About the job

Job summary

Take the lead in devising the migration, asylum, protection and enforcement policies of tomorrow.

The Home Office is at the heart of the nation’s wellbeing. Responsible for protecting the population, we oversee the role of the emergency services, and we respond to a wide range of issues including terrorism, crime, drugs and immigration. As such, The Migration and Borders Group (MBG) plays an essential role in this work, and it is here that you could take on a stimulating and high-profile challenge.

Job description

As the Director of Asylum, Protection and Enforcement, which is one of four directorates within the MBG, you will lead a team of 150 colleagues across 12 locations, with personal line management duties for the Programme Director and seven Heads of Unit. Sharing evidence-based guidance with Ministers, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues, you will play an instrumental role in helping the Government deliver their migration and borders commitments. As such, you will provide policy leadership on everything from refugee resettlement and integration through to family and human rights, strengthening border security, the compliant environment, removal policies and enforcement strategy. You will also contribute to priority projects such as the Home Office’s ongoing response to Ukraine, and you will take the lead in defining our policies for clearing the asylum backlog.

This is a highly varied role that will ultimately determine our national strategy for controlling illegal migration. You will be responsible for reforming the Government’s 10-Point Plan and the associated Illegal Migration Act, and you will be expected to build relationships with international partners and external stakeholders who can help us realise this vital approach. As such, you will ideally have experience in policy and/or immigration, plus a proven track-record in formulating robust and balanced propositions relating to complex multidimensional issues. As a natural leader who can manage numerous complex projects and resources simultaneously, we will expect you to always see the bigger picture, and you will be capable of helping senior colleagues determine how best to proceed with their initiatives. There will be a great deal of scrutiny on what you are doing, so a calm and measured approach with high levels of personal integrity and a great deal of discretion will be essential to your success.

Interesting projects and a deep sense of career satisfaction are just a part of what we offer when you join us. This is because you will also receive a competitive salary, plus a generous pension and plenty of annual leave. Working predominantly from the office that best suits you, we will need you to be willing to travel to London for up to two days a week, though we are happy to discuss flexible working options to help you achieve the ideal work-life balance.

For further details about this role, please refer to the attached candidate pack.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria:

• The ability to see the big picture – demonstrated effectiveness in analysing framing complex, multi-dimensional issues, so as to bring clarity and elucidate choices amongst senior partners;
• Creative strategy and policy development skills and judgement – demonstrated ability to generate evidence-based, robust, innovative and balanced propositions, on complex issues that stand up to scrutiny;
• Leadership and management skills – building an effective team culture; prioritising and handling resources within the team and across internal and external partners; assuring delivery of a portfolio of projects; attracting, developing and retaining talent of the highest calibre;
• Influence and persuasion – proven success in convening and instilling a sense of effective, common purpose – including amongst those holding top leadership roles, and in being listened to as a speaker of truth to power;
• Strong political judgement, with the ability to operate within ambiguity, and the highest standards of personal integrity and discretion – proven experience of leading and working on highly complex and sensitive issues, under scrutiny and sustained pressure.

Desirable skills & experience:

• Experience in the immigration field would be desirable. That experience could have been acquired in non-Civil Service roles such as legal advice, management consultancy or the wider third sector.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Home Office contributes £26,190 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

The Recruitment Process

Online Application ​

Please follow the Job Advert instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply online, no later than 23:55hrs on Friday 29th March 2024.​

Provide some basic personal information;​

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. ​
3. Diversity Monitoring -as part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: 2022 to 2025 (HTML) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.​

It is essential that in your written application you give evidence, using examples, of proven experience. These responses will be developed and discussed with candidates invited for interview.​

Failure to submit both a CV and Supporting Statement will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.​
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For further information on SCS careers and the application process, please see below:​

Home Office SCS Further Information ​

Home Office Senior Leaders - Home Office Careers ​

Home Office SCS Application Process ​

Applying for Senior Civil Service vacancies - Home Office Careers

 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.