About the job

Job summary

Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the government’s immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain. Learn more on the Immigration Enforcement careers page.

Job description

This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to join our Tracing Team who are responsible for tracing absconders and who play a key role in supporting the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for tackling illegal migration and increasing removals. 

This is a strategic operational leadership role working to the Central Support and Tracing Hub (CSTH) lead. The post holder will work closely with counterparts across Interventions, Sanctions and Compliance (ISC) and Immigration Enforcement (IE) to ensure those cases currently deemed as absconders are effectively prioritised and progressed in accordance with IE operational priorities. This is an exciting opportunity helping lead change in IE, with a primary focus to develop holistic oversight of IE's tracing capabilities.

You will be working in an environment that requires flexibility and where the ability to often manage time-sensitive priorities is essential.

You will work closely with counterparts across ISC and IE to ensure cases are effectively prioritised and progressed in accordance with ministerial and IEs priorities.

You will use your skills, experience and talents to bring to action our delivery plans and options for leveraging maximum benefit from business rules while strategically planning for the implementation of the Illegal Migration Act. The role offers the opportunity to be at the heart of change across IE and access to senior leaders in the Home Office.

You may be required to support other work streams within their capabilities depending on the business needs.

Interventions Sanctions and Compliance (ISC) operates a flexible resourcing model and therefore individuals may be required to undertake activities in support of other teams within the unit. This will be considered according to business priorities, the individual's competences, skills and availability.

Occasional travel to other Home Office sites in the UK may be required.

Person specification

Responsibilities: 

• Leading and managing staff within CSTH to deliver tracing in a fast-paced and high-profile environment, delivering demanding outcomes against a background of uncertainty whilst maintaining high standards on work-life balance, learning & development and staff wellbeing.
• Overseeing and improving workflow and operational processes, ensuring new flow work is prioritised and actioned appropriately to ensure it continues to support ministerial priorities.
• Supporting the development of new proof of concepts for data sharing with Other Government Departments (OGDs) in order to help identify and find new contact information for absconders, implementing new data sharing processes and having responsibility for recording and reporting results.
• Updating and producing guidance that supports the delivery of tracing activities, ensuring that any data sharing agreements relating to tracing activities are drafted, reviewed and updated.
• Overseeing the production of weekly and monthly performance reporting by the team, ensuring that all data produced is of high quality, is accurate and is provided in a timely manner.
• Providing visible and inspirational operational leadership, creating a positive team spirit across both the ISC Tracing Teams, role modelling positive behaviours, recognising, praising and rewarding strong-performance and effectively managing under-performance.

Essential Criteria 

Candidates must demonstrate the following proven skills:

• Experience of leading staff through change, providing inspirational, inclusive, and engaging leadership.
• Excellent IT skills, including proficient use of Microsoft systems Excel, Outlook and MS Teams.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to confidently deliver face-to-face messaging clearly and with conviction.
• Experience of setting up agreements with partners (internal or external), with a track record of building strong, trusting and productive working relationships.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment, with the ability to work effectively and collaboratively under pressure, to meet challenging deadlines and deliver work of high quality.
• Commitment to ensuring that within your area of responsibility, there is compliance with relevant legislation, policy, procedure and governance, in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Desirable Criteria 

• Understanding of operational risk management.
• Experience of working in an operational immigration environment, with good knowledge of using different immigration systems (CID, Atlas, PEGA etc.).

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/skills
• A Statement of Suitability (personal statement) (maximum 1000 words)
• Provide evidence of the Behaviour 'Leadership' (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 'Leadership' and the Statement of Suitability (personal statement). The CV 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. 

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 Behaviour 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.

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 listed Behaviours.

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 15th January 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 5th February 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
• Skype for Business/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.

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. 

There is no shift working requirement, and therefore no AHW allowance available for this post.

If you are considering applying for part time hours, please contact HORCCampaignTeamIE@homeoffice.gov.uk to discuss your request as not all working patterns may be accommodated.

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).

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