Mary ..

My Civil Service Journey: Building a Rewarding Career in Public Service

My Three Most Significant Career Moves in a 30+ year career Transitioning from Shyness to Open Confidence My first pivotal move came when I shifted from the DWP Organised Fraud support team to the Child Support Agency visiting team. This role pushed me outside my comfort zone, requiring face-to-face client interactions in often challenging circumstances. Initially nervous, I discovered an unexpected ability to connect with people during difficult conversations. Each successful visit strengthened my confidence and communication skills, transforming me from a behind-the-scenes analyst into someone comfortable handling confrontation and advocating for others—opening doors throughout my civil service career. Taking on Leadership in a Challenging Environment The second defining moment was accepting a team leadership position as Deputy Unit Manager within a difficult workplace culture. Determined to create positive change, I focused on building trust and fostering an environment where colleagues could collaborate without fear of judgment. Through team-building activities and establishing shared goals, I gradually transformed the culture. My efforts earned a DWP Making a Difference Award and an invitation to a celebration hosted by the DWP Permanent Secretary. This experience solidified my leadership philosophy of prioritising psychological safety and team wellbeing. Embracing and Creating Opportunities Beyond Core Responsibilities My third significant career decision was actively seeking additional responsibilities alongside my primary role. By volunteering as a continuous improvement advocate, participating in outreach work, and joining advisory boards, I've developed versatile skills and broader networks across departments. These supplementary positions have showcased my leadership abilities while providing fresh perspectives that enrich my professional toolkit. I've learned that career growth comes not just from upward progression but from sideways exploration—a philosophy that continues to create unexpected and valuable opportunities throughout my career.

Cultivating Inclusion: Leading Transformative Equality Initiatives Across HMRC

Leading Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at HMRC As part of HMRC's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team, I drive our commitment to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute fully. My role bridges strategic vision with practical implementation - translating high-level policies into meaningful change across my directorate of 4,000 people and influencing wider. I coordinate our approach to inclusive recruitment, progression pathways, and workplace culture development. I confidently challenge existing practices with senior leaders, using evidence and data to identify barriers to inclusion. These constructive challenges have led to meaningful approach revisions and more inclusive decision-making at executive levels. By transforming our communication products with accessible templates, inclusive language guides, and diverse visual representation standards, I've ensured our communications reach and resonate with all staff, regardless of background. My most effective contribution has been creating team building and discussion materials that foster deeper understanding among colleagues. These facilitated conversations create safe spaces for authentic dialogue about difference, helping teams develop genuine empathy beyond superficial awareness. I've established cross-business area networks that share best practices and build community among diverse staff. By connecting EDI champions across teams, I've created sustainable support systems that extend beyond individual departments. My evidence-based approach measures impact through both quantitative metrics and qualitative experiences of staff from underrepresented groups. My work goes beyond compliance to foster genuine cultural transformation - where diversity isn't just represented in numbers but actively shapes how we develop policy and deliver services, helping build a Civil Service that truly reflects and understands the communities we serve.

Motivations Behind a 30+ Year Civil Service Career

Making a Meaningful Difference My career transitions show a consistent desire to create positive impact in people's lives, whether supporting vulnerable customers at the Child Support Agency and Pension Service or implementing approaches that help the "honest majority" understand their tax obligations at HMRC and not commit DWP Benefit Fraud. This motivation to improve UK citizens' lives has sustained my dedication through decades of service. Personal Growth and Development My pivotal career moves demonstrate a pattern of embracing challenges that push me beyond my comfort zone - from overcoming shyness to handling confrontational situations, to leading cultural change. This continuous self-improvement has kept my career dynamic and fulfilling. Building Inclusive Communities My EDI work and leadership in transforming toxic workplace cultures reveal a deep motivation to create environments where everyone can thrive. This commitment to ensuring all colleagues feel valued has been a consistent thread throughout my career progression. Public Service Ethos The underlying values of integrity, fairness and objectivity evident in my career choices, I have a strong alignment with traditional civil service values. This commitment to serving the public good, rather than profit motives, has provided lasting career satisfaction for me. Collaborative Problem-Solving My emphasis on cross-department networks and breaking down silos shows motivation derived from bringing people together to solve complex challenges that no single team could address alone. Continuous Improvement My roles in continuous improvement initiatives demonstrate motivation from making systems and processes work better for both colleagues and the public, finding satisfaction in increasing efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery.

Maintaining and Upholding Integrity: The Essential Foundation of My 30+ Years Civil Service Career

Based on my experience spanning multiple departments and roles - from DWP to HMRC, and from operational to leadership positions -here's my top advice for those joining the Civil Service: 1. Look sideways, not just upwards for growth opportunities Embrace additional responsibilities alongside your core role like continuous improvement advocacy, outreach work, and advisory positions. These develop versatile skills and increase your visibility across departments. 2. Step outside your comfort zone to build confidence My transition from behind-the-scenes roles to face-to-face work demonstrates how stretching yourself builds transferable skills and personal resilience that benefit your entire career. 3. Cultural change starts with everyday leadership Challenge negative workplace culture, you don't need formal authority to create positive environments. Building trust and psychological safety pays dividends in team performance. 4. Bring your authentic self to work Diversity of thought and experience strengthens the Civil Service. Authenticity helps create an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute fully. 5. Connect across boundaries Establish or join existing networks that spans different business areas and/or departments. Breaking down silos creates more effective public service delivery and enriches your professional experience. 6. Focus on continuous learning and improvement Commit to evaluation and learning, this demonstrates how reflective practice drives both personal development and better service outcomes. 7. Remember the purpose behind the work Throughout your roles maintain focus on how your work impacts UK citizens and communities - the ultimate measure of success in public service.

Pioneering a New Era in Benefit Fraud Intelligence

My greatest achievement was establishing an operational intelligence unit from scratch as part of the wider benefit fraud streamlining overhaul programme. This complex project required strategic vision and meticulous execution across multiple dimensions. The most challenging aspect was integrating local council staff into the civil service - professionals with deep local and fraud legislation knowledge but unfamiliar with civil service systems and culture. I developed a comprehensive onboarding programme that honoured their expertise while building the new skills they needed. This transition required careful management of both practical aspects and emotional responses to significant workplace change. I personally oversaw the logistical challenges of securing appropriate equipment, developing secure information-sharing protocols, and establishing new workspaces that met civil service standards. When budget constraints threatened progress, I implemented creative solutions including equipment-sharing schedules that kept the project on track without compromising operational capabilities. Recognising that standard training wouldn't meet our specialised needs, I developed bespoke programmes covering civil service intelligence gathering, analysis techniques, and cross-agency collaboration. These programmes later became templates adopted by similar units setting up across the UK. The unit's remote team members presented unique management challenges, which I addressed through regular visits, bringing in support from experienced colleagues, structured communication protocols and virtual collaboration tools - innovative approaches that predated widespread remote working practices. Perhaps most valuable was the partnership I established with a counterpart leading a parallel project in northern England. Our regular knowledge-sharing sessions created a continuous improvement cycle that accelerated both teams' progress and established best practices subsequently implemented nationwide. This achievement allowed me to demonstrate not just project management skills but the ability to bring people together across organisational boundaries to create something greater than the sum of its parts - delivering enhanced protection of public funds through more sophisticated intelligence capabilities.