Universal Credit Review - Executive Officer - National (Ref: 749)

Government Recruitment Service; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the United Kingdom is looking for an Executive Officer to manage case reviews and conduct interviews to ensure the accuracy of Universal Credit payments. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills and the ability to analyze information effectively. This role contributes to fraud prevention and the overall efficiency of benefit assessments.

Qualifications

• Ability to manage caseload effectively and follow structured processes.
• Strong communication skills for conducting interviews and gathering information.
• Judgement to tailor follow-up questions and request appropriate evidence.

Responsibilities

• Manage and conduct case reviews within an allocated caseload.
• Plan and conduct robust interviews with claimants by telephone.
• Decide what evidence is appropriate to request from claimants.
• Gather, verify and assess all available information.
• Present all information relevant to a claim review clearly and accurately.
• Seek support and advice when required from appropriate sources.
• Record the progress of a case on departmental systems.
• Work collaboratively and flexibly within the team.

Job description

About the job

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to reduce the rates of fraud and error payments within Universal Credit (UC). The rate of fraud and error has continued to rise significantly with increases in the proportions of higher risk cases, for example self-employed and those with capital, and as a result of the easements and changes introduced due to the pandemic.

To address this, we have introduced a claim review process into the UC service. This new process includes a review of the entitlement and circumstances of claims that are at risk of being incorrect. This prevents people from falling further into debt by identifying changes which result in an underpayment and fast-tracking suspected cases of fraud for investigation

If you’re looking for a career that makes a clear and positive difference to people’s lives, then a DWP Executive Officer role may be ideal for you!

About us - Department for Work and Pensions GOV.UK

Responsibilities

• Manage and conduct case reviews within an allocated caseload, following the structured Claim Review process to ensure all cases adhere to all legal and policy requirements.
• Plan and conduct robust interviews with claimants by telephone, asking challenging questions to gather all relevant information, including exercising judgement to tailor follow up questions of each individual case.
• Decide what evidence is appropriate to request from claimants in order to confirm the validity of declarations, considering the context of each individual case.
• Gather, verify and assess all available information, and decide on an appropriate course of action from a number of options, to ensure any incorrectness can be identified and corrected. Examples include referring to a Decision Maker or Case Manager to enable accurate benefit reassessment, overpayment and underpayment calculation, fraud referrals to Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt (CFCD), or referring incorrect cases for corrective action.
• Present all information relevant to a claim review clearly and accurately, so that others can use the gathered information and advice as the sole source of evidence to make a fair judgement.
• Seek support and advice when required, identifying most appropriate source for the particular challenge, referring to written guidance, raising with colleagues in a case conference or escalating to a team leader.
• Record the progress of a case on departmental systems. Maintain and retain relevant evidence in the evidence file redacting & annotating sensitive material when appropriate.
• Work collaboratively, effectively and flexibly within the team and contribute towards the development of this role.
• Contribute to feedback and lessons learned to shape and improve the role and processes.

The key outcome from the reviews is to be confident the claimant is being paid the right amount and any incorrectness has been corrected.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the design and operating model of this process and be part of delivering DWPs Fraud and Error strategy, ensuring value for money for the taxpayer and positively impacting DWP’s reputation.