About the job

Job summary

The Independent Offices – the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, the Civil Service Commission and the Commissioner for Public Appointments – are connected by the shared goal of contributing to public confidence in the integrity of government. We are looking for enthusiastic and ambitious individuals, interested in government ethics, to join our high-profile organisation based in the heart of Westminster.

The three offices regulate ethical standards in different ways. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) considers applications from former ministers and senior Crown servants who wish to take new jobs. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) ensures that recruitment in the Civil Service is fair, open and based on merit, supporting its commissioners in chairing campaigns to recruit the most senior civil servants, including all permanent secretaries. The Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA) monitors the processes by which the government makes appointments to the most significant public bodies, including the BBC, Ofsted and NHS England. They are supported by the corporate team, who provide essential business services.

The successful candidate will work across the three teams, contributing to the maintenance of ethical standards in government. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to support senior stakeholders and to help deliver important work, often across the breadth of government and under appreciable media scrutiny.

We are a friendly and welcoming team, working in an agile and impactful manner on fast-changing priorities. We place a great emphasis on staff wellbeing and on continuous learning. We pride ourselves on providing frequent career development opportunities and chances for colleagues to stretch and challenge themselves.

In the last People Survey, 75% of employees in the Independent Offices said they would recommend the organisation as a great place to work (14% higher than the Civil Service average), 94% said they felt valued for their work (22% higher than average) and 100% said their team works together to improve the service they provide (15% higher than average).

For more information on the Independent Offices, please see this blog, written by our Chief Executive.

Job description

These are important and exciting roles in a small but high-profile part of government. As an Executive Officer in the Independent Offices, you will play a key role in supporting the policy, operations and corporate teams and in engaging directly with senior stakeholders and the public. Your key responsibilities may include:

• Deploying excellent communication skills to work with a range of senior stakeholders and cultivating your own relationships where necessary;
• Managing enquiries from government departments;
• Managing a caseload under a framework of principles and codes;
• Fielding enquiries and complaints media, applicants and the broader public;
• Monitoring a team’s inbox and ensuring the provision of expert and timely advice to stakeholders;
• Supporting policy and operations teams in driving improvement in ethical standards across government, with a focus on the collection, validation and retention of departmental data;
• Organising a team’s systems for storing and retrieving historical cases and data.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Ability to prioritise, with excellent record-keeping and organisational skills.
• Critical thinking skills, enabling you to make judgements based on evidence and using codes and guidance.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to interact confidently and professionally with stakeholders, often at senior levels.
• Sound drafting skills, including the capacity to adapt styles and formats as required.
• Fine attention to detail and the ability to examine quantitative and qualitative data.
• Ability to manage your workload across multiple competing team priorities.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,000, Cabinet Office contributes £8,640 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and Behaviour statements (250 words maximum per statement) for the three Success Profiles Behaviours listed above.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service.

Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift or straight to assessment/ interview.

Selection process

At the interview you will be scored on your Behaviours, Strengths, presentation, statistical test and written exercise. Appointments will be made in merit order.

At the interview stage for this role, you will be required to provide evidence of the three Behaviours listed above in your interview for the role.

As part of the selection process you will also be asked to complete a simple statistical test and prepare a brief presentation ahead of the interview.

We will also test you on a range of Strengths. These are designed to test your ability to respond to situations that you may face in your day to day role.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c Monday 29 July 2024

Expected interview date/s – w/c Monday 12 August 2024

Interview location – Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put 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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet 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.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

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. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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 counter-terrorist 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.