Professional Standards Triage and Caseworker Officer

Job description

Job summary

DWP is committed to professionalising its counter fraud response. In addition to upholding cross-government professional standards for technical skills within the Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP), Counter Fraud Compliance & Debt (CFCD) operates a Professional Standards Unit (PSU).

Professional Standards provide a clear framework for expected behaviours, values and ethical principles within a profession. Some of its key components are:

• Consistency and fairness.

• Accountability.

• Professional development.

• Public trust.

• Legal protection.

These roles provide a great opportunity to developand build a portfolio of knowledge, skills, and experience within a Counter Fraud role.

The DWP Professional Standards team values everyone for the contribution they bring, and seeks to operate in an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment.

Job description

We are recruiting for four exciting opportunities within DWPs Counter Fraud Professional Standards Unit.

The CFCD Professional Standards Unit upholds civil service standards of behaviour across counter fraud roles within the organisation, building trust.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence the design and development of this unit within CFCD.

Key Responsibilities:

The Triage and Casework Officer within the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) plays a pivotal role in upholding civil service standards across counter fraud roles, fostering public trust, and supporting the overall integrity of the organisation. As part of a newly established unit, the Triage and Casework Officer will contribute to the ongoing design and evolution of policies and procedures, ensuring high standards of conduct and supporting the PSUs core objectives.

• Act as the initial point of contact for referrals and enquiries regarding PSU services.

• Triage referrals according to established criteria, prioritising high-risk cases and recommending appropriate referral pathways.

• Ensure thorough follow-up and accurate documentation of cases, including referrals and outcomes, while managing correspondence for disciplinary actions, grievances, and complaints.

• Assign cases to relevant units and designate investigators or decision makers based on workload, conflicts, and location.

• Manage shared mailboxes for referrals and general enquiries, ensuring timely and appropriate responses.

• Organise and maintain electronic case files, control access according to PSU policy, and keep records and databases up to date.

• Collaborate with colleagues to develop and maintain internal procedures, supporting the efficient operation of the PSU and compliance with regulatory standards.

• Contribute to the creation of educational materials on key topics such as Security Clearance, Standards of Behaviour, and disclosure obligations related to disciplinary actions.

• Participate in stakeholder meetings to advance PSU initiatives and support the establishment of signposting and referral systems.

• Monitor case progression on case management systems, ensure investigators and decision makers provide regular updates, and maintain oversight of timelines and actions.

• Serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for disclosure queries arising from misconduct and criminal matters for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).

• Attend investigation meetings to take impartial notes and distribute them promptly to attendees.

• Undertake additional duties to support future projects and the ongoing development of the PSU.

Frequent travel, including overnight stays, may be required to attend meetings, undertake required training and provide note-taking support during staff investigations.

Person specification

The successful candidate(s) should be able to demonstrate the following:

• Have excellent organisation and planning skills.

• Comprehensive IT skills, including Microsoft Office, Excel and Lists.

• Use strong judgement and decision-making abilities.

• Present information to internal and external audiences in a professional and credible manner.

• Effective influencing and communication skills.

• Work well both alone and in a team.

• Inspire others with positivity, drive, and energy to achieve goals and implement change.

• Be willing to travel between sites as needed.

• Adapt to a demanding and changing environment.

• Exhibit honesty, integrity, and probity.

• Demonstrate high levels of resilience and emotional intelligence.

Essential Security Criteria

Please notethat the role that you are applying for requires National Security Vetting (NSV) to Security Check (SC) level.

You can find more information at United Kingdom Security Vetting: Applicant - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .If you are successful in your application, you will need to attain SC clearance before you can take up the post. This is mandatory and is in addition to completion of Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).

The purpose of the NSV process is to provide a level of assurance about an individuals trustworthiness, integrity and reliability, and other factors that increase their vulnerability to corruption or risk of committing a security breach. It involves the investigation of an individuals background and circumstances to achieve this aim.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Candidates are required to meet the UK residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. Depending on the level of NSV required, you must have resided continuously in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years, 2 of which must have been the immediately preceding years from the point of applying for this job.

The application process will ask for personal details about you, your address history,previous relationships, your parents, your employment history, your financial circumstances, and details of any pending, spent or unspent convictions. This list is not exhaustive. Please view the Vetting explained - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.

