About the job

Job summary

We’re the newly established Building Safety Regulator. Our purpose is to improve fire and structural safety in high-rise residential developments across England, from planning to in-occupation.

We’re looking for several Operational Support Officers who will assist operational teams in setting a new standard in the quality and safety of Higher Risk Buildings. You will administer and triage a varied caseload, identifying whether applications satisfy relevant thresholds. You will also support the team in liaising with colleagues from across HSE.

The role is hybrid-based working from home and attending the office several days a week.

You’ll join a team that is supportive, friendly and in the process of developing our role, which you can help us with.

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Job description

As an Operation Support Officer you will be the first point of contact for range of stakeholders. You will be able to use your professional expertise and provide high levels of customer service to a range of stakeholders.

You will have good writing and analytical skills and be computer literate in order to provide responses to external email queries. Good organisational skills are also needed to manage a caseload. You’ll work in a supportive environment where you can get advice and share lessons learned with your colleagues. You will gain a basic understanding of the BSR functions as set out in the Building Safety Act 2022.

In general, you will be:

• Providing a sound administrative support to your wider team to meet business objectives.
• Working with division-relevant systems and programmes ranging from Microsoft Word and Excel through to HR systems.
• Providing a consistently good customer service, ensuring any queries are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Providing assistance to your colleagues on any projects and work activities.
• Overseeing compliance in regards to any data entry/management such as updating records.
• Liaising with other teams and divisions across the business where needed.

Person specification

• A team player, able to communicate and build effective relationships with your colleagues within your team and across the business.
• Well-organised, able to prioritise your workload and meet deadlines.
• Experience of delivering high-levels of customer service.
• Proficient in O365 including word, outlook and SharePoint
• Able to communicate effectively as well as work on own and within a team
• Continuously developing yourself, your skills and your work, confident in suggesting innovative solutions and suggestions to issues and queries where appropriate, championing continuous improvement.

Desirable:

• Confident in using a telephony system

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,082, Health and Safety Executive contributes £6,772 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.

Application Guidance 

It is recommended that candidates use the STAR approach in your answers - Situation, Task, Action, Result (see below for more information) to structure your example and to refer to the Success Profiles Behaviours (Level 1 AA/AO) guide which can be found on gov.uk

Sift Information

At sift you will be asked to submit a Statement of Suitability up to 500 words on how you meet the essential skills and criteria for the role. Please note that your examples do not need to be work-related - you can tailor your answer to projects, education or life examples you feel best reflect your experience.

You will also be asked to provide a statement of up to 250 words on the lead behaviour 'Managing a Quality Service'.

The sift will take place Week Commencing 6th May.

Interview Information

Interviews will take place from week commencing 13th and/or 20th May onwards. This is a blended interview consisting of Strengths and Behaviours.

Please note that these dates could be subject to change due to panel availability.

In the event of a high number of applications at sift or that pass the interview standard we will assess on the lead behaviour Managing a Quality Service. The lead behaviour will also be used in the event of a tie-breaker.

Useful Information

You can use either a work or non-work-related example in your answers.
It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in, and use the STAR model to explain;

• What was the Situation?
• What were the Tasks?
• What Action did you take?
• How/what did you learn through a Review?

Further Information

A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Please be advised that offers from the reserve list may not be contained to divisions advertised. Some of our divisions may require Security Clearance which requires applicants to have 3 years continuous residency in the UK up to the date of the application and, Home Office approval for indefinite leave to remain within the UK. If Security Clearance is required for a reserve list position, you will be informed about this at the point of offer. 

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.

Any move to HSE 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 here If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.