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Service Leader, UC Service Centres – South

Job details
Posting date: 08 July 2025
Salary: £72,664 to £77,740 per year
Additional salary information: National: £72,664 - £77,740 Outer London: £77,367 - £82,813
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 17 July 2025
Location: Hastings
Company: Government Recruitment Service
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 413876/5

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Summary

Are you an inspirational leader who’s passionate about communities, people, and delivering exceptional public service? Do you thrive in a high-profile, operational environment where your leadership can drive meaningful change? If so, this could be the role for you.

DWP is recruiting a Universal Credit Service Leader to lead the delivery of Universal Credit services across Southern England. This is a high-profile and business-critical role with responsibility for end-to-end customer experience across a network of Universal Credit. They will be responsible for leading c1,500 colleagues, based in 7 locations across the south of England.

This role sits at the heart of government welfare agenda aimed at simplifying the benefit system and supporting people into work. You will be responsible for leading high-quality services, maintaining strong operational performance, and ensuring strategic alignment with national priorities.

Recent changes within DWP mean that Service Centres and Jobcentres are now integrated under a single leadership structure within National Universal Credit Operations.

This new model strengthens our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality, end to end customer experiences. As a Service Leader, you will work closely with peers and Directors to ensure excellence across your region, while also contributing to cross-directorate collaboration and senior leadership forums. You’ll play a key role in embedding consistent performance, driving people engagement, and supporting delivery of wider departmental priorities, including the white paper and the new Jobs and Careers Service, while maintaining a core focus on timely benefit payments and reducing fraud and error.

This is a site-based role requiring visible leadership across all locations. At DWP, we are proud to foster an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive. If you’re ready to lead with purpose and impact, this is your opportunity to shape the future of public service.

This is a large-scale, operational, leadership role. Successful candidates can expect to be involved in a range of the following:

  • The post holder has overall responsibility for delivering high-quality services through a network of 7 Universal Credit Service Centres across the South of England.
  • Be an active member of your Senior Leadership Team, contributing to departmental goals and representing your area across the wider DWP organisation.
  • Take a personal lead in communicating messages with clarity and conviction, engaging with activities outside of your district.
  • Accountable for delivering a high-quality, end to end customer experience by ensuring service standards are met within agreed budgets and headcount, with a strong focus on timeliness, cost effectiveness, and operational energy.
  • Positively respond to and lead change, ensuring the rationale is understood by your teams and stakeholders.
  • Build and sustain positive relationships with senior stakeholders, including Directors, employers, and key partners across DWP.
  • Represent DWP publicly, managing the complexity of change and standing up to public and political scrutiny.
  • Promote a culture of inclusion and continuous improvement.
  • Providing visible leadership to geographically dispersed teams, you must be able to inspire and empower others to deliver against all agreed operational measures.
  • You will lead people engagement across your sites, setting high standards for leadership throughout the business and across the one service.
  • You will provide senior leadership and effective use of resources to meet organisational objectives.
  • You will role model transformational leadership to your immediate business area and beyond, inspiring colleagues through difficult situations, transforming service delivery and building high performing teams.
  • You will play an active role as part of the wider National UC Operations and Service Centres and National Services Senior Leadership Teams, working in an open and accessible way.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

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