Senior Operational Leader

DWP helps people lift themselves out of poverty and to stay out of poverty, through work, saving and support. This is a hugely important public service, and our challenge is bigger than ever. As part of the Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt Directorate (CFCD) you will be at the heart of DWPs front line operations, helping to change peoples lives and supporting CFCD's purpose of fighting fraud in the welfare system.    

As Senior Operational Leader, you will role model excellent senior management leadership, taking responsibility for the flexible, effective, personalised delivery of customer service, quality, and performance.  You will provide transformational leadership to a geographically diverse team - leading through others, driving people engagement, and inspiring colleagues to deliver objectives.    

CFCD is a great place to work where the leadership team are passionate about attracting the best talent whilst nurturing and valuing new and existing colleagues to be the best they can be. We are looking for people who can demonstrate our values and commitment to leadership which are based around collaboration, resilience and inclusivity. We look for emotionally aware leaders who enable teams to be innovative, adaptable and flexible. We want you to be comfortable challenging the norm and finding daring and dynamic solutions that support our values and enable colleagues to shine in whatever role they do.

As a Senior Operational Leader, you will:    

• Report directly to the Grade 6, being fully accountable for the management of a large, geographically diverse, team of Senior Executive Officers (SEOs) setting strategic business priorities for your areas of responsibility and driving performance against key objectives.   
• Lead performance within your business area, undertaking regular face-to-face performance reviews with your direct reports, identifying risks to performance achievement, and driving forward continuous improvement.   
• Be at the forefront of overseeing business change; leading others through the implementation, and embedding, of new policies and procedures.   
• Work alongside multiple senior representatives from other government departments / external bodies, building strong, collaborative relationships which enhance our reputation and achieve excellent outcomes.   
• Provide visible, effective leadership through regular site visits, taking a personal lead in engaging with and communicating key messages with clarity and passion to obtain buy in.   
• Motivate teams to operate flexibly, seeking feedback, listening and acting on this, setting performance standards and personalising services for our customers.   
• Encourage creative thinking and collaborative working between teams and directorates to drive innovation and service improvements.   
• Contribute to people planning activities, ensuring appropriate and effective deployment of people and resources within and between sites.   
• Develop a holistic grasp of all customer types enabling you to lead, design and manage new business roles and processes that continuously improve the quality of customer experience.   
• Ensure all matters are dealt with promptly and sensitively, in line with DWP policies and procedures, and legislative frameworks, managing risk exposure by overseeing compliance.  

Frequent travel between sites and overnight stays will be required depending on business needs. 

What we are looking for in our leaders:   

• Have strong and effective leadership experience, with the ability to lead through others and make sound business decisions at pace.   
• Can communicate with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to drive positive outcomes.   
• Have experience and knowledge of leading diverse teams, through effective coaching and mentoring, to improve service delivery.   
• Can drive and monitor performance improvement through proactive management of processes and ensuring compliance with performance management policies and procedures.
• Have sound analytical skills, and the ability to effectively interpret and use management information to deliver against performance objectives while maintaining quality.   
• Be proactive in identifying, and have the resilience to overcome, difficulties taking ownership for resolving and driving issues forward.   
• Understand and engage with change. Inspire and obtain buy-in from colleagues by encouraging discussion, initiative, and ideas in support of the long term DWP vision.   
•  An ability to empower and encourage your diverse workforce, providing real opportunities for people to develop their strengths and innovate.   
• Have strong interpersonal skills, with a high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to remotely manage staff.   
• Are honest, with integrity and probity, and have a personal demeanour that inspires confidence and loyalty.   
• Have excellent presentation and communication abilities.   
• Hold a solid understanding of equality and diversity, and how it impacts upon service delivery.   
• Have excellent, planning, delegation, and organisational skills, as well as strong negotiating and influencing skills.   
• Have excellent interpersonal skills, in order to collaborate in national multi-agency meetings, requiring strategic decisions.   

Webinar event

We will be holding a webinar event to let you know more about these roles. This will take place on 25/08/2026 between 12 noon and 1pm.

Please follow the link to register for the session. Grade 7 Senior Operational Leader

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Those who attend may be contacted following the event for evaluation purposes to improve our service.