About the job

Job summary

Border Force is a Law Enforcement arm of the Home Office. We are responsible for handling the UK border control by implementing immigration and customs regulations and working with the wider Home Office on counter terrorism, organised crime, modern slavery and trafficking. Learn more on the Border Force careers page.

Job description

This is a great opportunity to join a team that really makes a difference. Although the post is based at Cardiff you will be responsible for looking after a maximum of two dogs at your home address. You will handle up to two detector dogs as well as monitoring and recording the welfare needs of each animal, and ensuring that all dogs in your care, whether at home or based within a fixed kennel site, receive the appropriate level of exercise and enrichment to meet their individual needs. 

The handler will also be expected to deploy to all operational locations from home and a vehicle will be provided for official use.

Detector Dogs provide a specialised service to frontline staff and are a highly visible demonstration to society of our work in addressing criminality.  Border Force Detector Dogs are trained to detect Class A Drugs, Currency, Cigarettes, Tobacco, Firearms, People, Products of Animal Origin, CITIES, Passports, and Identity Documents. 

This post is not suitable for part time or job share arrangements due to dog welfare.

The post holder will be responsible for:

•    Working as part of a team to assist colleagues to search cargo, baggage, persons, aircraft and premises as well as freight vehicles, vessels and fast parcel depots.
•    Organising and delivering detector dog continuing training.
•    Identifying and resolving problems of poor performance of the dog.
•    Ensuring that all dogs receive sufficient daily care, including twice daily exercise, feeding, grooming, accurate interpretation of medication boards and dispensing medication as required. Kennel duties will involve occasional lone working with minimal support and supervision.
•    Delivering kennel enrichment and stimulation to meet the individual needs of the animals in your care.
•    Working outdoors, often in hostile weather conditions, and coping with working in extremes of hot and cold.
•    Maintaining the service records of detector dogs.
•    Utilising training received to deal with dog fights and dog aggression, reporting and recording of these incidents in line with Border Force Policy.
•    Daily driving of official vans to/from exercise areas, visits to veterinary providers and to deployment locations which may be a considerable distance away from the home station.
•    Liaising with Border Force staff, public and external organisations such as HMRC, NCA and the Police.
•    Assisting with the search of persons and any element of the detection role when required.
•    Operating at all times in accordance with legislation, Departmental guidance and procedures and professional standards, ensuring that all actions are proportionate, legal, accountable and necessary.
•    Contributing to the proper control of offences, including the maintenance of chains of evidence, completing accurately and promptly in line with current guidance all documentation and data entry, including notebooks, offence/seizure documentation and witness statements.
•    Appear as an official witness in court and give evidence when required.

Please note:
It is imperative that the candidates read the attached candidate notes specific to this role in full, prior to making an application.

Home Kennelling Dog Handler – Candidate Notes

Training and Development

The successful applicant will be required to undertake the Border Force Initial Detector Dog Handler training course which is up to 12 weeks in duration and consists of two parts – stage 1 and stage 2. The length of training will be dependent on the commodities in which the dog is trained.

Stage 1 training is up to 8 weeks in duration and all aspects of the stage 1 training must be passed before candidates can move onto stage 2. Stage 2 training is up to 4 weeks in duration after which applicants will undertake an assessment which must be passed to obtain their licence to operate as a Border Force Detector Dog Handler. Both stages of this training may be residential, and applicants must be prepared to be away from home for up to 12 weeks.

Commodities on which a dog are trained are aligned to control strategy priorities and operational demand, as such they can be altered to meet business needs.

Prior to commencing their initial detector dog training, if not already completed, applicants will need to undertake and pass their Customs Foundation Training. This training may also be residential and is pass or fail.

Person specification

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

1. This role requires Public and Personal Safety Training 3 (PPST3). Please see Further Information, below, for full details.
2. You must live within 60 minutes of Cardiff International Airport, or be prepared to move within 60 minutes of this location, if your application is successful.

Core Aspects of this role:

• This role will require regular travel to ports and airports across the UK and juxtaposed controls in Northern France Therefore, overnight stays are an integral part of this role.
• It is essential that the successful candidate has a natural affinity with animals and has the ability to take personal responsibility for all animals in their care, complying with all Border Force Policy and Animal Welfare Legislation.
• A high level of physical fitness is required as this post is physically demanding. This will be tested as part of the application process. It is essential applicants can lift and carry dogs as well as provide twice daily exercise and high intensity interval training to a number of dogs who may have to be exercised individually.
• Applicants must be prepared to work outdoors, often in hostile weather conditions, and cope with working in extremes of hot and cold.
• You must have the ability to work shifts and be flexible and adaptable to meet unexpected demands. This may mean rescheduling days off and changing attendance times at short notice to meet operational demands.
• You must be comfortable driving vans/larger vehicles.
• Due to the overseas travel requirement of this role, it is a prerequisite for the post holder to already possess a valid, current travel document which will enable them to enter any EU country for work without restrictions.
• A full manual UK driving licence is required as the vast majority of our fleet vehicles are manual transmission. You must be willing to become an Official driver and be comfortable driving vans/larger vehicles as this role involves daily driving to and from operational deployments, exercise areas and visits to veterinary providers.

