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City of Westminster, London (region), SW1P 3BT
Job Summary
This is a business-critical role as it oversees the day to operation of our Head Office Building in London supporting our most senior stakeholders including Ministers, The Permanent Secretary and Director Generals, alongside 3500 staff. In addition, the role also provides oversight and support to 6 satellite sites including Cambridge, Bristol and Watford.
The main remit is to ensure the effective operation of DfE users and the IT equipment used by those users. This is a very demanding role and this is a particularly busy period for this role as we are in the middle of significant refurbishment activity in our main site which requires 2nd line support, in addition we are about to rollout several core end user facing service upgrades which will put significant work through the second line Teams.
The 2nd Line Support Manager (South) will comply with the Department for Education security policies and processes in respect of their own role within Technology Directorate.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities:
* Will be directly responsible for 7 sites, and you will report to the 2nd Line Support lead. Will work collaboratively with and manage all On-site Support teams across multiple sites to create integrated processes and excellent customer service.
* Will be part of the team that are transforming how we work, automating processes and data flows, whilst supporting the Departmental shift to IT self-service. Will demonstrate leadership and vision when managing change.
* Responsible for Teams who are a key point of contact for over 3500 internal users. Will be on point for maintaining business critical service in a fast-paced, pressurised environment and will stay calm under pressure.
* Will always be looking for ways to improve processes and ways of working. Will work with other resolver groups and external teams to reach timely resolutions to meet customer needs and liaise with internal stakeholders to identify pressing issues and service improvements.
* Will be accountable for maintaining business critical services in a fast-paced, pressurised environment and will stay calm under pressure.
* Will be responsible for providing support to our ministers, their private offices and other high-profile users and acting as our main liaison point between IT and senior stakeholders.
Job Responsibilities
* Will be directly responsible for 7 sites, and you will report to the 2nd Line Support lead. Will work collaboratively with and manage all On-site Support teams across multiple sites to create integrated processes and excellent customer service.
* Will be part of the team that are transforming how we work, automating processes and data flows, whilst supporting the Departmental shift to IT self-service. Will demonstrate leadership and vision when managing change.
* Responsible for Teams who are a key point of contact for over 3500 internal users. Will be on point for maintaining business critical service in a fast-paced, pressurised environment and will stay calm under pressure.
* Will always be looking for ways to improve processes and ways of working. Will work with other resolver groups and external teams to reach timely resolutions to meet customer needs and liaise with internal stakeholders to identify pressing issues and service improvements.
* Will be accountable for maintaining business critical services in a fast-paced, pressurised environment and will stay calm under pressure.
* Will be responsible for providing support to our ministers, their private offices and other high-profile users and acting as our main liaison point between IT and senior stakeholders.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
* Experience of running customer-facing services in a modern IT environment and managing a range of stakeholders. Experience of VIP support and managing relationships with VIPs and their offices. Deliver high quality support services for a range of IT systems and services, many of which are business critical.
* Proven evidence of previous customer focussed roles within an IT environment including management of SLAs.
* A capability to manage multiple competing high-profile workloads in a fast paced and agile environment, delivering change and making decisions to support activity.
* Experience of running a large team of support engineers across multiple sites to deliver first class outcomes at pace.
* Proven experience of developing and maintaining relationships with suppliers, commercial and financial partners.
* Commitment to delivering customer centric solutions demonstrating and understanding of customer needs and improving the customer experience.
* Proven experience of driving continuous service improvement and challenge of services, tools and capability.
* Experience of Managing disposal processes ensuring all processes are followed and re-cycling and security regulations are met.
* An in depth and extensive understanding of IT technologies, Office Productivity, Microsoft based operating systems and applications such as:
o Windows 10
o Windows 11
o Office 2016/Office 365
o Mobile Technologies including In Tune
o SCCM
o Cloud Technologies
* An extensive understanding of computer hardware.
* A flexible approach and attitude to work.
Behaviours
Well assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Working Together
* Delivering at Pace
* Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
Well assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Asset and configuration management.
* Continual service improvement
* Service Focus
* Technical Understanding
Alongside your salary of £45,492, Department for Education contributes £13,179 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.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
Application And Sift
You will be assessed on your experience in line with the essential criteria listed in the person specification section.
You Will Be Asked To Provide
* A CV setting out your career history highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to this role.
* A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1000 words) 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.
If you are successful at application sift stage candidates will progress onto interview.
Interview
At interview you will be asked questions to assess your experience in line with the essential criteria listed above. You will also be asked questions around the technical skills and behaviours listed in the advert.
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 - its 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 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 05_2025 – 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.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
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.
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) (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 Commissions 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.
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 Commissions 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).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) 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
Seniority level
* Seniority level
Mid-Senior level
Employment type
* Employment type
Part-time
Job function
* Job function
Engineering and Information Technology
* Industries
Government Administration
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