About the job

Job summary

The Home Office is central to UK life. Our work extends from devising drugs policies and ensuring the immigration system is not being abused, to delivering an accountable policing service. Join us in this important role and you’ll be an key leader in our Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive and Science and Technology Unit, which is responsible for protecting the country from threats posed by terrorists, criminals and other malicious actors.   

These are exciting times at the Home Office, and when you join us in this significant role you’ll mitigate national security risks to the UK by leading, coordinating and overseeing three teams, and driving policy and programme work across the full range of the unit’s work. This will include taking responsibility for the operational response team who ensure that the police and emergency services are suitably trained and equipped to deal with Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear emergencies, and undertaking programmes of work to deny terrorists access to explosives or other materials that might cause harm.

Your additional tasks will include leading the homeland security system on Chemical, Biological and Explosive threats, co-leading components of the governance of the Biological Security Strategy, and partnering with the RN portfolio on Radiological threats. We’ll also require you to run a programme of Science and Technology research to develop evidence, proof of concepts and advice to policymakers and operational partners to help them solve their problems, and provide strategic leadership on the Homeland Security Group’s (HSG) research needs and opportunities.

Job description

The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive and Science and Technology Unit is split into three G6 commands – the first of these is Chemical, Biological and Explosives, which focuses on threats from these materials, the second is Protect and Prepare for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Threats, and the third is the Science and Technology team. We also have an international dimension and line management of the Science and Technology Counsellor at the British Embassy in Washington DC, who drives a close working relationship with colleagues in the USA and Canada.​

The unit is made up of around 40 staff, including secondees from external partners such as the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and has an overall budget of around £27m – with this in mind you’ll be a collaborative and inspirational manager, with a motivating leadership style. You should also have the ability to use your excellent communication and interpersonal skills to influence at the highest levels both in the UK and internationally.

This is not a scientific post, and although we won’t look for any science or technical-based qualifications, an interest in the subject would be a bonus. You’ll be committed to seeking collaboration opportunities and promoting HSG and the Home Office’s position at Government engagements, and we’ll also expect you to lead HSG’s relationship with the US on Science and Technology and the Five Eye’s Research and Development forum. You’ll also be ready to build close relationships via our counsellor in Washington to leverage access to expertise, funding and opportunities to deliver the Science and Technology programme. ​

In turn, we can offer you a truly great career within one of the Government’s most interesting and inclusive departments. With ongoing training and development opportunities and a competitive benefits package, there is no saying where your career will take you in the Home Office.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Proven leadership abilities, creating an effective team culture, providing direction on key policies, prioritising and managing resources. To develop talent and play a key role in the leadership of the team of the Directorate. 

• The successful candidate will also need to show effective line management skills to develop and support those that work directly to this post. Demonstrate a clear commitment to, and promotion of wellbeing of your team, peers and the wider leadership team including by working collectively and collaboratively outside of your area of responsibility. Creating a diverse and inclusive culture within the Unit and supporting the Home Office Diversity and Inclusion strategies.

• Demonstrate excellent communicating, influencing, and stakeholder management skills, to work across complex government and private sector stakeholders and create strong relationships with them, to listen to them, challenge them, and conduct business with them to drive forward your policy priorities with stakeholder agreement, and to effectively advise Ministers and senior officials.

• Creative policy development skills and judgement, demonstrating ability to generate robust, innovative and balanced policies on complex issues that will stand up to scrutiny.

Desirable Criteria:

• Crisis Management experience, preferably in CBRNE or Counter Terrorism.
• International engagement experience.
• Awareness of the S&T landscape domestically, or experience of application of S&T to policy problems. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Home Office contributes £20,250 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

1. A CV - setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, including details where budgets and numbers of people managed, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years;.
2. A Statement of Suitability – (limited to 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification. ​

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (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.