Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Head of Departmental Planning and Performance
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Birmingham / Blackpool / Glasgow/ Leeds / London/ Manchester / Newcastle-upon-Tyne / Sheffield
Please note that for candidates requesting to work in Newcastle, this role will be based at Benton Park View, and then at 1 Pilgrim Place in Newcastle city centre by the end of 2027.
Job Summary
Help shape the strategy and performance of one of the UK’s largest government departments
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) delivers vital services to millions of people across the UK. At the heart of this work sits Strategic Finance and Business Strategy (SFBS), providing financial and strategic leadership, shaping departmental priorities and maintaining DWP’s critical relationship with HM Treasury.
We are seeking an outstanding leader to join as Head of Departmental Planning and Performance. This is a high-profile role with significant influence across the Department, offering the opportunity to shape strategic decision-making, drive performance improvement and provide assurance on the delivery of ministerial priorities.
About You
We are looking for a strategic, collaborative leader who can operate confidently in a complex, high-profile environment. You will bring experience of strategic planning, performance management, assurance, governance or corporate strategy in a large organisation, together with strong analytical judgement and the ability to turn complex information into clear, practical advice.
You will be a confident influencer with excellent stakeholder management skills, able to work across organisational boundaries and with senior leaders. You will balance strategic thinking with delivery focus, build capability in others and lead a high-performing, inclusive team.
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to make a direct impact on the delivery of government priorities and public services that matter to millions of citizens. Working at the centre of departmental decision-making, you will help shape the future direction of one of the largest and most complex organisations in government.
Job Description
The Role
You will lead DWP’s strategic planning, performance management and assurance function, ensuring ministers and the Executive Team have a clear, credible view of performance, risk and deliverability. You will oversee the Departmental Quarterly Performance Report, lead the refresh of DWP’s Strategic Plan and support performance reporting to the centre of government.
A key part of the role will be advising on departmental deliverability during fiscal events, including Budgets, Spending Reviews and Spring Statements. Through high-quality analysis, insight and assurance, you will help DWP stay focused on delivering outcomes efficiently and effectively.
For more information about the role have a look at the Candidate Pack.
Person specification
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and skills against the following essential criteria:
- Exceptional strategic leadership skills, with the ability to set clear direction for the team, inspire confidence, and lead a multi‑site, multi‑disciplinary team. Experience leading both generalist and specialist (e.g. analytics, performance, or operational teams) functions, driving robust assessment of organisational performance and continuous improvement at pace.
- Strong strategic, analytical and problem‑solving capability, able to assess organisational readiness, interpret complex system‑wide issues, and translate strategic intent into practical frameworks, processes and products that support delivery of the department's objectives.
- Proven ability to build strong, trust‑based relationships with senior stakeholders, including SCS colleagues, executive or board-level leaders across a variety of corporate functions, skilled at navigating competing priorities, influencing decisions, and aligning stakeholders around shared strategic outcomes.
- Highly effective communicator, able to distill complex issues into clear, compelling insights and advice to support and encourage confident, evidence-based decisions.
- Strong track record of delivering complex, high-impact work in fast-paced environments, balancing long-term transformation with immediate priorities. Demonstrates the ability to deliver through others, maintaining high professional standards under pressure.
- Experience operating effectively within large, complex, and highly governed environments (public, private, and/or regulated sectors), with a strong understanding of governance, corporate culture, and cross-organisational working. Able to navigate decision-making structures. Able to lead teams to adopt digital tools and use data to drive insight and high-quality outcomes.
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Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
Application Process
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application http://www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe134302 process outlined below no later than 23:55pm on Monday 31st August 2026.
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- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;
- A personal statement (maximum 1250) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer.
A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future similar vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information regarding the role and recruitment process.
Reasonable Adjustments
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, especially those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk as soon as possible, before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what additional support or adjustments you might need during the recruitment process.
For further information regarding reasonable adjustments, please see following link: Reasonable Adjustments, Civil Service Careers
For a confidential initial discussion about the role, please get in touch with recruitment advisers at GatenbySanderson:
- Sophie Hester: sophie.hester@gatenbysanderson.com
- Hilda Gjika: hilda.gjika@gatenbysanderson.com
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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) (opens in a new window
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