Essential criteria

Within your Personal Statement, you are required to confirm the following four (4) Essential Criteria:

1. It is essential that you applicants are comfortable and confident around dogs. 
2. That you reside within 60 mins of the above location (or will relocate, if successful at Interview). 

You must not have been disqualified from:

     3. Keeping or owning a dog under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; or

     4. Having custody of a dog under the terms of both the Animal Welfare Act 2006 & the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

You will also need to demonstrate these additional Essential Criteria:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the confidence to engage with colleagues, members of the public, Veterinary providers, and other external stakeholders.
• Be a team player but have the confidence and resilience to work alone with minimal supervision when required.
• Organisational skills; work effectively and professionally; take responsibility for your work to achieve goals; can multi-task to work within tight deadlines.
• Experience of working under pressure with limited supervision.
• Be able to multi-task, work to tight deadlines and take responsibility for your work.

Desirable criteria

• Recent Border Force Operational experience.
• Completion of Customs Foundation Training or equivalent (NASP/Goods 2).
• Previous experience of working with or handling working dogs in a professional capacity.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete: 

• A CV detailing job history/skills and experience
• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words) 
• Provide evidence of the behaviour Making Effective Decisions (250 words maximum)

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advertisement.

For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours

The sift will be held on the behaviour Making Effective Decisions and the statement of suitability (personal statement). The CV will not be scored.

The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the lead behaviour Making Effective Decisions will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only. 

Please Also Note: 

Candidates who are shortlisted will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions on the behaviours listed within the advert.

Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here

Candidates successful at interview will be invited to attend a one-day assessment that will involve practical tasks to determine suitability for the role. The assessment will take place at Gatwick and hotel accommodation will be provided. The assessment will include assessment of candidates’ level of confidence around dogs in the kennel environment, handling of dogs for bathing and grooming, and lead control on exercise. Candidates will also be asked to prepare food and interpret feeding and medication boards.

During the assessment candidates will be given a full explanation of the role, duties involved, and have the opportunity to address any questions or concerns they may have. 

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22 January 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 19 February 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change. 

Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams

Further Information

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position. 

Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.

Note for Candidates:

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants. 

If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.

Are these Reserved Posts for UK Nationals only?

UK nationals who hold dual nationality are able to apply for this reserved post. If a UK passport is not being presented, then candidates will need to provide alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Annual Hours Working Allowance

We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and you would be required to work flexibly and operate over a 24/7 shift rota, this can include: Night shifts; Early morning starts, sometimes before 6am; Late night finishes, sometimes after midnight; Weekend and Public Holidays; Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours; Shifts that change or extend according to business need.

These posts include shift allowances which varies by flexibility, shifts, location; however, the average allowance is between 25%-35%. You would be deployed to a range of different duties, shifts and locations and should expect to have a variance in the AHW dependent on the varying duties and shifts. The actual % of AHW paid will be for each region/port to decide, as these will be different depending in which port you may work.

Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.

Part time working

PLEASE NOTE: This post is not suitable for part time or job share arrangements due to dog welfare.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UKSV clearance and passing the right to work and pre-employment screening, anyone who applies to work for Border Force will also be subject to additional Border Force specific security checks, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine their suitability to work for the organisation.

Please see the Home Office Recruitment Privacy Information Notice (PIN) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recruitment-privacy-information-notice for more information on how your details may be shared for the purpose of additional security checks.

Please see the Border Force Privacy Information Notice (PIN) on Border Force privacy information notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information on how your details may be shared.

Appearance

As part of this role you will be required to wear a uniform (which will be provided). Staff must ensure that their uniform is worn correctly, in line with these uniform standards, is kept clean and is well presented. To support this requirement, adequate uniform supplies will be available and issued. Uniformed staff represent their organisation at all times and should ensure that their dress and personal appearance reflects this responsibility.

Tattoos, including henna

A non-offensive visible tattoo is permissible, as long as it is not on the face or on the front or side of the neck (above the collar line). Tattoos behind the ear lobe on the back of the neck are also acceptable within these policy guidelines. You will be required to cover tattoos, when it is seen as appropriate for certain official events, e.g. State Funerals, Opening of Parliament, Remembrance Parades and other Ceremonial events. Under no circumstances should tattoos which could be considered offensive be visible. Examples of these include discriminatory; offensive; undermine political neutrality i.e. rude, lewd, crude, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic or violent tattoos.

Personal Safety Training (PPST) Level 3

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) which develops skills in personal safety, arrest and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. 

A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

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

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home Office 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

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 HOrecruitment.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

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.