About the job

Job summary

UK Security Vetting have a new opportunity for an experienced Leadership Development Lead. You will be part of a small dynamic team who will work together to further build professional capability essential to the continuous development of our people and our service 

As Leadership Development Lead you will identify, design, and develop frameworks that represent skills and leadership capabilities critical to long-term and short-term objectives.

Job description

• Engage with leaders and managers across the organisation to understand their needs and develop and implement a leadership strategy that sets expectations on behaviours and skills.
• Formulate and manage a UKSV leadership academy aligned to pathways through a series of organisation development projects including investigating existing strategies across government to identify good practice and synergies, including coaching, mentoring and networking opportunities.
• Support the  delivery of a range of Leadership Development pathways overseeing  the creation of course outlines, and ensure potential integration with other learning programmes.
• Manage ongoing evaluation of leadership impact and capability by developing insights from a range of sources. 
• Improve understanding of leadership behaviours at all levels across the organisation and support leaders and managers in ensuring that they demonstrate the desired behaviours consistently.
• Support the development of strategic leadership approach within UKSV – to include detailed diagnostic work, engaging with internal and external networks to establish best practice.
•  Create a development curriculum sourcing external and inhouse development opportunities for current and future people managers to upskill people manager quality across the organisation. 
• Partner with Talent Leads to ensure high quality development plans are in place for all key successors of critical roles.
• Work with HR and key internal stakeholders to build a programme calendar for the year and project manage the execution of that plan.
• Devise and implement an appropriate performance monitoring plan to quality assure and audit activities ensuring lessons learned and evaluations inform future policy development.
• Produce management reports, strategic papers, statistical analysis and similar documentation, attending senior leadership and other forum as required to present latest developments in leadership, findings and recommendations.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Experience of diagnosing organisational and leadership issues and developing and managing impactful interventions in response.
• Strong communicator who has the confidence to operate at all levels within the organisation.
• Running successful projects and interventions, to ensure delivery of identified outcomes, and to agreed timescales and within budgets.
• A strong focus on leadership development and driving performance with the ability to work in a demanding environment.
• Establishing and managing relationships with key stakeholders and subject matter experts, and the confidence to consult and influence those stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently whilst also supporting and drawing on resources across the wider department.
• An understanding of how to link and align capability and skill requirements within the organisations aims and objectives and workforce strategies to underpin effective talent development and succession planning.
• Proven problem-solving ability, able to adapt to a wide range of unpredictable issues and situations.
• A comprehensive knowledge of leadership development from a theoretical and practical application, with experience of translating latest theories, best practise, and initiatives into effective and innovative solutions. 

Desirable Criteria 

• CIPD membership  or willingness to work towards this. 
• Experience of working with Executive Coaches.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,850, Cabinet Office contributes £11,029 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

You will be asked to provide two 250-word statements on the Behaviours Seeing the Bigger Picture and Developing Self and Others. 

A personal statement should provide a summary of your skills and achievements to show that you have the relevant experience, skills and attributes required for the role. Please detail your experience relevant to the role and carefully consider the criteria listed in the person specification in no more than 750 words.

At the sift stage you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Experience elements of the Success Profiles.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Seeing the Bigger Picture and the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Selection process

During the blended interview you will be assessed against your experience, behaviours that are contained in this advert.

The Behaviours being assessed are Seeing the Bigger Picture, Developing Self and Others and Managing a Quality Service. 

A presentation will be part of the interview, the details of which will be provided to those successful at shortlisting.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 01/01/24
Expected interview date/s – w/c 14/01/24
Interview location - Google Meets Video Conferencing

Further information

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet 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

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put 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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.