About the job

Job summary

The Head of Customer and Colleague Identity and Verification plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the identity and access management across HMRC. This senior leadership position involves guiding the Identity and Access Management (IAM) function, developing strategic plans, and collaborating with various teams to mitigate risks and enhance security measures. The successful candidate will lead initiatives to integrate innovative IAM solutions, ensuring the security of HMRC’s digital interactions.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:​

• You will create an integrated digital ecosystem that secures and verifies the identity of users and guests. ​
• You will bring teams of dedicated IAM professionals together into a single allied function. integrating our people and processes to optimise controlled authorisation of access to applications, devices, data, and assets.  ​
• You will develop and apply your team’s IAM expertise to assist HMRC in reducing third party supplier security risk. ​
• You will oversee our consumer and business IAM services, ensuring delivery of:  ​
• A joint working strategy delivering close alignment with threat intelligence, incident response, and command groups to determine where incidents have exposed weaknesses in IAM systems.   ​

You will be expected to closely engage with the Cyber-Security SOC to enhance IAM (insider and external) threat detection, mitigation and response is through close engagement with the SOC. You will deliver strategic oversight of HMRC’s corporate IAM services and will be required to: ​

• Unify network and application resources, managed via on-prem and/or cloud environments; ​
• Provide services to manage external user access to HMRC services;  ​
• Provide an identity validation and verification service that incorporates a consolidated identity and entitlement warehouse and provides policy-based identity governance in order to support enterprise IT security and regulatory compliance.

You will manage vendor access to HMRC services providing:  ​

• Authentication solutions to users across HMRC ensuring standardisation of technologies and creation of organisation-wide identities with role-based access control;  ​
• Privileged user and access management service administering privileged accounts and detecting unauthorised use of accounts;  ​
• Access to technology resources across HMRC technology estate;  ​
• Stakeholder management leadership – working with HMRC and external business partners to federate and synchronise processes and procedures for leveraging identity data and credentials in order to support acceptance of external workloads. 

Key Interactions​

• Reports to Chief Security Officer (CSO)​
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) team – both the Consumer & Business and Corporate functions ​
• Chief Digital Information Office (CDIO)​
• Customer Compliance Group (CCG)​
• Customer Services Group (CSG)​
• HMRC Senior Leadership Team (SLT)

Person specification

We are seeking a motivated and experienced leader with a track record of success in the field of Identity and Access Management (IAM). You will also have strong technical knowledge in the application of ‘best fit’ methodologies and architectures to reduce and mitigate security risk within large organisations. We want to hear from candidates who are people-oriented with a history of delivering meaningful change and placing people at the heart of the transformation journey. You will also have strong technical knowledge in the application of ‘best fit’ methodologies and architectures to reduce and mitigate security risk within large organisations. ​

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria:​

• Successful track record of applying Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions in large and complex organisations that ensure the correct access is provided to the right people at the right time​
• Senior level leadership experience in cyber and technical security in the application of best fit methodologies and architectures to reduce and mitigate risk, or an equivalent level of private sector experience​
• Direct experience of applying best practice methodology to develop and deliver innovative IAM solutions​
• Highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills to work collaboratively with senior internal/external stakeholders across a range of business areas and networks to develop concise, compelling and realistic strategies with clear outcomes​
• Proven ability to develop and maintain working relationships and be a skilled negotiator able to work with diverse groups, understanding people’s priorities, concerns, and drivers to win hearts and minds​
• Proven strategic mindset with an ability to think strategically and articulate a clear vision, coupled with a track record of strong operational delivery capability, outcomes, and benefits realisation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,250 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

Application:​

To apply for this post, you will need to complete an online application by submitting the following:​

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​
• A Personal Statement of Suitability explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the criteria in the person specification.  The Personal Statement should not exceed two A4 pages.

Your CV and Statement of Suitability should showcase skills, experience and achievements that match the job description's essential criteria.  For your Statement of Suitability, use specific examples to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria, your impact and tangible results of your work. We recommend that each document is no more than two A4 pages long. 

By not submitting a CV and a Statement of Suitability will mean we only have limited information to assess your application against the person specification. Please ensure both documents contain your full name.​

If you encounter any issues with your application or don’t receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, please contact Dale Robinson at  scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk 

Shortlist​

An application pre-sift will be conducted by the SCS Recruitment Team followed by an in-depth review by the Vacancy Holder and Panel.​

The panel will assess and select applicants who demonstrate the best fit with the role by considering the evidence provided against the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application. The closing date for applications is 15/04/2024 and a shortlist decision is expected to be made by w/c 29/04/2024. All candidates will be notified of the outcome shortly afterwards.​

All shortlisted candidates will be offered an opportunity to have an informal conversation with the vacancy holder, Kelly Paterson. This is not an assessment phase but is an opportunity for each candidate to gain greater insight into the context of the role. This is optional, but highly recommended.​

Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)​

Candidates applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme are guaranteed an interview if they meet the minimum criteria outlined in the person specification. 

This scheme works in conjunction with the Great Place to Work for Veterans, for former members of the armed services, and the Redeployment Interview Scheme for existing Civil Servants at risk of redundancy. Each scheme works in the same way.​

Use of Data​

As part of the recruitment process, we may share your data and assessment results internally with our SCS Talent team. ​

This will provide insight into how to support your development and wider talent management, should you be successful in your application. ​

If you do not want your data to be shared, please email Dale Robinson at scs.resourcing@hmrc.gov.uk ​

Interview:​

You will be asked to attend an interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. ​

We will also ask you to prepare a 5-minute verbal presentation. Details will be issued in advance of your interview.​

Interviews are expected to take place week week commencing, 20th and 27th May 2024 and will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams (full instructions will be issued prior to interview).​

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible once all interviews have concluded.​

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 developed vetting (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.