About the job

Job summary

The Role​

The Asylum, Protection and Enforcement Directorate (APED) is an inclusive and friendly directorate, with a challenging and varied portfolio, incorporating asylum, removals, criminality and detention, compliant environment as well as the New Plan for Immigration. ​

This is an exciting opportunity to lead passionate and committed teams coming together as a new unit as part of One Home Office blueprint changes. It is also trailing a new way of working by having two Heads of Unit roles overseeing a larger policy portfolio. This is a crucial time for the unit given the current challenges in this space and the significant parliamentary and media focus on asylum and ongoing reforms.  This issue is subject to considerable public and Parliamentary scrutiny.  The work is complex, high-profile, fast-paced and rewarding, offering the potential to make a real difference to the asylum system as well as the lives of asylum seekers and refugees. The role also requires close working with a wide range of external partners and other government departments as well as other policy areas, legal and operational teams. ​

Job description

Key responsibilities include: ​

Capacity across Asylum and Protection policy is being broadened to respond to the current and anticipated challenges currently facing the asylum system. The coherence of the end-to-end asylum system and its ability to function smoothly is as central to the Government’s approach to illegal migration and is critical to meeting our international obligations. ​

The post-holder will work alongside the current full-time head of the Asylum and Protection Unit in having responsibility for the corporate oversight of the unit. They will also have separate areas of responsibility across the portfolio currently focussed on caseworking efficiency, accommodation provision and the development of the future asylum system and international strategy. ​

The post holder will be responsible for an exciting agenda and to be successful, will require good strategic thinking, a flair for innovative policy development, a good grip on detail, including having knowledge of the asylum system, evidence of strong leadership and strong stakeholder engagement skills.  However, it is also demanding and will require a high degree of resilience.   ​

Asylum system ​

• Implement ministerial vision for transforming the asylum system. ​
• Lead development of a comprehensive package of reform for both adults and unaccompanied minors, to be introduced in legislation, Immigration Rules and guidance, to increase the fairness and efficacy of the asylum system so that it better protects and supports those in genuine need. ​
• Set a clear vision for how legislative reforms to asylum fit within broader policy on safe and legal routes, returns and third country processing. ​
• Working with operational colleagues to ensure decision making complies with policy framework. ​
• Ensure statutory responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum seeking children are met. ​
• Oversight of a significant amount of litigation at various stages in the judicial system, including at the Supreme Court. ​

 

Transformation  ​

• Contribute to strategy for the future asylum system in accordance with ministerial vision, including with specific regard to: ​
• Asylum accommodation strategy – supporting the reduction in using hotels and building a policy framework to ensure alternative accommodation options can be used. ​
• Asylum decision-making system capacity, capability and transformation, including digitisation where efficient to do so. ​
• Oversee development and implementation of options to improve the removal and return of those with no right to be in the UK. ​
• Lead system reform for the framework for deciding and accommodating unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. ​
• Engage in the debate over the evolution of relevant international frameworks impacting on asylum.

Person specification

Essential Criteria​

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria: ​

• This is a specialised and technical role, and you need to hit the ground running – you will need to be able to demonstrable experience and knowledge of the asylum and protection legal and policy framework, including the following. ​
• Experience of managing complex litigation including experience of legislative process including Parliamentary handling. ​
• A track record of inspiring leadership, empowering staff while embedding and realising a clear strategic vision. ​
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills with proven experience of building credibility with Ministers and senior officials to deliver outcomes. ​
• Proven experience of engaging proactively and collaboratively with external stakeholders at senior levels and of building effective working relationships with them. Including proven experience of ensuring that the voice of ‘customers’ is heard and represented in policy development. ​
• Experience of leading high-quality policy development through to implementation; and good strategic and innovative thinking skills. ​

 

Desirable Criteria: ​

• A legal background

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Home Office 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

Online Application ​

Please follow the Job Advert instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply online, no later than 23:55hrs on Friday 17th May 2024.

Provide some basic personal information;​

1. A CV- setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, including details where budgets and numbers of people managed, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years;​
2. A Statement of Suitability –(limited to 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification. ​
3. Diversity Monitoring -as part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: 2022 to 2025 (HTML) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.​

It is essential that in your written application you give evidence, using examples, of proven experience. These responses will be developed and discussed with candidates invited for interview.​

Failure to submit both a CV and Supporting Statement will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.​
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For further information on SCS careers and the application process, please see below:​

Home Office SCS Further Information ​

Home Office Senior Leaders - Home Office Careers ​

Home Office SCS Application Process ​

Applying for Senior Civil Service vacancies - Home Office Careers

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 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.