Details

Reference number

397940

Salary

£41,458 A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DFE - Operations and Infrastructure Group - IT Operations

Type of role

Information Technology
Operational Delivery

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Number of jobs available

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Manchester, North West England, M1 2WD : Sheffield, Yorkshire and the Humber, S1 2FJ

About the job

Job summary

The Service Desk Lead will comply with the Department for Education security policies and processes in respect of their own role within Technology Directorate.

Job description

Job Responsibilities:

Managing the Service Desk working to prioritise workload and ensure the service operates in line with SLAs and driving to exceed user expectations and needs.
Reviewing the operation, activities, and processes to embed a culture of continuous improvement.
Providing collaborative leadership of the Online support functions, managing and developing the team and individuals to create a high-performing team.
Working with the Head of User Support and Head of 2nd Line Support to shape and enhance the service offer, developing a clear and measurable roadmap for transformation and continuous improvement.
Work collaboratively with Service Teams, Service Operations and the department to understand the user journey, challenge deliver to continually improve the overall user experience.
Creating efficient and cost-effective resourcing of the functions, including shift and/or rotas.
Analyse performance and service-related data, producing management reports and insights using these outputs to direct Service Desk activities and plans.
Champion the needs of users and service support with projects and service teams to ensure that changes to systems can be supported and are user-centred – assisting with testing, where appropriate.
Act as the senior escalation for all issues, embedding a robust review and feedback mechanism for all interactions received. Establish and maintain excellent relationship with key stakeholders and acting as the first level of escalation.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

Experience transforming and managing Service Desks, including in large complex organisations; leading a team providing support across a wide range of systems, products and tools.
The ability to transform a team implementing best practice, user-centric approaches.
Excellent knowledge IT Service Management frameworks such as ITIL and the role of Service Desks in managing and supporting services and their users.
Proven ability to use data to make evidence-based decisions ensure your team is exceeding expectation, targets and outcomes.
Great interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain excellent relationship with key stakeholders.
Ability to engage with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, to build strong working and interpersonal relationships.
Proven ability to drive continuous improvement.

Desirable criteria:

Demonstrable understanding of the ITIL methodology or an ITIL v3 or v4 qualification.
Good experience of using Service Now.
You understand modern technologies and their application with a keenness to stay abreast of industry developments to make cost effective use of new and emerging tools and technologies.

Desirable criteria will only be assessed in the event of a tie break situation to make an informed decision.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Managing a Quality Service
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Continual service improvement.
Service Management Framework knowledge.
Ownership and initiative.
Customer service management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,458, Department for Education contributes £12,010 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department’s transfer / promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK.

You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.

Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application:

If you would like to apply for this position, please complete the Civil Service Jobs application form by clicking the "apply now" button at the top or bottom of this advert.

You will be required to provide details of: -

Your CV: Set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.
A Your Statement of Suitability: In no more than 750 words, provide examples to explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role. You should refer to the essential criteria listed in the "Person Specification" section of this advert.

Please note, CV details must be contained within the template on the application form. Any CV or Statement of Suitability that has been emailed to our team will not be considered.

Sift:

At sift stage, your application will be assessed on how your CV and Statement of Suitability align to the essential criteria listed in the "Person Specification" section of this advert. Candidates successful at sift stage will be invited to an interview.

We receive many applications, and unfortunately, we’re not able to provide feedback for candidates who aren’t shortlisted.

Interview:

The interview will be made up of 2 parts:

Part 1 – Completion of a small delivery task which will be sent to candidates prior to interview. This will be assessed against the behaviours.

Part 2 - A 45-minute blended interview, you will be asked questions around the behaviours and the technical skills listed in the advert.

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. If you are invited to interview, please ensure that you have access to this software and that you have your video turned on.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Other Information

In your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you.

This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it's called name blind recruitment .

Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your:

name/title
educational institutions
age
gender
email address
postal address
phone number
nationality/immigration status

We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.

We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.

The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Department for Education do not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

Terms and conditions of candidates transferring from ALBs and NDPBs

Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual.

Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.

Reasonable adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 2024 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming 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/

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)
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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 . 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Keith Couch
Email : keith.couch@education.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk

Further information

The Department for Education’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages

Department for Education

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