About the job

Job summary

The Home Office’s mission is to keep the country secure and our citizens safe. Our objectives are to prevent terrorism, cut crime, control immigration, protect vulnerable people and promote growth. Each and every member of Home Office staff plays a part in delivering these objectives.

We cover some of the most high-profile policies in Whitehall, issues such as crime prevention, tackling drug use, immigration, policing and terrorism. All are at the heart of the Government's agenda and we work closely and cooperatively with a wide range of other departments.

The challenges the department faces are significant and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate. This makes it one of the most exciting and stimulating departments to work in.

The Migration & Borders (M&B) group is responsible for the immigration system, managing our borders, issuing British passports, running the civil registration system in England and Wales, managing asylum, protection, resettlement and integration services as well as enforcing our immigration system, citizenship, setting our strategy, business and service design, system performance, a large transformation portfolio and major programmes to create the Future Border and Immigration system and deliver the Illegal Migration Act.  In delivering on those areas, we aim to facilitate a genuinely cross-system approach to services, capabilities, interventions, and the way that we work.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join the System Design Team, sitting at the heart of MBG. System Design are accountable for owning and developing the Migration & Borders end-to-end strategic design and business architecture. The team are at the forefront of important and meaningful change that touches the lives of millions of people. The team plays a leading role in facilitating a genuinely cross-system approach to services, capabilities, interventions, and the way that we work across the system. We do this by:

• Championing the move away from overly siloed structures and approaches towards a more joined-up, flexible system approach, exploiting synergies and avoiding duplication;

• Delivering a more integrated approach to intervening against immigration and national security threats across people and goods; and

• Acting proactively to enable the system to respond to crises, rather than reacting, addressing gaps in identifying potential problems and opportunities across the system.

MBG prides itself on being an open and supportive workplace. Much of the work that we do can be challenging, but as a team we collectively embrace the complexity and have a fantastic community of architects and designers who are united by a desire to make a positive impact. We actively embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity to enable us to reflect the communities that we serve. We provide people with the opportunity to work at pace and deliver in stretching roles. You will learn a lot in your day-to-day work and benefit from a range of excellent wider learning and development opportunities.

Job description

We are currently recruiting for two Design Leads to work closely with the business to lead and shape the design for large scale and complex business transformation initiatives as well as smaller scale change to help us improve the services we offer.

You will need to bring teams of skilled people together to drive design direction, to be able to personally translate and impact assess business strategies and to design transitional and target state operating models to help shape the direction of strategic transformation across Migration and Borders.

You will contribute to the link between current and future business models, delivering to the business architecture. You will constructively challenge and act as a critical friend to achieve engagement with key stakeholders to support design, build and deliver to meet user needs.

Design Leads are integral to our work. Working closely with operations strategy, policy, and technology functions, you will lead on interpreting, translating, impact assessing strategic initiatives from a cross cutting business architecture and design perspective. Over time you will become a trusted member of the operational and service delivery teams seen as a trusted advisor and a key individual in driving improvements. This is essential to ensuring strategic requirements are appropriately interpreted and reflected in business solutions that deliver optimal strategic business outcomes. You will work with Business Architects, Business Analysts, Service Design, Data Architecture and Technology Design throughout the change lifecycle to inform, shape and define strategic business design.

If successful, you will initially be assigned to one of our major transformation programmes or services such as Future Border and Immigration System, Illegal Migration Act implementation, Passport Transformation, Civil Registration Transformation or Asylum Transformation. However, over time you may be deployed across a range of transformation or service or capability development activities in support of the Department’s priorities.

You will be expected to demonstrate:

• A strategic mindset – facilitating collaboration, interpreting strategic context, making links across departmental silos, and the change lifecycle;

• A structured approach to problem solving – thinking logically about challenges and opportunities, being able to categorise and abstract concepts to simplify approaches;

• A belief in intentional design – addressing challenges and opportunities systematically, holistically and collaboratively, enabling conscious choice and high-quality decision making.

