Head of HR Investigation Service

This leadership role sits within the People and Place function in DWP, with accountability for leading the HR Investigation Service (HRIS) within the HR Advice and Support Team. The HR Advice and Support Team delivers specialist HR services across DWP through four key functions: HR Casework Operations, Employment Tribunal and People Risk, HR Investigation Service, and Continuous Improvement. HRIS provides expert support and oversight for the Department's most complex, sensitive and high-profile HR investigations, while also driving investigative capability and standards across the wider organisation.

The HR Investigation Service has undergone significant transformation in recent years, including professional accreditation of investigators, expansion of the team and the development of a more collaborative and insight-led operating model. The service plays a critical role in supporting organisational risk management, employee experience and continuous improvement across the Department.

The post holder will provide strategic leadership for the HR Investigation Service, ensuring investigations are delivered to the highest professional standards and in line with legislation, DWP policy and recognised best practice. They will lead a geographically dispersed team of specialist investigators, drive continuous improvement and quality assurance, and ensure insights and lessons learned from investigations inform organisational learning, policy development and cultural improvement.

As a member of the HR Advice and Support senior leadership team, you will shape the future direction of HR investigations across DWP, building capability, strengthening partnerships and ensuring the service remains professional, responsive and aligned to departmental priorities.

Reporting to the Head of DWP Casework and Investigations Team, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, providing visible and credible leadership for the HR Investigation Service across DWP.

You will play a pivotal role in maintaining professional investigative standards, managing organisational risk and ensuring the effective delivery of complex and sensitive investigations.

Working closely with Senior HR Business Partners, HR Policy, Employee Relations, wider DWP investigation networks and cross-government partners, you will lead service improvement, organisational learning and capability development across the HR investigations profession.

You will be responsible for:

• Setting the strategic direction for the HR Investigation Service, ensuring investigations are delivered consistently, professionally and in line with legislation, DWP policy, ACAS guidance and recognised best practice.
• Leading and developing a geographically dispersed team of specialist HR investigators, building capability, supporting professional accreditation and career development, promoting wellbeing, and fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Managing investigative resources, workforce planning and workload prioritisation, ensuring effective deployment of capacity, appropriate oversight of high-risk and complex cases, and delivery against agreed standards and timescales.
• Acting as the senior escalation point for investigators, HR Business Partners, managers and senior stakeholders, providing expert advice and guidance on complex, sensitive and high-profile investigation matters.
• Driving continuous improvement and quality assurance across HR investigations, ensuring policies, processes, guidance, documentation and investigation outcomes are regularly reviewed and enhanced through feedback, lessons learned, stakeholder insight and best practice.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior stakeholders across DWP, wider government and professional investigative networks, promoting the HR Investigation Service, sharing best practice and strengthening investigative capability across the Department.
• Acting as a strategic partner to senior leaders, HR Policy and Employee Relations teams, using investigation outcomes and insights to influence policy development, address organisational and cultural issues, and improve people management practices.
• Leading the HR investigations risk management approach, ensuring robust governance and quality assurance arrangements are in place to identify, assess and mitigate operational, legal and reputational risks.
• Using trends, themes and lessons learned from investigations to drive organisational learning and continuous improvement, while providing strategic leadership and oversight of the Department's most complex, sensitive and high-risk investigations.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Our CV element is short and allows an initial check of eligibility but is not scored so please put the main content of your evidence and skills in your Personal Statement.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement of no more than 1000 words against the essential criteria as outlined above.

If we receive a high volume of applications, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criterion:

Significant experience of leading and delivering HR investigations, with expert knowledge of employment law, HR policy and best practice investigation standards, including alternative and informal resolution approaches.

Stage 2: Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview lasting up to 60 minutes. Interviews will be conducted Face to Face at Newcastle Upon Tyne, Benton Park View. The interview panel will be a minimum of 3 people and will assess you using both Behavioural and Strength based questions.

Indicative Sift and Interview Timeline:

• Sift week commencing 14/9/26
• Interviews week commencing 12/10/26

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.

Important Information – Visa Sponsorship

For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

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 DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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 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.

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 Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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 Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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 DWP’s 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.

Feedback

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