About the job

Job summary

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement careers page.

Job description

Training and Skills Unit (TASU) sits in the Operational Capabilities Command (OCC) within Enforcement Compliance and Crime (ECC) which is the operational front-line arm of IE. TASU provides an expert learning and development service to all front-line officers within ECC and partners with the business on developing the capability needed to deliver strategic objectives, raising the visibility of L&D and the wider People agenda, with its pivotal role in cultural change. TASU also leads on wider bespoke programmes such as a new Induction Programme across the whole of IE.

TASU is a professional learning team made up of subject matter experts (SME) and professional trainers building the capabilities required to create resilient, competent and confident IE officers of the future. We aim to do this through being values driven, insight led, outcome focused, agile and expert.

The team is headed by two Grade 6 and is made up of 4 teams each led by a Grade 7, which cover ICE & Crime training, Public and Personal Safety Training, Continuous Learning and the Learning Hub, the later covering all the enabling functions for TASU.

TASU want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career in IE accessible to you. Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

As well as the Grade 7 who leads the Learning Hub there are also four Senior Executive Officers (SEO) and a numbers of Higher Executive Officer (HEO), Executive Officers (EO) and Administrative Operatives (AO). 

You will lead the Secretariat working on Business Continuity Planning, Risk Management and Metis for the whole of TASU. You will also be the strategic lead responsible for delivery of the TASU Accommodation Estate strategy as well as facilitating Senior Management Team meetings, oversight of Budget and any bids for funds from the ARIS Board and other funding opportunities. You will also provide strategic oversight of TASU’s AHW usage as well as influencing and driving the TASU response to the 23/24 People Survey and lead on future People Surveys.  You will also lead on the TASU communication strategy and have oversight of the production of newletters and other publications such as our Prospectus and SharePoint pages.

You will have oversight of TASU Performance Reporting, enhancing the scope of the data collected by TASU to drive improvements in performance (qualitative and quantitative) across not just TASU but wider ECC; e.g. reducing levels of non-attendance on courses etc. You will also oversee Data Protection issues for TASU, ensuring compliance with legislation and internal processes.  

You will have oversight of scheduling and logistics for all TASU led courses ensuring that resources are maximised are training delivered in the most efficient and effective way possible, using the training plan and scheduling tools to respond in an agile manner to requests for training as and when they arrive. You will also be responsible for ensuring that any variation of licence requests to College of Policing are processed in an accurate and timely manner.

This post will allow you the rare opportunity to craft and develop your own role as well as importantly to shape and influence what comes next in our journey to transform Learning.

Person specification

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career in Immigration Enforcement accessible to you. Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

The successful candidate will be able to work collaborative and innovatively bringing new ideas for consideration to enable us to respond in an agile way to new and emerging threats and changing Ministerial priorities, as is the nature of operational work. They will have HO values at the heart of everything they do and will be a role model for the team and the whole of TASU, working as part of the Senior Leadership Team within TASU.

As lead for the Training Hub, you will be the entry point for the business for strategic conversations, working proactively and collaboratively across the functions to govern, lead and plan the activity within, gathering detailed information and directing requirements and queries to the relevant experts. The function will utilise new capabilities to drive positive change and consolidate communication to the business.

You will work collaboratively with other parts of TASU to identify the requirements and policies for learning which improve performance, build skills, and provide a great colleague experience (beyond formal learning, including other upskilling, behavioural and team learning interventions).

Essential Criteria

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Highly organised, self-starter who is proactive and motivated.
• An ability to prioritise and deliver against deadlines with solution focussed recommendations.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and engagement skills with the ability to negotiate and influence colleagues at a range of levels.
• Significant previous leadership experience and skills.
• A role model for collaborative working, inclusion and for all HO values and behaviours.
• Able to think and work strategically with an eye for continuous improvement.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience and/or qualifications within a Learning Team.
• Previous experience of working in Strategy.
• Previous experience of working within Immigration Enforcement.

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 750 words)
• provide evidence of the lead behaviour - Leadership (maximum 250 words)

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 lead behaviour - Leadership and the Statement of Suitability (personal statement). 

The Statement of Suitability (personal statement) will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the Statement of Suitability (personal statement), will progress to a further sift where the lead behaviour Leadership 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 (personal statement) will not have their Lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the Statement of Suitability (personal statement).

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the lead behaviour - Leadership.

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.

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

Problems during the application process

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application (e.g. you have ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we may not be able to reopen your application.

Please note, we cannot make amendments to any part of the application.

Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us about your initial application “Please re-open my application – Vacancy Ref: 362723 CLOSING DATE: 14th August 2024. 

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details with reasonable adjustments section.

Tie break decisions

The strengths and/or behaviours being assessed will be ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores. Please note that the order in which behaviours are listed in the advert does not necessarily reflect the order of importance.

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 19 August 2024. 

Interviews are expected to take place from 05 September 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
• Microsoft Teams

Contact Details

Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us: Vacancy Ref: 362723.

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

Selecting your locations

Please note only list locations where you are prepared to work and can travel to (as you could be offered any of your noted preferences).

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 on the understanding that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role. Please note, only advertised locations can be offered.

Reserve List

Where a campaign identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be held for up to 12 months.

Reserve lists will be managed by locational merit lists, appointing in merit order per location. You may be offered a post at any of your preferred locations.

Whilst on a reserve list we may offer you an alternative similar role in the Home Office. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list for the role you applied for. If you accept an alternative role, you will be withdrawn from the reserve list.

Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise in the locations you originally applied for before your time on the reserve list expires.

Candidates Please Note: 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.

Candidates Please Note: There is no shift working requirement, and therefore no AHW/AHA allowance available for this role.

Please note: Due to the nature of this role it is only available with full-time hours.

Flexible Working Arrangement

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).

Travel Expectation

Travel will be required as part of the role to attend meetings in other IE locations in particular to Croydon and Leeds which are TASU's 2 main hubs. This may sometimes necessitate overnight stays.

If you are successful in this position and choose to accept the provisional offer for this role, you will be removed from all other Home Office reserve lists at the same grade.

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.