If you require any further information, please contact the vacancy holder. The details are on the jobs portal through which you made your application.

If you are successful in your application, we recommend that you familiarise yourself with the NSV process and advise that you collate as much information as you can prior to starting your Vetting application.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 32,137, Department for Work and Pensions contributes 9,310 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, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (prorata 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 years 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 Womens Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Things you need to know

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, Strengths and Experience.

**Ensure that you read the full information about the selection process thoroughly before starting your application**.

Please note the closing date for your full application (Application Form, CV and Written Stateme nt) is 23:55 on 13/10/2026**

Stage 1 Application Form

Please complete the application form with your basic information, which includes your personal details, eligibility to apply and any reasonable adjustments required.

Stage 2 - Curriculum Vitae (CV)

You will be asked to complete a CV with details of your job history, and previous skills and experience.You are not required to upload your personal CV.

In the previous skills/experience section you should detail your employment and/or education history relevant to this vacancy(we recommend a maximum of 500 words). The CV will also cover your work history (we recommend you include up to the last 3 roles of employment history, plus any others that you feel are relevant).

Your CV will not be formally assessed, so please put the main evidence of your skills into your personal statement.

Your CV will be used to add context to your personal statement.

Stage 3 Personal Statement and Sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a personal statement detailing the relevant skills and experience you can bring to the role. In no more than 750 words, please carefully consider the questions below.

You should address these when constructing your personal statement. You do not need to answer each individually as one example of evidence may cover all of the questions. You should also consider both the job description and person specification details above when providing your evidence.

• Explain how you have identified a process for change and developed a new way of working? (Lead Question)

• Describe a situation where you were required to gather data / information, to analyse it objectively and to make a decision or a recommendation based on the results?

• Detail a time when you had to prioritise your workload amid conflicting and changing priorities?

Your personal statement needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the requirements set out above. Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. One narrative example may cover the requirements needed. You dont have to explain the whole process, just what you have done and the skills and experience you have used.

If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead question . If so, we will sift on:

• Explain how you have identified a process for change and developed a new way of working? (Lead Question)

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to an interview.

In the event we dont receive a high number of applications we may not undertake a sift and progress all candidates to interview.For these reasons, the timeline is subject to change depending on the approach we take.

**The closing date for all stages of your application is23:55 on 13/10/2026.

If you fail to complete all stages before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn**

The sift is scheduled to be held from 14/10/2026 to 30/10/2026.These dates may be subject to change.

Following completion of the sifting period above, results will be collated, and candidates will receive confirmation of the outcome. Those candidates who have met the agreed pass mark will be invited to interview.

No feedback will be provided at this stage.

Stage 4 - Interview

If you pass the written application sift with the required score, you will be invited to a blended interview and will receive an electronic notification to your Civil Service Jobs account.If high application volumes are received, the benchmark / score for candidates to proceed to the interview stage may be raised.

Interviews will be conducted face-to-face. Interview locations will be confirmed at a later stage. Candidates may be required to travel to an alternative location to attend their interview.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to attend a face-to-face interview, please ensure you state those on your application form when asked to do so.

Interviews are scheduled to take place from 30/11/2026 to 11/12/2026.

Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.

Interviews will be scheduled Monday to Friday, between 09:00 to 17:00.

Communications will be electronic and/or by SMS/telephone; therefore, it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder. Telephone calls may show as a withheld number, it is important that you answer so that your interview can be confirmed. If you wish to opt out of SMS messages, please email this address, including the vacancy reference and your candidate ID [email protected] .

As part of our commitment to improving the candidate experience, you may be contacted during the recruitment process to provide feedback.

Preparing for the Interview

The interview will take approximately 40 to 45 minutes and will consist of behaviour and strength-based questions.

A blended interview aims to be more of a conversation offering a more inclusive approach.The questions explore what you, the candidate, can and have done, but also your potential.

Behaviours

You will be assessed against the Civil Service Behaviours listed at Executive Officer Level 2.

An example of a behavioural question would be: Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a difficult customer.

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed, or a situation you have been in, and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

• WHO - Whatit was?Howyou approached the work/situation? What theOutcomeswere, what did youachieve? or

• STAR - What was theSituation? What were theTasks? WhatActiondid you take? What were the Results of your actions?

