About the job

Job summary

Immigration Enforcement (IE) 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

Immigration Enforcement’s vision is to reduce the size of the illegal population and the harm it causes. Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) teams are committed to disrupting and dismantling the organised crime groups facilitating immigration abuse, utilising its financial investigations capability to remove the proceeds of crime and strip criminals of their assets.

Immigration Enforcement prides itself on being an open and supportive workplace, actively embracing diversity and promote equality of opportunity. 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.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to develop their skills to contribute to effectively deliver at pace, to support operational colleagues, senior managers, and the wider business.

You will be an integral part of CFI’s on-going commitment to build Financial Investigator (FI) capability across CFI and IE (where applicable), by supporting its people and ensuring that the correct tools are available to achieve successful outcomes. We are looking for an experienced FI and Confiscator who is confident in their knowledge to support colleagues from the start of their FI journey to the completion of their confiscation Personal Development Plan (PDP), as well as Colleagues who already have experience at varying stages. Your knowledge will not only be shared within FI but to inform and support other IE colleagues too – including delivering cash training and providing an overview to FI work at Training and Support Unit (TASU) induction training. You will be an integral part of reviewing/drafting/overseeing FI specific policy and guidance. 

You should be comfortable to effectively vary your style of communication to ensure that your messaging is accessible and understandable to all – this includes both verbally and in writing. You should be passionate about people development and confident to challenge where appropriate. 

You will be part of FI National Performance, Capability and Data team (PCDT) and may have line management responsibility in the future. To maintain/build capability there will be an expectation that, if necessary, you’ll be able to cover other tasking within the general remit of PCDT. 

Regular travel will be required to all offices in the South, including overnight stays if necessary.

Person specification

Key responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Overseeing and supporting new starters through to Confiscation accreditation.
• Supporting existing FIs to develop their skill set.
• FI Business Assurance Single Point of Contact (SPOC), including assisting with Business Assurance audits.
• Contributing to FI related Policy matters, including reviewing and drafting existing documents and identifying future requirements.
• Co-ordinating tutoring, increasing Tutor capacity across the business (where required).
• Assurance of Financial Intelligence Officer (FIO) PDPs post sign-off, monitoring consistency and providing feedback to tutors.
• Financial Investigation Support System (FISS) SPOC including monitoring and actioning PDP/CPD adherence.
• Establishing and leading a development support network for all colleagues.
• Identifying and co-ordinating non-Proceeds of Crime Centre (POCC) training/development.
• Undertaking in-house cash seizure training and present an FI overview on CFI Professionalising Investigation Programme Level 1 (PIP) induction courses and adhoc requests.
• Reviewing and maintaining FI Training brochure.
• Ability to adapt communication style to suit the intended audience and produce clear and concise written work and deliver effective verbal messaging.

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.

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

• A CV detailing job history, qualifications and skills.
• Provide evidence of the Behaviours 'Changing & Improving' and 'Working Together' (250 words each maximum).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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 Behaviours 'Changing & Improving' and 'Working Together'.

The CV will not be scored.

However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the lead Behaviour Changing & Improving only.

Please note:  A check prior to sift will be made on candidates being accredited by NCA Proceeds of Crime Centre as a Financial Investigator and Confiscator. Any applicants stating such but not fitting the criteria will be automatically rejected prior to sift.

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 from the 13th February 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place from the 4th March 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.

Reserve List

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.

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 30% depending on location. 

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

Part Time

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).

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.