Child Maintenance Service - Head of Service for Enforcement


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£75,026 to £80,267 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Birkenhead
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	21 Sept 2026
Closing date:	5 Oct 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

As the UK government’s largest public service provider, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policies.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) supports parents who are unable to reach a private financial agreement by ensuring - and when necessary, enforcing - their legal responsibility to contribute to their child’s living costs. Our mission is simple: to get money to children, because it makes a real difference in their lives.

While we’ve made significant progress in transforming our service, we remain ambitious about what more we can achieve for the families who rely on us. CMS is a dynamic and rewarding place to work. Step into any of our service centres and you’ll find passionate, dedicated professionals committed to supporting our customers.

We are proud to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce where everyone can thrive. If you're looking to make a difference, this could be the career for you.

This is a fantastic opportunity to start or grow a fulfilling career in the Civil Service. We offer a flexible work-life balance, along with opportunities for growth, challenge, and personal development.

This is an exciting time to be joining CMS as we continue with our ambitious programme of service modernisation. As Head of Service for Enforcement, you will have a critical role in providing strategic leadership with accountability for all aspects of service delivery, people plans and embedding significant change including digitalisation and demand deduction.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following key tasks:

Lead and inspire a team of up to 1,000 colleagues across several locations through the direct management of Senior Operational Leaders (Grade 7). In a complex and fast paced environment, you will lead workforce planning, resource deployment, capability development and performance management to ensure high-quality services and achieve operational targets.
Lead your teams through a period of significant change. You will be influential in shaping the strategic direction of the Child Maintenance Service, communicating our vision and priorities clearly to colleagues through the CMS Story. You will support digital transformation, improve efficiency and customer outcomes, and help design and implement a new operating model that supports the DWP 2030 Strategy.
Through visible leadership you will build an engaged, inclusive and high-performing culture. You will support and develop colleagues, encourage continuous improvement and lead teams effectively across multiple locations and remote working environments.
This role supports teams across the UK. You will be expected to travel frequently and stay overnight.
You will be accountable for the Enforcement service and will develop your expertise in this area. Over time, you will use your knowledge to respond to enquiries from ministers, Members of Parliament, customer representation groups and Freedom of Information requests. The role includes management of outsourced partnerships with external suppliers. You will also have responsibility for the Financial Investigations Unit, CMS’s first line of defence against mis-representation of income and fraud. You will set expectations and role model best practice cutting across the Operational Delivery, Debt and Counter-Fraud professions.
You will report to the Deputy Director and be a member of the Senior Leadership Team. You will work closely with other senior leaders across CMS and DWP, including colleagues in Policy, Digital, Service Delivery Optimisation and Human Resources. You may also take on responsibility for supporting one of our Service Centres.

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.