Strengths

It is difficult to prepare for strength type questions. However, you can think through your answers, focus on your achievements and aspects you enjoy and decide how these can be applied in the organisation and role.While strengths questions are shorter and we do not expect a full STAR response, the panel is interested in your first reaction to the question and information or reasoning to support this.

If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from school/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.

If you withdraw your application at any stage, it will not progress further.

Stage 5 Offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Our current plan is that this will be week commencing11/01/2027, but this may be subject to change. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first

The successful candidat es will be notified of a start date following successful pre- employment and security c hecks, which is likely to be during April 2027.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that these vacancies are not currently eligible for new applications for Visa Sponsorship on the Skilled Worker route, for any candidates who do not currently have permission to be in the UK as a Skilled Worker where they were sponsored before 4 April 2024, even if relying on tradeable points (including the new entrant tradeable points option) as they are not included in the published Immigration Salary List. This information is offered as guidance only, and we recommend that candidates seek specialist advice on their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship (if applicable) when considering whether to apply for any role.

We can never guarantee sponsorship; requests will be considered in line with the relevant DWP guidance and Home Office policy in place at the time.

Candidate pack

It is important that you take time to read the candidate pack which can be found at the bottom of this job advert.This provides further information about the role and working in DWP.

Location

The role s available will be based in the following locatio ns subject to space availability at the time of posting:

Please see the candidate pack for a list of possible locations.

The candidates who reach the interview stage will be asked their preferred locations via an offline email process. You will be asked for up to three preferences, please note you do not have to select 3 preferences.

You should only apply for suitable posts where you can travel to and from your home office location daily within a reasonable time. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Relocation costs will not be reimbursed. Make sure the lo cations work for you before applying!

Hybrid working

This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office. If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.

Working pattern

Alternative working patterns will be considered but must meet business needs. Wewill do our best to let people with existing part-time contracts retain their contracted hours provided they are in line withcurrent business needs.

Initial training is currently expected to last between 6 and 8 weeks and can be completed within your agreed working pattern. Where suitable, training and subsequent duties may be undertaken in line with the hybrid working arrangements available for the role.

Hours of work

The full-time working week in DWP is 37 hours. You may be required to work at any time between the hours of:

• 7:45am and 8:00pm on any day between Monday to Friday, and

• 8:45am to 5:00pm on Saturday.

Managers will agree working patterns with successful candidates within these business hours and review these asappropriate. You will be given advance notice of your personal schedule.

Learning and Development

DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified as determined by the business. To support this aim you may be required to undertake a work-based qualification, which may be in the form of an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time, you agree to take this job on the basis that you may be required to undertake a work-based qualification; a candidates failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract.

Important: If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.

Further Information

At the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

Find out more about working for DWP on the DWP Careers Hub .

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

If you are placed on a reserve list but we cannot immediately offer you a post, please note:

• If you are later offered the role you applied for, in a location you have expressed a preference for, and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe you will be withdrawn from the campaign and removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a contractual Part Time Working Pattern cannot be accommodated in the initial role offered or in cases of serious ill health).
• If DWP makes an offer of an alternative role or location to that which you originally applied for, and you decline that offer, you will be able to remain on the reserve list.

Disability Confident Scheme

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

Reasonable Adjustments

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 the Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] 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 changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Integrity, plagiarism and Civil Service Principles

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles.

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words.

Examples of plagiarism can include:

- Presenting the work, ideas and experience of others as your own

- Copying content or answers from an online or published source that is not your own

Disclosure and Barring Service and Internal Fraud Database Checks

To process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check will be carried out.

Important

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

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. If you are a current employee and are successful you must be able to be released from your current post within four weeks.

Those on protected TUPE/ COSoP terms and conditions applying on promotion or voluntary permanent level move will adopt DWPs Terms and Conditions and this may have a different impact on pay and allowances. Please review this prior to acceptance of a role.

Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing. Accepting a post will be taken to mean acceptance of revised terms & conditions.

Civil Servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary.

Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access 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 the Childcare Choices Website.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website .

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window) .

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .

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 : CFCD RECRUITMENT TEAM
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commissions Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DWP by email: [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments 481599 - DWP Candidate Pack W Opens in new window (pdf, 223kB) Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB) DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 17kB)