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

Reporting and Offender Management Teams are responsible for the attendance and management of a large number of Immigration offenders, who, due to their current circumstances and conditions of their Immigration bail are required to maintain contact with the Home Office. Contact with the reporting population can be via numerous formats including face to face attendance at one of the fourteen reporting centres within the UK or at a suitable designated location.

The roles will form part of the Immigration Enforcement (IE) team, with the majority of the role working within (but not restricted to) the Reporting Centres. The team are an integral part of Immigration Enforcement and play a key role in detaining and removing those that remain illegally in the UK, promoting a compliant environment and encouraging voluntary departure. The successful candidates will undertake a range of duties, which supports this strategy.

Reporting teams are responsible for achieving three key objectives:

• Meaningful contact that encourages voluntary return.
• Management of a reporting population that drives compliance.
• Progression of cases towards removal or other case conclusion.

Reporting Centres are a fast-moving, reactive environment, requiring strong organisational and management skills, as well as being able to make quick well-judged decisions.

Person specification

You will be required to work across all Immigration work streams including:

• Offender Management - Conducting face to face interviews and assisting in the detention and removal process.
• Line Management and development of administrative staff.
• Front facing - Interaction with customers and internal stakeholders. This will also include the detention management processes.
• Front Office - Managing the reporting population, dealing with queries, complaints, signposting, allocating and interventions.
• Workflow - Progressing cases to conclusion.
• General office tasks including answering the phone, inbox management etc.
• Operational support - Working with Immigration Enforcement teams.

Reporting Centre teams are undergoing a period of transformation. This is an exciting period of change that will bring additional opportunity to learn and develop within the role. There is a greater operational emphasis, responsibility and contribution to Immigration Enforcement's priorities.

If you are adaptable to change, flexible and thrive on challenge, then you are encouraged to apply. We are looking for people who can demonstrate the following skills:

• Ability to confidently manage potentially difficult and challenging situations.
• Flexible and adaptive to change.
• Work in an organised manner to deliver on time and to a high standard.
• Able to remain focussed on delivery under pressure.
• Are able to actively seek information from offenders to understand their needs.
• Are committed to continuous improvement.
• Have a strong sense of personal ethics and honesty.

Due to business needs and reporting centre opening hours, there are core hours that will need to be worked. This will vary depending on the individual reporting centre. 

Due to the nature of this role there will be occasions when you will be required to work later than the scheduled working day. Applicants should take this into consideration when applying.

There is no AHW allowance available for this post.

Responsibilities

• Managing a team of Administrative Officers to drive performance and improvement.
• Planning and assisting with the detention and removal of Immigration Offenders.
• Conducting marriage Investigation work, leading on interviews and referring cases for tasking.
• Conducting telephone reporting events. Where appropriate, proactively prompting individuals towards case resolution options including meaningful voluntary departure conversations.
• Conducting appropriate Intervention and Emergency Travel.
• Documenting interviews to assist in case progression and obtaining documentation for those liable to removal from the UK.
• Dealing with complaints/queries by telephone, escalating where appropriate.
• Signposting cases requiring additional considerations.
• Overseeing contact management with those who are required to report.
• Participating and leading team performance meetings.
• Creating and issuing reporting restrictions and serving decisions and notices.
• Conducting face to face interviews to gain further information, being able to deal appropriately with resistance and having challenging conversations.
• Promoting voluntary return from the UK.
• Working collaboratively and develop strong working relationships across all relevant teams and stakeholders to deliver business outcomes.
• Considering and addressing safeguarding and vulnerability issues appropriately.
• Being flexible and adaptive to change.
• Dealing with enquiries/complaints.
• Acting as Duty officer, and supporting Administrative Officers with questions and decision making in the first instance and escalating to the Reporting Centre Manager when required.

This list is not exhaustive and you will be required to complete other activities as part of your daily routines.

Essential Criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

• Have an understanding of how important customer service is when dealing with a range of customers.
• Ability to confidently manage potentially difficult and challenging situations.
• Be flexible and adaptive to change.
• Able to work in an organised manner to deliver on time and to a high standard.
• Able to remain focussed on delivery under pressure.
• Able to actively seek information from people and understand their needs.
• Confident in taking ownership and being responsible for making decisions.

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience in an enforcement role.
• 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 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 Judgement 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 31st January 2024. If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.  

Guidance for the tests 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:  

• A Statement of Suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words)
• Provide evidence of the Behaviour 'Communicating & Influencing' (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 'Communicating & Influencing' and the Statement of Suitability (personal statement).

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

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

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 332271 CLOSING DATE 31/01/2024."

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

Sift and Interview dates 

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 5th February 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 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

Where a vacancy 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.Please only list locations where you are prepared to work and can travel to (as you could be offered any of your noted preferences).

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.

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.

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. As stated in the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland recognise the birth right of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.

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.

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 2

These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) Level 2 which develops skills in personal safety such as tactical body positioning, breakaway, blocking and parry.

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.