About the job

Job summary

The Migration and Borders Group (M&BG) has a far-reaching and comprehensive programme which encompasses policy, legislation and reform of the immigration systems and acts as a centre for excellence to deliver international interventions and engagement. This includes many of the most high-profile policy areas for the Home Office: asylum, migration, nationality, extradition, citizens’ rights, borders and international criminality.

Its mission is to guide the UK’s immigration, borders, asylum and citizenship system, to ensure it is run in a coherent, end-to-end manner, providing great customer service and applying fair but firm controls, in line with Ministerial objectives. To achieve its aims, MBG works closely with Border Force, UK Visas and Immigration, His Majesty’s Passport Office, Immigration Enforcement, Digital, Data and Technology, Home Office Legal Advisers as well as other partner organisations and government departments.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join the System Design Hub, sitting at the heart of M&BG System Design within System Leadership. System Design are accountable for owning and developing the Migration & Borders end-to-end strategic design and Business Architecture along with being responsible for resourcing and planning.

We work in close collaboration with SROs and senior strategy, policy, and operational colleagues (in Customer Service and Borders and Enforcement) along with our Digital, Data and Technology teams. The post holder will need strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills to work closely with teams across System Design and planning teams across the Capabilities, along with good analytical and critical thinking skills.

The right candidate will develop a wide range of skills within a high performing team, to support the delivery of significant transformation and leading-edge change across the Migration and Borders Mission. 

MBG prides itself on being an open and supportive workplace. 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 recruiting for one Senior Executive Officer (SEO) taking on the role of an Engagement and Planning Lead to work within the System Design Hub. This role is a rare chance to shape the delivery of key legal and illegal migration transformation, and work in a team setting out the design for our future borders. 

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of a key project management and coordination role, in a high profile and fast-moving directorate which covers the end-to-end architecture across the migration and borders system. You will work in partnership with other government departments (OGD), project delivery, policy, Home Office Legal Advisers (HOLA), Home Office Analysis and Insight (HOAI), technology partners, Data Services & operational teams so that what we design efficiently in a way that meets end users and meets Ministerial direction. 

We are looking for a candidate with project management, planning, analytical and critical thinking skills. The post holder will need strong leadership, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills to work closely with teams across System Design and planning teams across the Capabilities. You will need to ensure that we have end-to-end design planning in place, are prioritising and aligning our resources to best effect, preventing duplication of effort, and that we have a long-term view of the system.  

The Design Hub holds the overarching MBG System Design view and vision, translating it into the end state. The hub is a friendly, multi-disciplinary team that is responsible for setting and maintaining the standards, templates and ways of working. The planning function holds the common work plan, manages resource planning & flexible resource allocation, oversees commissioning, prioritisation & sequencing. 

There may be potential line management responsibilities in the future. There will be limited travel for any business / team events, however prior notice will be given. Any costs associated with this will be met by the business area.

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 29 hours per week. 

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). 

Person specification

This role is suited to an individual with strong organisational skills, experience of working as a project planner or held a role within a project team, a PMO or as a project manager or work stream lead of a small project. 

Previous experience in System Design is not essential, as awareness sessions and support will be provided to help understand Design work. 

The successful candidate must be able to undertake the responsibilities listed below but are not limited to: 

• Work collaboratively with the G6 Design Lead to provide support on project initiation, transition of work to delivery and problem solving around planning and allocation of work.

• Lead on all planning activity, build Project Plans and apply appropriate project principles to deliver stated objectives.  

• Experience of identifying, communicating with, and influencing a wide range of senior stakeholders, both internal and external to your organisation.

• Identify and set appropriate Project Controls as well as track and report delivery against milestones.

• Work with risk owners to identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions and escalate as appropriate.

• Analyse, challenge, and test planning assumptions to ensure that plans are realistic and achievable, providing reports and supporting governance.

• Support capability building and the use of best practice in planning and reporting.  

You must be capable and confident working within a team, as well as work autonomously and use your initiative to drive work forward at pace.

Essential Criteria:

You will have a demonstrable passion for delivery with the following skills and strong experience in:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with an ability to distil key messages from technical conversations.
• Experience of working in a fast paced and changing environment along with planning, collaborating, and delivering through others to meet deadlines on multiple pieces of work.
• Ability to build and maintain positive and effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders and an understanding of how to tailor communication to get the most out of engagements. 
• Strong proficiency with office management software like Microsoft Office including MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• An enthusiastic, trustworthy and pro-active person that understands and demonstrates the core values of team work.

Desirable Criteria:

• For this role, the experience of working in a programme, project or planning environment would be beneficial, but is not essential.

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.

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

• A CV (job history)
• Statement of Suitability (Personal statement) (1000 words maximum)
• Evidence of the lead behaviour - Delivering at Pace (250 words maximum).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The Statement of Suitability must be aligned to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advertisement.

The sift will be held on the Statement of Suitability and Behaviour example.

Your CV should consist of your career history, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will not be scored, but instead will be used to provide further context on your personal statement, and support conversations at interview.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the Statement of Suitability. 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 a blended approach of Strength-based questions (no preparations necessary) and Behaviour-based questions.

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 from 21st February 2024

Interviews will take place week commencing from 12th March 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

It is advisable to access your interview from a windows operating system laptop, desktop, phone or tablet as there is no guarantee that Microsoft Teams will work without issue on an Apple laptop, tablet or desktop.

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.

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.

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

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.  

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. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.

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.

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

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.