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

ICE & ROM South is a directorate within Enforcement, Compliance & Crime (ECC). Our mission, using intelligence and in accordance with our control strategy, is to utilise our skilled and professional workforce to tackle immigration abuse and protect the vulnerable.

Our purpose and focus will always be to play our part in contributing to Government’s top priorities that include tackling illegal migration, removing those with no right to be here, protecting the vulnerable, reducing the size of the illegal population and the harm it causes and to protect the integrity of the immigration system.

Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality, Objectivity, and our wider regional values will always be at the heart of everything we do. We will always deliver our core business as efficiently and effectively as we can to achieve the very best outcomes.

Working for Immigration Enforcement is rewarding, challenging and fast-paced, requiring quick decision making in demanding situations, whilst maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. This is an exciting opportunity to step into this challenging, but rewarding leadership role, within various ICE teams in our South region. If you are passionate about making a real difference and are looking for a rewarding and stimulating career path this is the role for you.

When you join us as an Immigration Officer, you do not need to have any previous experience or prior knowledge about the role, as you will be given full and thorough training to enable you to be competent in the job.  Not long after starting with us, you will commence training on the ICE Pathway Programme. The ICE Pathway Programme is the mandatory training all newly recruited ICE/ROM officers receive upon joining the Home Office. The full programme has been designed to be progressive in its approach to delivery.  

Delegates start with the ICE Pathway which is delivered over 8 weeks including two weeks of Initial Arrest Training. Upon successful completion, delegates will return to their team to commence the mentoring phase of the programme. 

The ICE Pathway initial 5 weeks is classroom-based learning with a mixture of theory and practical exercises combined. The material taught covers topics such as History of Immigration, Pre and on entry functions, why people come to the U.K, Forgery skills including an assessment which is pass or fail. Illegal Entry, breach of conditions, EEA in country, Powers which govern the work we do (Schedule 2 and part 3), warrants, in country examination, visits & operational briefings, Baseline Vulnerability, Digital Pocket Notebooks, Statement writing, Community Engagement, file creation, Illegal working, Interview skills. During your entire programme from day 1 to the end of your 5 weeks you will be under observation, and assessment. All delegates will be formatively assessed throughout the entire programme, using online knowledge checks, group exercises and scenario based practical exercises.

Please note candidates will be expected to be available between 5-8 weeks (Mon-Fri - possibly weekends) for a classroom-based course on selected courses when a start date is agreed.  This may involve travel to a specific training location, cost of travel and accommodation will be met by the business.

Person specification

As a Chief Immigration Officer, you will lead a team of Officers, undertaking a range of interesting and varied activities linked to our aim of reducing harm and protecting the public from harm. You will report to an His Majesty’s Inspector and will line manage direct reports.

You will be required to work shifts. Shift patterns can include early starts, evening working, night shifts, weekends, and public holidays. It is your responsibility to be aware of the shift pattern which relates to your post before accepting the offer.  

To carry out this crucial and rewarding work you will need to be an excellent communicator, who can remain calm and professional even in emotionally charged and pressurised situations.

You will be capable of motivating and inspiring your team and should have the ability and confidence to be assertive, taking control of situations where necessary, making sound decisions in a fast-moving and dynamic environment.

This is a physically demanding role, so you will need to be emotionally resilient, physically fit with a good level of mobility, and comfortable with working in challenging environments both inside and outside in all weather conditions. Our officers operate wearing heavy Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), often for lengthy periods.  Please ensure that you have the physical ability required for this role. 

Responsibilities:

•    Leading a team of Immigration Officers on enforcement visits, including residential and business premises, to apprehend individuals who are illegally working or present in the United Kingdom

•    Supervising enforcement operations in the ‘Silver’ command structure role. Taking referrals from Officers, authorising service of enforcement notices where an immigration offence has been committed, and detention where appropriate, ensuring that all enforcement activity is justified, legal and proportionate.

•    Encouraging joint working with stakeholders, increasing the quality of engagement. Leading/deputising in enforcement activities in at least one borough, using partnership working to widen the Home Office task of creating a compliant environment.

•   Attending task meeting, reviewing tasking requests and supporting the team lead to accept/decline in accordance with current priorities.

•    Leading your team, regularly engaging with them, and setting clear direction.             

•    Providing visible and inspirational leadership, by creating a positive team spirit, role modelling positive behaviours, recognising and praising strong-performance and effectively managing under-performance.

•    Fostering a continuous improvement approach, making positive suggestions for the improvement of current working practices which lead to operational performance improvements, cost savings or better services for customers.

•    Undertaking assurance and quality reviews and providing returns.

