’s non-pensions ALBs, including the Health and Safety Executive and the Office for Nuclear Regulation
• Maintain and develop strong relationships with HM Treasury, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority ​
• Advise the Minister for Pensions

Essential Criteria for the role which will be used to assess your application:

The successful candidate must be able to evidence their expertise and experience in the following areas:

• A breadth of strategy and policy capability gained through recent experience in leading policy-making and development in a complex environment, and at a senior and strategic level
• The ability to drive a range of complex strategy and policy work, providing evidence of a broad range of professional policy, strategy and change management competencies
• A high degree of strategic thinking in a complex and rapidly changing political environment; with the ability to understand, articulate and resolve complex, technical delivery and policy issues
• Effective use of a range of evidence and analysis, simplifying the complex to make effective, corporate and open decisions by focusing on the key facts
• A track record of successful senior leadership and management with proven skills in business planning, and effective delivery through multi-disciplinary teams​
• Building mutually beneficial and collaborative relationships, with the ability to negotiate and influence at the highest levels, operating with sensitivity and political astuteness, and  remaining calm under pressure;

• 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%

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration
is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them
to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through
building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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

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Job contact :

• Name : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk
• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk