About the job

Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has established the Building Safety Division (BSD) to oversee changes to the safety and performance of all buildings and raise building control professional standards year on year. BSD will serve as a lasting tribute to those who have lost their lives due to poor and substandard buildings and will help ensure tragedies of such proportions as Grenfell are consigned to the past. We are increasing our team, creating opportunities for both technical specialists and non-specialists. 

Job description

As a Subject Matter Expert in Building Control, you will be responsible for providing subject matter expertise to assist with audits, competence assessments and  investigations requiring building control knowledge and experience. You will be working within a team, with other building control professionals, to act as an internal source of technical knowledge for the Building Safety Division. You experience and expertise will be helping to create a safer future across the built environment. 

You will work within the Professional Standards Unit, with Auditors and Investigators to discuss specific cases, reviewing and giving feedback on cases.   

This is an exciting time to join BSD, and you can help us to shape our shared culture. You will have access to a range of development opportunities including career pathways, developing others through coaching and mentoring other members of the team, as well as Civil Service learning and development 

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Person specification

Essential Skills and Criteria

You must have: 

• Knowledge and experience of building control work, and the ability to apply such expertise in the consideration of cases.
• Ability to critically assess information to provide guidance and direction.
• Ability to recognise when there is inadequate information and communicate what other data is needed to provide accurate guidance.
• A commitment to on-going development of building control expertise. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,765, Health and Safety Executive contributes £11,816 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.

Application Information

Within your application you will be asked to complete an anonymised CV. Please ensure you complete your career history, skills relevant to the role, your experience and qualifications.

You will also be asked to complete a personal statement, of no more than 750 words, that demonstrates how you meet the essential skills and criteria outlined in the person specification section of the advert.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

At sift, you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement. 

The sift will take place week commencing 22nd July 2024.

Interview information

At Interview, you will be assessed against your experience and the behaviours detail in the job advert.

Interviews will be completed via MS Teams and will take place week commencing 5th August 2024.

Please note that dependent on numbers of applications received these dates could be subject to change.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE 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 here

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action. 

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.