This role is available on a full time basis with compressed hours. Applications for part-time working would be considered however due to the nature of the role the minimum hours would be 30 hours over 4 days. Job-sharing applications would also be considered.

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). 

Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA)

Candidates with exceptional skills and experience may receive a recruitment and retention allowance (RRA). This allowance is subject to initial review within six months of taking up the post and thereafter an annual review in-line with departmental priorities and could be reduced or withdrawn at any time.

Person specification

As a Design Lead, some of the key responsibilities include:

• Establishing and leading a cross functional Design team made up of civil servants, consultants and/or contractors whose purpose will be to deliver design outcomes to the relevant programme or service. 

• Developing and maintaining a sequenced design plan to ensure all design effort across the domain is effectively managed, prioritised with clear accountability to the appropriate delivery vehicles whether it be for programmes, projects or services.

• Acting as a mentor and coach to members of the profession, or wider design team as appropriate.

• Applying design to various scenarios across programme and services.

• Strategy Development – supporting colleagues in identifying optimal courses of action, potential impacts and areas of investment identified through business architecture.

• System Design – leading on the development of design workstreams and artefacts that effectively use business architecture and design collateral to translate business strategy into business/solution designs. Integration with other design disciplines to provide a holistic view.

• Portfolio/Programme/Project Level Design – shaping and prioritising design activities in the delivery space.

• Operational Performance Analysis – identifying pain points in achieving business value, developing designs to address.

• Technical Alignment - collaborating closely with Technical/ Solution/ Application/ Data Architects to ensure continued alignment with the business architecture and design intent.

Stakeholder Management including:

• Collaborating closely with User Centred Design, Technical, Solution, Application and Data Architects to ensure continued alignment of business design through the delivery lifecycle.

• Seeking buy in and engagement from senior operational, policy, technology, strategy officials to ensure design solutions deliver on the requirements of the relevant service or programme.

• Ensuring design solutions are presented and approved through established governance vehicles including Business Design Authority, Programme and Transformation Boards.

• Building the business architecture knowledgebase by helping ensure that business architecture is added to the knowledgebase in a timely manner and complies with architecture and knowledgebase guidance and standards.

Developing the Business Architecture Practice:

• Standards – helping ensure business architecture standards are in line with industry standards (BIZBOK), and these are used consistently.

• Community – developing and maintaining effective ongoing relationships with other Business Architects and design professionals to ensure strategic awareness and design alignment.

• Learning & Development – identifying L&D needs and activities for business architects, sharing with the wider community as appropriate.

Qualifications

The post holder must hold or be actively working towards obtaining a

• Certified Business Architect (CBA) qualification by the Business Architecture Guild, or

• BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis or other equivalent qualification. 

This can be obtained whilst the candidate is in post.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV (job history / qualifications / skills)
• Evidence of the lead behaviour 'Seeing the Big Picture' (250 words maximum).
• Evidence of the technical skills listed in the advert using the Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) Framework - https://sfia-online.org/en/legacy-sfia/sfia-7/all-skills-a-z 

The sift will be held on the lead behaviour and the technical skills. The technical skills should be reflective of the Home Office DDaT Profession Skills and Competency Model. CVs will not be scored.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the lead behaviour 'Seeing the Big Picture'. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.

Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be tested on all the behaviours listed in the advert.

In addition, you will be tested on all the technical skills at interview via a pre-assigned presentation (details to be disclosed closer to the interviews).

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.

Sift and Interview dates

The sift will take place week commencing 29th January 2024.

Interviews will take place week commencing 12th February 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Interviews will take place remotely. 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 details and instructions will be provided closer to the scheduled interview.

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.

Please note: The successful candidates will be required to hold or be willing to secure Security Check (SC) clearance.

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 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.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. As stated in the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland recognise the birth right of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.

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

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need for them to go through a further selection process.

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.