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 Counter Fraud and Compliance Directorate (CFCD) you will be at the heart of DWPs frontline operations, helping to change people's 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:

• Lead a large, potentially geographically diverse team of Higher Executive Officers (HEOs), setting strategic business priorities and driving performance. 

• Make sound, complex decisions at pace and instil technical knowledge in your team. 

• Use initiative to seek solutions to problems; making interpretative judgements where circumstances fall outside of available guidance. 

• Oversee business change, lead performance reviews, and drive continuous improvement. 

• Build strong, collaborative relationships with senior representatives from other government departments and external bodies. 

• Provide visible, effective leadership through regular site visits and clear communication. 

• Motivate teams to operate flexibly, seek feedback, and personalise services for customers. 

• Encourage creative thinking and collaborative working to drive innovation and service improvements. 

• Ensure compliance with DWP policies and procedures, managing risk exposure. 

• Be aware of HR policy and procedures, carrying out the decision-maker role on sensitive staff related issues. 

Due to the geographically dispersed nature of this team, there will be frequent travel and overnight stays.

• Strong 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. 

• Many of our teams are spread over a wide geography and you will therefore need to be skilled in leading, motivating and remaining visible to those teams. 

• Experience in leading diverse teams through coaching and mentoring to improve service delivery. 

• Ability to drive performance improvement and ensure compliance with performance management policies. 

• Make quality outcomes a priority in everything you do. 

• Have a flexible, agile outlook, able to innovate and display creative thinking. 

• Proactive, resilient, and able to overcome difficulties. 

• Ability to inspire and obtain buy-in from colleagues by encouraging discussion and initiative. 

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use management information to deliver against performance objectives. 

• Empower and encourage a diverse workforce, providing opportunities for development and innovation. 

• Have strong interpersonal skills, with a high level of emotional intelligence. 

• Are honest, with integrity and probity, and have a personal demeanour that inspires confidence and loyalty. 

• 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. 

Key Criteria 

• Demonstrate strong leadership by communicating clearly and enthusiastically with colleagues, partners and stakeholders to drive positive outcomes (Lead Criteria). 

• Lead diverse teams through effective coaching and mentoring to improve service delivery (Second Lead Criteria). 

• Monitor performance effectively, use sound analytical skills, and interpret management information to deliver against performance objectives while maintaining quality. 

• Understand and engage with change, inspire colleagues, and obtain buy-in by encouraging discussion, initiative, and ideas in support of the long-term DWP vision. 

• Have knowledge of risk assessment processes, business continuity planning, and diversity impact assessments. 
• Empower and encourage your diverse workforce, providing real opportunities for people to develop their strengths and innovate. 

Webinar event

We will be holding a webinar event to let you know more about these roles. This will take place on 23/09/2026 between 12 noon and 1pm. Please follow the link to register for the session.

478539 SEO Operational Leader NW & Wales Candidate Awareness Session

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

Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP)

The DWP is committed to investing in people and ensuring their teams are a professional workforce. It is a requirement of counter fraud post holders within DWP to attain, and retain, membership of the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) at Practitioner-level. This means if you are successful in applying for this role you will need to undertake an annual self-assessment to evidence your knowledge, skills, and experience within your role to attain and retain practitioner-level membership. We provide post holders with a learning routeway to support them in achieving as well as any workplace adjustments they may require. Failure to attain membership of the GCFP at practitioner-level may result in DWP seeking an alternative role for you.

In applying you will have indicated that you have read and fully understood the professional requirements for this Counter Fraud role.