About the job

Job summary

Take the lead in delivering the Government’s key illegal migration priorities.

If you are looking for an unparalleled career opportunity – one in which you will enjoy a highly visible role as you establish and operate a brand-new organisation – then look no further than the Illegal Migration Operations Command (IMOC). Made up of four key teams – Campaigns, Data and Intelligence, Delivery & Coordination and Professional Enablers Taskforce – this organisation will be tasked with reducing illegal migration and relocating those who have entered the UK illegally. Reporting directly to the Home Office, the IMOC will support the vital work of the Migration and Borders (M&B) System by delivering cross-system campaigns and operations. As such, we need an inspirational leader to embed and guide an innovative multidisciplinary team in their nationally important activities.

Job description

As the Director of the IMOC, you will find a highly varied and deeply interesting opportunity to help the Home Secretary deliver on their obligations to Stop the Boats and stem the tide of illegal migration. The first step in this work will be to support the operationalisation of both the new Illegal Migration Bill and the Relocation Service. Furthermore, you will ensure that all decisions are being underpinned with seamless evidence, and that agile data and intelligence are being effectively utilised in order to remain ahead of the constantly changing illegal migration problem.

Once you have fully recruited your team, we will expect you to set the strategic direction of the four divisions, ensuring the Deputy Directors are implementing your vision. With an overarching focus on coordinating and communicating actions and insight not only within the IMOC, but across wider government and delivery partners too, you will see to it that a joined-up approach is leading to effective results.

From establishing commercial contracts and governance structures through to the development of visualisation tools, this is a multilayered role in which you will have the chance to shape the future of the organisation. To excel in this role, we will therefore expect you to have impressive leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the capacity to influence and develop a high-performing team. With the ability to bring a creative and strategic approach to every challenge, you will have a background of delivering results in a similarly complex environment, with the capacity to manage competing priorities. Comfortable making decisions in a fast-paced environment, you will be unfazed by political, public and media scrutiny, and you will have the gravitas required to work with the most senior level partners including Ministers. You will also have great commercial awareness with the ability to effectively use resources and get the most out of your budget.

It is fair to say that roles of this magnitude are rare. As such, we can offer you an exceptional working environment, enhanced by the support of a team who are passionate about tackling this complex problem. We will also provide you with a competitive benefits package that includes a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.

For more information, please see attached Candidate Pack.

Person specification

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

Essential Criteria 

• An exceptional leader with senior-level experience of delivering in complex and challenging environments, where there are competing and challenging priorities and risks and multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure environments.
• Someone with exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, and the proven ability to do this in real-time and in high pressured environments and ensuring novel and creative solutions to complex problems can be developed and evaluated at pace.
• The ability to deliver at pace against a backdrop of uncertainty and continual change while continuing to set a compelling vision and motivate others to work towards a common goal. Comfortable making decisions and setting direction without having the full picture; applying knowledge and experience to reduce ambiguity.
• A strong influencer, collegiate in approach and able to forge effective relationships with the ability to communicate with conviction and clarity in the face of tough and complex challenges, as well as in environments without formal power or influence. Extensive experience of taking a systems-led approach and breaking down silos at senior level. Diplomatic, with the skills and credibility to gain the trust and confidence of Ministers and senior stakeholders, building strong networks of influence, and the ability to operate under regular political, public and media scrutiny.
• Demonstrable experience in building new, sustainable, and productive strategic partnerships with a broad range of diverse and challenging stakeholders across the Department, Government and internationally. Able to operate effectively at a range of levels including ministers, senior officials and local partners, in difficult regional, national, and international environments.
• Demonstrable budget management and commercial skills along with the ability to seek out opportunities for innovation and value for money.

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

Online Application        

Please follow the Job Advert instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply online, no later than 23:55 Monday 18th March 2024.

Provide some basic personal information;

• 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;

• A Statement of Suitability – (limited to 1250 words) providing evidence in response to essential criteria: 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.

 

• 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.

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

Security clearance: The successful candidate must be cleared to Security Clearance (SC) level before they are able to start and be willing to undergo Developed Vetting (DV) clearance once in the post. For further information, please follow the link:

Security guidance links: 

DV - Guidance Pack for Applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

United Kingdom Security Vetting - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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.