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Department for
Education

Inderjit Sanghera

Inderjit Sanghera is a Change and Engagement Lead at DfE and Co-Chair of the BAME Network

Tell us a bit about your journey into the Department for Education

I started at DfE in the Transformation team in May 2019 as a Change and Engagement Lead and have been here ever since. I have undertaken multiple roles since starting, including:

  • overseeing the delivery of interactive chapter sessions covering our transformation aims to everyone in the organisation
  • leading on organisational design work including the creation of Strategy Group and the re-structure of the department
  • leading on the set-up our departmental transformation programme Future DFE

Describe a day in the life at your current role

It’s a bit difficult really, as my working day is shaped by whichever project I am working on. However, most of my days tend to be a mix of meetings, engagement and networking work and designing or planning for the work ahead.

Tell us about your highlights and successes whilst working here

The things I am proudest of achieving are:

  • delivering over 100 sessions focussed on our transformation aim, ‘Empower Yourself and Others in Chapter 3 of the DfE Story, to over 62% of the department and helping introduce our new departmental purpose ‘Realising Potential’ to over half of the department in Chapter 4 of the DfE Story
  • leading on the creation of Future DfE, our departmental transformation programme
  • leading on our departmental restructure, including setting-up Strategy Group, which draws the department together around a shared strategy, set of aims and purpose
  • Co-Chairing our departmental BAME Network, which has involved working with and influencing senior leaders when it comes to internal race related matters and delivering our most successful Black History and South Asian Heritage Months

Tell us a bit about your team and colleagues

The Transformation team is a friendly, knowledgeable, passionate and at times quirky team, who has been a driving force in shaping our departmental culture and values.

How is your work-life balance?

I would say my work has lots of peaks and troughs, with many intensely busy periods, especially when we are preparing or delivering a major programme and the occasional quieter period as we are working out our next area of focus. Throughout this, however, I have always been able to maintain a good work-life balance. 

Inderjit Sanghera

Change and Engagement Lead and Co-Chair of the BAME Network

Illustration of a woman walking up stairs that she draws herself

What advice can you give someone about applying to work here?

I would say that DfE is a department which is committed to allow people to be their authentic selves: so please ensure you try to bring your whole self to the application process and interview and hopefully that will put you in a good position to succeed.

Applying for a job

Applying to the Civil Service is more open and fair than it has ever been.

We’ll assess your experience, as well as your strengths, and will give you the best opportunity to showcase these in application forms, interviews, and assessments.

Benefits

The Civil Service provides many benefits for you and your family.

Things like health, well-being and discount schemes, the Civil Service Pension Scheme and reward and recognition schemes.

Reasonable
adjustments

To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any adjustments that could help you.

Things like changing the time, location or format of interviews or providing interview questions in advance