Universal Credit Operational Leader - Galashiels - East Scotland

Work Coach Team 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date that works for you; however, candidates who are unable to take up the role within an appropriate timeframe may be withdrawn from the campaign.

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About the job

Job summary

• 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.

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.

About us - Department for Work and Pensions GOV.UK

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 responsible for 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.

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.

Key Criteria (to be covered in the Personal Statement)

Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following:

• 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.