About the job

Job summary

The Home Office has one of the most challenging and critical jobs in Whitehall: to keep Britain safe and secure. We operate at the heart of the Government's agenda, leading on immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy, counter-extremism and counterterrorism and work to ensure visible, responsive, and accountable policing in the UK. The challenges the Department faces are significant and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate, making this one of the most exciting and stimulating Government Departments in which to work.

The Home Office is an equal opportunity employer and value diversity and inclusion. It is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all its people can work and perform at their best.

The Home Office is committed to investing in its staff and offers a range of work-based training and qualifications, coaching and mentoring opportunities, with a guaranteed five days of learning and five days volunteering per year.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced professional to take up the role as Head of Business Support. You will be working closely with the security senior management team, cross-government security colleagues and the wider Home Office finance directorate.

You will grow positive relationships with customers through our governance network as well as maintaining regular dialogue with the security functional centre and Home Office finance colleagues. This is a key role in the security senior team and the post holder will be responsible for providing financial advice to budget holders, as well as responsible for our overall financial management arrangements including recharging customers.

Due to the nature of this post this position is only open to full-time members of staff.

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

Responsibilities

HR & People: You will be responsible for the strategic workforce planning of Security and Investigations. The Business Support team is responsible for developing internal workforce plans as well as responding to annual commissions from the Government Security Profession to identify how we can build and strength our workforce. This role will oversee the management of S&I’s local people processes.

Finance: You will be responsible for taking a strategic lead on Security & Investigations financial requirements, providing advice to the SMT. You will work will budget holders to establish the budgetary profile for S&I each year and ensure financial process such as forecasting, spending reviews, invoicing, procurement are carried out to the required standard.

Assurance: You will oversee and support the Business Support Lead in the completion of the Cabinet Office Annual Departmental Security Health Check and the Home Office quarterly Compliance Framework commissions. You will deliver a security assurance and oversight mechanism for ALBs and those public inquiries supported by the Home Office.

Business Continuity: You will be responsible for oversight of the business continuity plans for Security, Estates and Information supporting the wider team to ensure plans are robust, effective, and regularly reviewed.

Security: As a member of the Security Adviser Team, you may be required to support the oversight and management of the response to live incidents, working in a fast-paced environment, and coordinating with other members of the team to ensure there is sufficient coverage throughout the working week. You will provide decisive leadership, ensuring that incidents are dealt with swiftly, in an appropriate manner, escalating where necessary. This will involve effective stakeholder engagement with site managers and OGD partners, alongside relevant security partners to ensure that IM investigation, action and review are timely and aligned.

There is also a requirement to contribute to the Security Culture and Awareness Team engagement work. This will require raising security awareness across the entire Department, including delivering face-to-face security briefings to Private Office and presentations across a variety of security topics linked to security policies.

Management: This post will have line management responsibility.

Note: This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and the post holder will be required to perform any additional duties reasonably expected of them within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Essential Criteria

• A proven track record of providing high quality financial analysis and advice across a wide range of complex business and financial issues, with strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Ability to look at the big picture and consider wider factors and long terms implications of decisions and recommendations.
• Ability to build strong working relationship in often changing circumstances and ability to present complex issues in an easily understood way in order to achieve good outcomes and effectively persuade customers.
• Ability to communicate effectively with numerous groups of people, flexing style and tone as needed for the audience.

Desirable Criteria

• A good understanding of government finance and financial processes.

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 and Experience.

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

• A CV detailing job history/skills
• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
• Provide evidence of the behaviour Leadership (250 words maximum)

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

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.

The sift will be held on the behaviour Leadership and the statement of suitability (personal statement). The CV will be used for information purposes only and will not be scored.

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only. 

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be behaviour-based questions.

You will also be required to prepare a scenario-based presentation (no slides or handouts required) to present at interview, further details around what the presentation will entail will be provided before the interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22nd April 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 20th May 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.

Interviews will be carried out in person at London 2 Marsham Street (2MS). Further details will be provided ahead of interview

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 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 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.

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.

Who are eligible to apply to roles advertised Internally and Across Government?

Internally advertised roles are open to existing Home Office staff only.

Across Government roles are open to all government departments and Accredited NDPBs.

Roles are restricted to existing:

• Permanent Civil Servants.
• Fixed term appointments who were appointed following fair and open competition.  Please speak to your HR department if you are unsure of how you were recruited.
• Employees of those NDPBs who have been Accredited by the Civil Service Commission (see NDPB Accreditation - Civil Service Commission (independent.gov.uk).  Please check if you are a Civil Servant or Accredited NDPB Public Servant.  Public servants from Accredited NDPBs will be recruited as external hires rather than civil servant transfers. See section on NDPBs within the Candidate Information Notes.

Also see the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles for more information on Exceptions Recruitment - Civil Service Commission (independent.gov.uk)

Other worker types operating within the public sector (e.g. Agency workers, Contractors, police, military, NHS etc.) and those appointed under Exceptions 1-4 of the CS Commission’s Recruitment Principles (including Secondments, Seasonal Workers) are not eligible to apply. They can only apply to Externally advertised roles.

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.