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 role offers the opportunity to join the Intervention Sanctions and Compliance (ISC) Foreign National Offender (FNO) Tracing Team to operationally manage a key transformational team in Immigration Enforcement (IE).

Immigration Offenders are required to maintain a level of contact with the Home Office (HO) as part of their entry, leave or release conditions. If they fail to do so, and there is a reasonable suspicion they remain in the UK, they are deemed out of contact.

There has been significant emphasis on those that are out of contact in recent years, however, that has tended to focus on a particular subset of this group – absconders. We now aim to address the wider out of contact cohort at an operational and data level, utilising business rules to provide grip, visibility and tangible change to the way in which the out of contact cohort is managed.

This is an operational leadership role working to the Senior Executive Officer Out of Contact Operational Managers. The post holder will work closely with counterparts across IE to ensure those cases currently deemed out of contact 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 all out of contact cases at the centre.  

You will utilise your skills to action our delivery plans and options in line with business rules, while strategically planning for the seamless transition to the new out of contact operating model.
The role offers the opportunity to be at the heart of change across IE and access to senior leaders in the Home Office.
Occasional travel to other Home Office sites in the UK may be required.

Person specification

Responsibilities:

•    Supporting the Senior Executive Officers to manage the Foreign National Offender Tracing Team in delivering demanding outcomes against a background of uncertainty whilst maintaining high standards on work-life balance, learning & development and staff wellbeing.
•    Working in co-operation with Foreign National Offenders Returns Command, Reporting and Offender Management (ROM), National Returns Progression Command (NRPC) and wider business to ensure collaboration and partnership.
•    Working with the business and policy, setting direction for the team and managing the Absconder workstream.
•    Developing and managing new quality processes arising from the introduction of business rules technology allowing for a flexible and efficient holistic function to address the Absconder cohort.
•    Ensuring any risks and issues are identified, managed and escalated though appropriate channels.
•    Line management of a team of Executive Tracing Officers and Administrative Tracing Officers.
•    Being an inclusive, proactive, supportive and positive member of the team.

Essential Criteria

Candidates must demonstrate the following proven skills:
•    Experience of developing and maintaining strong working relationships.
•    Experience of setting and monitoring performance.
•    Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with a wide range of audiences.
•    Strong organisational skills, including the ability to work to tight deadlines in a high-profile environment, remaining calm and focussed under pressure.
•    Understanding of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policies and processes.

Desirable Criteria

•    Understanding of operational risk management.
•    Business knowledge of IE and/or the Home Office.
•    Knowledge of Home Office systems would be beneficial (ATLAS/CID/GRS/ etc).
•    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/qualifications/skills
• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
• Provide evidence of the behaviour Leadership (250 words maximum)

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  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. 

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 2nd January 2024. Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 22nd January 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

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/these posts.

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.

Hybrid 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).

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.

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.