•    Driving official vehicles as required.

Essential Criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

•    Being able to make difficult decisions when they are needed, acting ethically and with integrity, with professionalism and impartiality.
•    Evidence of sound decision making skills in dynamic and evolving situations, using information from a variety of sources, identifying risks and finding solutions.
•    Ability to provide inspirational, inclusive and engaging leadership with confidence, managing challenging situations while valuing diversity & promoting wellbeing.
•    Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, with a good command of the English Language. You will have the ability to confidently deliver key messages face to face with clarity and conviction, while creating a shared vision.
•    Ability to establish and foster strong and productive relationships with partners, building trust and respect.
•    Experience of working in a changing, fast-paced environment, effectively and collaboratively to meet challenging deadlines, on a range of key outcomes.

Desirable Criteria

•    Experience in leading teams through change.

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 Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information. 

After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Strength Test. 

If you successfully pass this test you will then be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test and full application form is 23:55 on 29th April 2024. If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Guidance for the Civil Service Test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.

You CANNOT complete the Tests on a mobile phone or tablet.

Following successful completion of the test, you will then be asked to complete the full application form, which will consist of: 

• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 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.

The sift will be held on the statement of suitability (personal statement). 

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be  strength-based questions.

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

You will also be required to prepare a short presentation (no slides or handouts required) to present at interview, further details around what the presentation will entail will be provided before the interview.

Problems during the application process                                                                     

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application (e.g. you have ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we may not be able to reopen your application.

Please note, we cannot make amendments to any part of the application.

Please use the following in the subject line in your email if you need to get in contact with us about your initial application “Please re-open my application – Vacancy Ref 348529 CLOSING DATE 29th April 2024.

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details within the reasonable adjustments section.

Tie break decisions                                                                                                       

The strengths and/or behaviours being assessed will be ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores. Please note that the order in which behaviours are listed in the advert does not necessarily reflect the order of importance. 

Sift and Interview dates  

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 6th May 2024. Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 3rd June 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.

Interviews will be face to face in:

•  Windsor House, London 
•  Frontier House, Folkestone 
•  West Point, Plymouth 
•  Norman House, Portsmouth

Selecting your locations                                                                                             

When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select the location you are interested in on the understanding that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role. Please note, only advertised locations can be offered. 

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

Reserve List                                                                                                             

Where a campaign identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be held for up to 12 months. Reserve lists will be managed by locational merit lists, appointing in merit order per location. You may be offered a post at any of your preferred locations. Whilst on a reserve list we may offer you an alternative similar role in the Home Office. Should you reject an alternative role, you will remain on the reserve list for the role you applied for. If you accept an alternative role, you will be withdrawn from the reserve list. Please note there are no guarantees that further vacancies will arise in the locations you originally applied for before your time on the reserve list expires.

Candidates Please Note:

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                                                                               

We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance of 34.20% depending on location. This is to compensate for working shift patterns.  Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours. Shifts can be changed or extended according to business need. The rate payable is dependent on location and role and is indicative of the shift pattern you will be required to work. 

The higher the AHA, the more flexible you will be required to be. Please note that the allowance is subject to regular review and can go down as well as up. 

Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be at least 18 years or over to apply for this role. You will be required to work between 22.00 and 06.00, so this is a legal requirement. For more information visit: https://www.gov.uk/night-working-hours and Child employment: Restrictions on child employment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We encourage applications from candidates who wish to work part-time however, unless specified in the advert, part-time opportunities cannot be guaranteed in frontline roles due to the 24/7 operational nature of the business. Those wishing to work part-time should notify the vacancy holder as soon as a provisional offer of employment is made to explore whether this can be accommodated [at your selected location]. Please note that full shifts (of up to 12 hours) will be required even if a part time contract is sought.

Please note that not all work patterns can be supported within this role, successful candidates should discuss work patterns with the vacancy holder ahead of accepting any offer.

Appearance                                                                                                                     

As part of this role you will be required to wear a uniform (which will be provided). Staff must ensure that their uniform is worn correctly, in line with these uniform standards, is kept clean and is well presented. To support this requirement, adequate uniform supplies will be available and issued. Uniformed staff represent their organisation at all times and should ensure that their dress and personal appearance reflects this responsibility.

Public and Personal Safety Training [PPST] – Level 3                                         

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training [PPST] 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 PPST 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. You must be prepared to undertake regular refreshers of this.

Flexible working is not an option                                                                               

This role is not suitable for a combination of office and home-based working due to the requirements of the role. Successful candidates will be required to attend the office/other work location as specified in the advert at all times, to carry out this role

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.