About the job

Job summary

Customer Services Group (CSG) brings together Asylum & Protection (A&P), Passports, Citizenship and Civil Registration (PCCR) which includes His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) and General Registry Office (GRO), Visas Status & Information (VSI) and Customer Operations Service Support (COSS).

As a major operational part of the Home Office, we play a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the United Kingdom.

The Customer Services Group comprises of two Directorates: The Asylum & Protection (A&P) Group and Visa’s, Information & Passports (VIP) Group.

For more information about working for the Home Office, please visit Home Office Careers website.

Job description

Our Counter teams are responsible for providing face to face appointment services for our customers and the back office processing of passport applications to meet the service levels for our Counter Services.

Counter Services Team Leaders are responsible for the management and development of an operational Counter team with the aim of improving performance and consistently meeting targets for quality, efficiency and customer service in processing passport applications, customer complaints and correspondence.

Interview Officers will conduct interviews and associated activities to authenticate the identity of passport applicants.

Please note that working on our counters requires alternate Saturday working. Please see further down below regarding working patterns and Saturday working.

Person specification

Counter Team Leader

The successful candidates will be responsible for (but not limited to):

• Managing all functions within the Public and Back Office environment to provide efficient and timely customer care to internal and external customers and to meet key productivity targets as outlined in the Local Business Plan
• Managing the quality of the work produced by the Counter and Back Office examination teams
• Providing guidance and support to ensure that staff accurately examine passport applications in line with current policy, procedures and legislation
• Managing staff and workflow at Counter and Back Office to provide efficient and timely customer care to internal/external customers
• Ensuring all dealings with customers are handled in a timely, courteous, and helpful manner
• Managing the use of procedures in the team and apply appropriate management control so as to comply with HM Passport Office policy and best practice guidelines
• Managing the attendance, deployment and availability of staff so as to provide the best match between available resources and likely demand
• Briefing staff, completing the induction of new members of staff, managing individual performance levels and addressing development needs and potential
• Maintaining an up to date knowledge and understanding of legislation, policy, procedure and best practice
• Managing own time so as to complete all work efficiently and meet agreed service level response times
• Taking responsibility for own performance and personal development

Interview Officer

The successful candidates will be responsible for (but not limited to):

• Preparing for and undertaking robust identity authentication interviews in accordance with policy, procedural and customer service protocols
• Identifying potential fraud including identity theft in accordance with fraud awareness training and HM Passport Office counter fraud strategy
• Making a decision on the interview and case noting the outcome
• Maintaining an up to date knowledge and understanding of legislation, policy, procedure and best practice
• Managing own time so as to complete all work efficiently and meet agreed service level response times
• Taking responsibility for own performance and personal development

Note: An employee may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Essential Criteria

• Excellent communication, time management and prioritisation skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with the flexibility to complete important tasks that may be required at short notice
• Ability to manage a challenging workload and prioritise demands
• Excellent team player

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of leading a team

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, 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 statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
• Provide evidence of the behaviour - Communicating & Influencing (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 description.

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 Communicating & Influencing and the statement of suitability (personal statement).

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

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 (Communicating & Influencing) 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.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions on all listed behaviours.

Sift and Interview dates

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

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 12th 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

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

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.

Successful applicants will be placed in roles based on their location preference and when roles become available. Where we are not in a position to offer posts immediately, 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.

When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. 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.

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.

Flexible Working Agreement

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 from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

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 counter-terrorist 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.