About the job

Job summary

Home Office Intelligence brings together a number of existing teams involved in the collection and analysis of border and immigration related intelligence. It delivers Intelligence Collection, Development, Analysis, Targeting (Data Analytics) and Watchlisting capabilities within the Home Office and to its partners across Government and Law Enforcement. Learn more on the HO Intelligence careers page.

Job description

The Home Office Intelligence, Sensitive Intelligence Unit (HOI-SIU) is part of the Sensitive Intelligence Network (SIN) across law enforcement. The HOI-SIU is a busy, challenging environment, with a remit to develop and disseminate high grade sensitive intelligence to support investigation of Organised Immigration Crime, working in partnership with Immigration Intelligence units, Criminal and Financial Investigations teams and other Law Enforcement Agencies.

The Specialist Intelligence Command is responsible for gathering and developing intelligence on organised crime groups involved in Organised Immigration Crime (OIC). We initiate new criminal investigations and support existing investigations in the UK and overseas. This includes management and oversight of the use of specialist and covert intelligence techniques, and engagement with appropriate partners and stakeholders. The team also support Frontline Enforcement work to address all immigration abuse.

We are looking for an Intelligence Supervisor. The post involves a high degree of engagement with internal and external partners. The post offers excellent opportunities for development of skills within the sensitive intelligence arena in a high performing team.

This is a role for a Chief Immigration Officer (HEO) Intelligence Supervisor to lead on the collection, acquisition, and development of intelligence strands for the SIU. You will have the opportunity to set the direction, build relationships with relevant stakeholders and enhance the intelligence offering of Home Office Intelligence to partners. The role will focus on specific immigration threats, developing subject matter expertise to effectively produce intelligence packages that lead to disruption and or prosecutions of organised crime groups involved in Organised Immigration Crime (OIC).

You must have the ability to work proactively to identify relevant intelligence for development and the ability to understand and task the most relevant resources and assets. The role will be fast paced and require the oversight of multiple operational strands of activity simultaneously. 

Responsibilities

Duties include but are not limited to:

•    Building and leading a small team of intelligence officers, responsible for delivering an effective intelligence service to tackle Organised Immigration Crime (OIC).

•    As team leader (supervisor) you will be responsible for staff performance and development for four to six members of staff. 

•    Identifying, relevant and credible intelligence that can be developed and exploited to disrupt OIC.

•    Acting as Intelligence Supervisor for several intelligence operations, managing time and resources effectively to deliver successful outcomes.

•    Developing and maintaining processes, intelligence products, and other core intelligence functions to assist decision making, identifying, and managing threat risk and harm, and ensuring compliance with national standards and relevant legislation.

•    Working effectively with external partners and other UK Law Enforcement to identify and develop intelligence investigations against high priority targets, identified through research, development and sharing of high-quality intelligence.

•    Tasking and utilising covert and overt capabilities to maximise the intelligence available to Frontline staff and investigators in tackling OIC.

•    Supervising staff managing a busy and often pressurised inbox where requests for information/intelligence can be urgent/ high harm cases that require quick and accurate responses.

There will also be a requirement to attend appropriate training courses, which may be residential.

Please note that due to the fact that supervisors must be available to work a range of shifts, weekends and undertake periods of being ‘On-Call’ this position is offered on a full time basis only.

Please also note that you will be required to undertake some travel for meetings and training so holding a full valid UK manual or automatic driving licence is essential.

Candidates must obtain DV clearance before taking up the post (and be able to attain STRAP clearance), thus the position is only open to UK nationals.

You will be expected to achieve IPP accreditation as an Intelligence supervisor within a reasonable timeframe.

Person specification

Essential criteria

You must be able to demonstrate:

•    Experience of working in an intelligence or investigative role.

•    Having experience of identifying, assessing, and managing risk within a Law Enforcement / National Security environment.

•    A good understanding of intelligence processes and legislation.

•    Being able to handle competing priorities and managing time effectively to complete a programme of work.

•    The ability to maintain the highest levels of integrity, discretion, and confidentiality. 

•    The ability to undertake resource planning to deliver effective outcomes and ensure operational effectiveness.

Desirable criteria

•    Proven experience of being proactive in developing intelligence into actionable product.

•    The ability to demonstrate experience or knowledge relating to intelligence collection and exploitation gained from law enforcement, government, security, regulatory and investigatory work.

•    Being able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of covert investigation/intelligence gathering techniques, including procedures and processes under the provisions of Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 [RIPA], Investigatory Powers Act [IPA], Police Act 1996, European Convention on Human Rights [ECHR] and Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 [CPIA].

•    Having a clear understanding of information management and data integrity issues.

•    Previous Line management experience.

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, Strengths and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

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

• a CV detailing job history and skills
• a statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
• provide evidence of the behaviour Delivering at Pace (250 words maximum)

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.

For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours

The sift will be held on the behaviour Delivering at Pace and the statement of suitability (personal statement). The CV will not be scored.

The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the lead behaviour (Delivering at Pace) will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.

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 a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions on all the strengths and behaviours listed in the advert. 

Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 4th March 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 8th April 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 via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams

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

Note for Candidates

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 of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants. 

If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.

Are these Reserved Posts for UK Nationals only?

UK nationals who hold dual nationality are able to apply for this reserved post. If a UK passport is not being presented, then candidates will need to provide alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Annual Hours Working Allowance

Annualised Hours Working (AHW) is an attendance system where staff work an agreed number of hours for the year rather than weekly conditioned hours.

You will be required to work flexibly on any day of the week, including weekends, nights, Public Holidays and the Privilege Day, and the hours may vary each week (currently between 0700 - 1900hrs). Attendance may also be subject to change at short notice.

The rate payable under the AHW scheme is driven by business requirements and may vary depending on location.  Your initial rate will be confirmed when you have started in post and will be paid as a percentage of your basic salary.  If a member of staff has agreed an annualised hours arrangement, this does not become a permanent or guaranteed right.  Annualised hours working is subject to changes in operational needs and managers can adjust, cease or suspend it, for operational or performance reasons. Annualised hours agreements are reviewed at least annually. The annualised hours year runs from 1 April to 31 March.  If an individual begins working on an annualised hours basis part way through the year, they will receive a part-year agreement and the Annualised Hours Allowance will be pro-rated for the remainder of the year to reflect that agreement.

If you transfer to a non-AHW post the requirement to work in accordance with the terms of the AHW policy will also end and you will move to standard Home Office Terms and Conditions.

The initial rate payable is around 35%.

Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.

Flexible working

Where business needs allow, this role may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where the expectation is that employees spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity.  Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

A reserve list will be held for 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

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 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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.