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

This is an opportunity to work in a Dedicated Source Unit (DSU), specialist posts within Home Office Intelligence, working with cross-Government partners and driving action across the Border, Immigration and Citizenship system. You will help develop and embed a wide range of people and engagement skills within a high performing team, delivering what is required to continue to make the team a great place to work and to support staff and Senior managers in delivery.

Home Office Intelligence prides itself on being an open and supportive workplace. We actively embrace diversity and promote equality of opportunity, to enable us to reflect the communities that we serve. We provide people with the opportunity to work at pace and deliver in stretching roles. You will learn a lot in your day-to-day work – but we also provide excellent wider learning and development opportunities.

Home Office Intelligence has three DSUs which are a standard feature for the lawful and effective management of Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) in compliance with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). The DSUs are supported by a Source Development Unit (SDU) which supports the DSUs, provides a vital role in managing Source status drift for the department, and is currently transforming to take a more active role in CHIS recruitment.

The effective recruitment and management of CHIS generates high grade intelligence, maximises intervention opportunities and produces the strongest likelihood of meeting the department’s strategic objectives and fulfilling its intelligence requirement.

The roles in this campaign are for CHIS handlers to be based in DSU London, officers who will have day to day management of CHIS, and the intelligence product produced, in line with departmental business priorities.

You will join a small team in a dedicated source unit based in Amadeus House, Heathrow, managed by a Controller in this location. DSUs have been established by Immigration Enforcement (IE) as a standard feature for the management of covert human intelligence sources (CHIS) in compliance with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000. The source handler is responsible for the day to day management of sources on behalf of the department. The handler will direct the activities of the source, record and disseminate the information supplied, and monitor the individual’s security and welfare.

Training

You will be required to complete and pass the Advanced Source Handlers Skills training programme. You should note that this course is 3-4 weeks in duration, run by an external partner, which may be residential.

Additionally, You will be required to complete and pass the Personal Safety Training Level 2 (PST2).

Please Note: Candidates should note that failure to complete or pass these requirements will mean that they have not met the requirements of the post and will be redeployed to an alternative role. Candidates who are applying on promotion should also note that failure to complete and pass either of these requirements will result in them reverting to their substantive grade.

Travel

The role will require travel to meetings across an area covering Central London based in DSU London. Lengthy travel may necessitate very occasional overnight stays. Mandatory training for the handler role may also be residential. 

Working Pattern

This is a role which demands high levels of flexibility; the unpredictable nature of the work means that source contacts may occasionally take place at short notice and at unsociable hours.

A full-time, shift-working pattern primarily of early and late duties is anticipated, due to the specialist nature of the post.

Requests for part-time working would be considered but is subject to business needs. The role requires high flexibility working pattern, with regular On Call demands and some Weekend Working.

You should be aware that on-call requires the officer to reside within a reasonable travelling distance to the office they are posted to. Reasonable distance is deemed as 90 minutes travelling time from the office for regional based posts in London.

There will be opportunity to undertake some work from home in line with current hybrid working arrangements in Home Office Intelligence, but officers will be expected to respond to on call requirements when operationally necessary.

Expected posting length is expected to be a minimum period of 2 years following the successful completion of the Enhanced Source Handlers Skills training programme. This is due to staff development investment for this specialist training and also a period of in-role immersion and mentoring.

Person specification

This is an exciting role which requires a robust personality and the ability to work to tight time frames, often without direct supervision.

Responsibilities

You will be expected to:

• Demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of RIPA, CHIS Codes of Practice, Criminal Procedure and Investigation Act 1996 (CPIA), Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the principles of General Data Protection Regulations.
• Ensure that all meetings and contacts with sources are conducted using appropriate tradecraft.
• Ensure the welfare, health and security issues of the source are properly considered and reported on.
• Direct, debrief and task appropriate sources when required.
• Actively promote awareness of source related capability in the Home Office by seeking out, engaging and educating both new and existing internal and external partners.
• Produce accurate and comprehensive recording of CHIS material including meeting reports, risk assessments, applications, intelligence reports and financial records.
• Promote a safe working environment through effective risk assessment of every deployment and situation.
• Promote a professional working environment by maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and integrity.
• Actively collaborate with the team, improving performance, demonstrating innovation, working together with respect.

Essential Criteria

• Experience of working in an operational Law Enforcement role, in particular, Intelligence, Criminal Investigation or Detection.
  

Desirable Criteria

• Previous training in or experience of Source Management.
• Previous experience of the authorisation processes under RIPA 2000.
• Previous training in or experience of UK Immigration rules and legislation.
  

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.

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 500 words)
• provide evidence of the lead behaviour - Communicating and Influencing (maximum 250 words)

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.

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 - Communicating and Influencing 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 (Communicating and Influencing) 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 behaviour-based questions on all listed behaviours.

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 11th March 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 1st 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

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

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. 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 up to 45%.

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

Personal Safety Training (PST)

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) which develops skills in personal safety, arrest and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination.  A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.

Flexible working

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).

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

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.