About the job

Job summary

Join the Insolvency Service as an A2 Administration Officer! 

Are you looking to gain valuable experience in both customer service and administration? 

The Insolvency Service is seeking enthusiastic and organised individuals to join our team as Administration Officers. This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience in both customer service and administration, whilst contributing to the important work we do. We offer full training, flexible working arrangements, and are committed to continued learning and development to support your professional growth. 

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.  

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group.  

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.   

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career. 

  

Job description

In this role, you'll play a vital part in supporting the efficient administration of bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases, contributing to the financial wellbeing of individuals and businesses.

The initial placement for these roles will be within our Official Receiver Services Directorate (ORS), which is responsible for investigating and administering bankruptcies and compulsory liquidations. You'll work in one of our Official Receivers' local offices or function teams, supporting activities such as:

• Identifying, protecting, and realising assets in bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases.
• Working closely with technical staff to identify misconduct and criminality in cases, helping to protect the wider economy.

Our function teams offer diverse experiences, including:

• Central Case Team (CCT): The initial point of contact for new insolvency cases, responsible for triaging and administering them.
• Income Payments Agreement (IPA) Team (Leeds): Assesses each bankrupt's ability to make monthly contributions and manage these payment agreements.
• Diverse Asset Realisation Team (DART) (Cardiff): Deals with the realisation of assets such as shares, after-acquired property, and pensions.
• Property Team (Ipswich): Handles all property-related work.

further details available in the Additional Info document

Responsibilities - What you’ll do. 

As an Administration Officer, you'll be part of an operational team. Your responsibilities will include:

• Working as part of an administration support team, handling a range of bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation matters.
• Managing your workload effectively, prioritising and completing assigned tasks efficiently.
• Liaising with the court on applications and hearings.
• Communicating professionally with members of the public and private sector firms (e.g., solicitors) by phone, in writing and in-person interactions.
• Issuing reports to creditors and routine correspondence.
• Liaising with specialist staff on technical matters.
• Dealing with the realisation of assets to enable returns for creditors.
• Interacting effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Inputting and updating information on case management systems
• Reviewing and maintaining accurate case records to progress work in a timely manner
• Dealing with distribution of funds to creditors.
• Provide general clerical support.

These vacancies are across all of Official Receiver Services and the successful candidate will be flexible and obtain experience working in different areas of the business.   

Person specification

To be successful in this role you must demonstrate:

• You are adaptable, a multi-tasker, and possess a can-do attitude.
• You have a strong eye for detail and ensure accuracy in your work.
• You can work independently and meet deadlines effectively.
• You take initiative to find solutions and make decisions while seeking guidance when needed.
• You are a team player with the ability to build strong relationships, enabling you to act as a flexible colleague to ensure shared responsibilities are fulfilled.
• You communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
• You possess good IT skills, particularly in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word & Excel).

 Essential criteria

 A GCSE/O Level or equivalent exam at Grade 4/C or higher in English Language and Mathematics.

You will be asked to provide evidence of holding the relevant qualifications as part of the application process.   

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £22,183, Insolvency Service contributes £5,989 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a 750 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

We ask that you complete a personal statement of no more than 750 words which should cover:

•    In one or two sentences tell us why you would like to work for the Insolvency Service?
•    In one or two sentences tell us how others would describe you?
•    Using the remainder of the 750 words please tell us when you have demonstrated some or all the skills or characteristics set out in the Person Specification above.

You can draw from anything you have experienced or achieved. For example, during work, work experience, volunteering, education, as a member of a club of association, caring responsibilities etc. 

We will test your experience as part of the sift process, and if successful, you will be invited to a short interview where we will test your behaviours. You will be required to give an example of the behaviours Making Effective Decisions, Working Together and Delivering at Pace.  

You should familiarise yourself with the indicators of these behaviours and prepare examples ahead of your interview using the success profiles.  – Please refer to the Candidate Pack for more detail on the Behaviour Indicators 

Full details of the selection process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed.

Expected Timeline (subject to change)  

Sift – w/c 29/04/24 

Interview – w/c 20/05/24 

Location - Face to Face at the Regional Centre that you choose as your preference 

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.  

This role is available across our regional centres. While all applications are welcome, offers will be made based on merit order, with consideration given to your preferred office location. 

 

If successful at sift, please only book an interview in the location you have stated as your preferred office.  

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Insolvency 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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. 

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Transforming Workplaces

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.  

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.   

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via Insolvencrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ 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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.