About the job

Job summary

The Home Office is committed to be an inclusive employer with a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.  

The Home Office Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team provides professional health and safety policy, guidance, advice, expertise and support to approximately 51,000 Home Office staff based around the globe. The risk profile of roles in the Home Office means we are looking for someone who has the ability to think innovatively and test normal understanding of risk and compliance.  

Job description

The Fire Safety Management Business Partners are a brand-new role that will sit inside the central Health, Safety and Fire Safety Team. They will collectively drive the professionalisation of fire safety delivery across the Department including the rollout of a new systems of evacuation in all Home Office buildings. Very much an exciting, pioneering and  pro-active demanding hands-on frontline role for candidates looking to forge a career in fire safety. 

Will be accountable for driving fire safety management performance across a portfolio of properties within the relevant geographical region. 

The role will be accountable for:

Providing advice and support to the business via resolving any queries that come into the Fire Safety inbox or via calls in relation for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

For ensuring Buildings Fire Emergency Plans (FEPs) are reviewed annually for all properties within the region/Directorate;  

Accountable to ensure Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) are reviewed as required for all properties within the region and poor FM provider and landlord issues are challenged and escalated to MoJ Fire and ICF Estates for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

Accountable for ensuring FRAs action plans are closed out for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

Accountable for supporting Responsible Senior Officers (RSOs) in completing their quarterly Performance Assurance Frameworks (PAFs) for all properties within the region/Directorate;  

Accountable for supporting RSOs with site annual inspections for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

Accountable for supporting RSOs deliver annual familiarisation tours for volunteers and buildings users as required for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

Accountable for supporting RSOs with any actions required or enforcement notices following CPFSI inspections or visits from local fire brigades; 

Will support the Fire Strategy Lead and local RSOs and NSOs in the rollout of the new triple pathway evacuation system and the continued managed of it once the systems are up and running;  

Accountable for supporting Nominated Senior Officers (NSOs) at all properties across the region to implement required actions from annual drill wash up meetings; 

Accountable for providing advice on Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) and Generic Emergency Evacuation Plans (GEEPs) for all properties within the region/Directorate; 

Working in conjunction with the other FSMBPs will organise CPD events for fire safety community on quarterly and annual basis; 

Taking a continuous improvement approach to service delivery and embedding Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in like for like buildings in terms of risk profile, High, Normal and Low fire conditions. 

Person specification

Able to monitor and assess proposed new/amended fire legislation and codes of practice for relevance to Home Office’s estate and service delivery. 

Must be able to organise and manage own workload, be self-motivated and confident. 

Have a strong record of engaging others, building and maintaining successful and productive working relationships with stakeholders / delivery partners such as our service provider MOJ, Home Office ICF Estates and Department Trade Union Side (DTUS).

Excellent verbal and written communication skills and behaviours.

Due to the nature of the role, this post is available on a full-time basis only and with the possibility of compressed hours. 

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024.  Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team by contacting Home Office Recruitment Centre (see advert for contact details). 

Essential Criteria

Previous experience in fire safety management;

Good written and verbal communication skills;  

Hold, be undertaking or willing to complete the 9-day classroom-based course (or its equivalent) to achieve AIFSM status with The Institute of Fire Safety Managers within 3 months of appointment; 

Hold, be undertaking or willing to complete the Advanced 5-day classroom-based course (or equivalent) within 18 months of appointment to achieve MIFSM status with The Institute of Fire Safety Managers within 24 months of appointment.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• 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 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 first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.

We will request as part of the recruitment process:

- A CV detailing job history/qualifications

- A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)

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

Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will not be scored, but instead will be used to provide further context on your personal statement, and support conversations at interview.

The sift will be on the statement of suitability (Personal Statement).

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

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be behaviour-based questions on all those listed.

Sift and interview dates:

- Sift is expected to take place week commencing 1st May 2024.

- Interviews are expected to take place from week commencing 22nd May 2024, and early the following week.

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

Interviews:

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
• Microsoft Teams

PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given. 

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Please note: If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, 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. 

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 and generating of examples/answers from internet sources including Artificial Intelligence. If any is detected the application may be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving civil servants. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants. 

Visa sponsorship    

We are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License. 

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

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.