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

There is an active and passionate network of leaders who are dedicated to increasing the employee voice and engagement within the organisation, ensuring all views are heard and that our work continues to learn from the Windrush review.
Reward and recognition programmes give our people the opportunity to recognise and reward their peers for the great things they do every day. All of this contributes to our mission to be a great place to work.

The Operational Capabilities Command (OCC) is a directorate within Enforcement, Compliance & Crime (ECC). Our mission is to ensure that operational colleagues have the skills, capabilities, tools and infrastructure which are modern, environmentally sustainable, fit for purpose and allows staff to maximise their operational effectiveness. 

Our aim is to work across people and strategic workforce planning, change, digital, performance, engagement, risk, law enforcement engagement and our vulnerability and fair treatment teams collaboratively as one team. We will act as agents of change, to provide the innovation, service and thought leadership that is needed so that Enforcement, Compliance & Crime (ECC) runs well as a command now and transforms further to meet the demands and opportunities of the future. 

Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST) sits within the Immigration Enforcement Training and Skills Unit (TASU). The unit oversees several critical areas of training delivery, including Public & Personal Safety Training, Method of Entry, Emergency Life Support Skills, and Aviation Custodial Training.

This post is part of a significant expansion of the team’s capability. On occasion you may be asked to cover other training requirements for front line enforcement. 

TASU have a strong working relationship with the College of Policing and other law enforcement partners as well as strong stakeholder relationships across Immigration Enforcement and wider Borders and Enforcement partners. 

The roles and responsibilities of Public & Personal Safety Training Chief Immigration Officers, include but are not limited to, delivering on training courses, management of courses for the business, liaising with stakeholders, assessing and assuring developing trainers, designing training programs and maintaining delivery of high-quality training for the business.

Immigration Enforcement TASU is a national unit, and as such multi-day overnight travel and periods away from home in a wide variety of locations is frequently required.

The Organisation, its Vision, Purpose and Values.

Immigration Enforcement (IE) is the operational arm of the Home Office responsible for reducing the size of the illegal population and the harm it causes. Its key missions are to:

• Prevent illegal immigration through greater compliance with immigration laws.
• Maximise returns of immigration offenders and Foreign National Offenders from the UK.
• Tackle the threats associated with immigration offending.

We work with law enforcement and cross-government partners to tackle serious and organised immigration crime with a focus on bringing to justice those who exploit the vulnerable, for example cases of modern slavery and human trafficking.

The aim of the Training and Skills Unit is to provide agile support to IE priorities, enabling staff to reach their potential through tailored career pathways with innovative learning and development.

There are several primary work areas within PPST, which you will be asked to support. These include:

• Delivering on initial arrest course – these are for new recruits into Immigration Enforcement, who undertake a 2-week Arrest Training Course to become operational Officers.
• Assisting the delivery of Method of Entry training.
• Assisting the delivery of Aviation Custodial Training.
• Searching Premises and Vehicle training.
• First Aid training.
• Delivering arrest and PPST refresher program – these are for Officers within the business who require to undertake refresher training each year.
• Completion of mandatory annual CPD and quality assurance responsibilities.

Person specification

You will be required to deliver training but will also undertake other specialist workstreams which may include project work, course development, design, and standardisation. Which will be dependent on experience and qualifications. 

Responsibilities

• Travelling nationally to deliver training and change to continued professional development events, which will include overnights in hotels.
• Representing and promoting the standards of Immigration Enforcement and TASU amongst internal and external partners.
• Providing support to the Senior Management Team within the wider Training and Skills Unit.
• Covering other areas of training delivery within Immigration Enforcement and partner agencies.
• Liaising with numerous internal and external partners and customers.
• Supporting the wider activity of Immigration Enforcement and TASU, as required.

You will be expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

A Full UK valid (manual and automatic) driving licence will be required.

You will be required to work flexibly and have the ability to work nationally for pro-longed periods, to meet the demands of the training unit. Travelling expenses will be paid in line with Home Office policy when away from permanent office location. This role is offered on a full-time basis only. 

Essential Criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

• Must be PPST Level 3 Arrest trained and in ticket.
• Excellent leadership and written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of providing learning and development solutions.
• Experience of providing learning interventions on behalf of an organisation.
• Proven track record for developing self and others.

Desirable Criteria

• PPST instructor (or willing to complete the train the trainer course upon commencing employment).
• Strong operational knowledge of the work of Immigration Enforcement.
• Hold a recognised Assessor qualification (TAQA/CAVA/A1).
• Level 3 Education and Training Award (or equivalent or higher.
• Knowledge and experience of Immigration Enforcement Arrest functions.
• Demonstrable knowledge of Immigration Enforcement functions.
• Previous training/learning and development 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 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 500 words)
• Provide evidence of the Lead behaviour Developing Self & Others (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 Lead behaviour Developing Self & Others 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 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 behaviour-based questions on all listed behaviours.

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 348454 CLOSING DATE 24/04/24. 

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details with 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 29th April 2024. 

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 20th May 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

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.

Reserve List 

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                           

This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance of 23.19. This is to compensate for working shift patterns including night shifts, early morning starts, late night finishes, weekends, and public holidays.  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)

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                               

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.