Department for Education
Schools Delivery Officer - Schools Delivery Officer
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London – SW1P 3BT
Job Summary
IMPORTANT - This vacancy is using the Civil Service Numerical and Verbal tests. The deadline for completing the tests is the same as the vacancy closing date. Please ensure you complete the tests with sufficient time to complete the written application.
We are the Department’s main interface for academy trusts and local authorities across the South East of England. Our team is led by Dame Kate Dethridge, the Regional Director for the South East.
Regions Group is responsible for the stewardship of the school system across the country. We work with stakeholders to ensure that we develop the best educational and social care landscape for the children of our region.
Our office is located at Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT, and current policy requires the successful candidate to attend the office 60% of their working week.
As a successful candidate, you will join one of our teams which oversees a diverse range of issues relating to the school system.
Job Description
- Supporting underperforming schools by identifying structural solutions or by brokering school improvement support from other sources.
- Using quantitative and qualitative evidence to make recommendations to the Regional Director - these may be in relation to a school converting to academy status, an academy transferring to a new trust or an academy making a change, e.g. to its size.
- Managing free schools projects from inception to delivery.
- Ensuring academy trusts are legally compliant in respect of safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures.
- Identifying and assessing trust governance concerns, undertaking desk top assessments, seeking assurances, challenging non-compliance, and intervening where non-financial breaches or non-compliance of the Academy Trust-Handbook are identified.
- Maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders in the education sector, including multi-academy trusts, local authorities and maintained schools.
You Could Also Spend Time On:
- Supporting the effective delivery of work that cuts across regions and/or has national significance, e.g. contributing to a national portfolio work stream or a RISE functional strand.
- This could include data analysis, contributing to briefing and advice on your work area to colleagues across the region or in other regions, monitoring progress and providing suggestions for continuous improvement.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- A track record of delivering high-quality work across a diverse range of tasks to demanding timelines.
- The ability to accurately analyse and interpret data to inform decision making with the confidence to make recommendations and understand when to escalate and seek the views of others.
- Able to use a range of tools and techniques to manage several strands of work with a clear focus on ensuring quality as well as timely delivery.
- Excellent relationship building skills and the ability to negotiate with and influence a range of external and internal stakeholders; as well as enjoying working as a team.
Additional Information:
- Alongside your salary of £40,132, Department for Education contributes £11,626 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).
- 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.
- Part‑time hours available, from a minimum of XXXX FTE.
- As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.
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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 Strengths and Experience.
Stage 1: Civil Service Numerical Test (CSNT)
When you have completed your personal information, you will be asked to complete the CSNT. You must achieve the minimum pass mark to progress to the next stage.
Stage 2: Civil Service Verbal Test (CSVT)
When you have completed the CSNT, you will be asked to complete the CSVT. You must achieve the minimum pass mark to progress to the next stage.
Stage 3 - Written Application
To apply for this role, you will be required to provide a CV and Statement of Suitability.
- Your CV should include details of your employment history, and the skills and experience gained in those roles.
- Your Statement of Suitability (max 750 words) should demonstrate how your experience meets the essential criteria listed above.
Stage 4 - Sift
We reserve the right to increase the minimum pass mark for the CSNT and CSVT where there is a high volume of applications or a particularly strong field of candidates. Where this occurs, candidates who do not meet the revised pass mark will not progress further, and their written application will not be assessed.
We will use your CV and statement to assess your suitability for the role against the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above.
To confirm, the maximum word count for the personal statement/ statement of suitability is 750. Please adhere to this limit as anything over 750 words will not be taken into account.
The sift will be restricted to just assessing personal statements in the event of a large volume of applications.
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More guidance on personal statements can be found here – completing your application.
Stage 5 – Interview
At interview you will be asked questions to assess your experience in line with the essential criteria listed above.
We will also ask you some strength-based questions
When looking at your experience, we’re looking for examples of things you have previously achieved or your knowledge in a particular field, which are relevant to the job role.
We’re not looking at how much time you spent in a particular field, but rather how you performed.
Sometimes experience can be transferable from a non-work context. Skills gained through voluntary work or a hobby, such as teamwork or communication, can demonstrate the experience required for the role.
Important Information
- If you fail to complete the tests before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn. Guidance will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are untimed, administered via Civil Service Jobs, and applicant guidance is available during the test and online on GOV.UK Online Tests guidance.
- Applicants must complete the test on their own, without help, and Departments reserve the right to retest applicants under supervised conditions at later stages of the selection process. Doing this can provide reassurance to recruiters who are concerned about the authenticity of one or more test results.
- Please ensure you allow yourself sufficient time to complete both assessments and submit your application before the advertised deadline.
Reasonable Adjustments & Test Accessibility:
See our reasonable adjustments guide for candidates (online tests), or some example case studies, to act as a guide. You can use these to help you decide whether to ask for help or take the test without help.
More information about online tests can be found here: Preparing for the Civil Service Verbal and Numerical tests - GOV.UK. You will also find practice tests on this page if you would find them helpful prior to completing the live test.
Other Information
- Interviews may be via Microsoft teams or face to face; the vacancy manager will confirm prior to the Interview.
- 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 (opens in a new window).
- 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 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
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