About the job

Job summary

The Home Office has a broad-reaching role at the heart of the Government's agenda, leading on counter-extremism and counter-terrorism, UK policing, immigration and passports, drugs and crime policy among many other responsibilities.

The Physical Security Team is part of the Home Office Security and Estates Directorate and works within the Security Policy Framework to keep Home Office (HO) buildings, staff, and information assets secure and safe. 

This interesting and important job entails enabling secure access for HO building-users, authorising the issuing of building passes and responding to a wide range of security enquiries coming direct from very senior stakeholders such as private offices, directors and other government departments. You’ll join a small team that delivers all this and come into daily contact with people at the very centre of the nationally important work the HO does; this is a rare opportunity to forge great working relationships with people right across the HO. 

Job description

There are many aspects to the job – no two questions and no two days are alike – so flexibility and ability to prioritise are key requirements.
 
Main responsibilities of the role are:

• Process building pass applications, ensuring items are issued in accordance with the current policy.
• Deal with in-person enquiries at the 2MS office and liaise with customers, partners, and stakeholders throughout the building. 
• Deal with ad-hoc/miscellaneous security related requests and enquiries from staff and stakeholders. 
• Ensure access is granted to various restricted areas within 2MS and the wider estate in accordance with agreed protocols. 
• Work collaboratively with Physical Security colleagues across multiple UK locations to support the work of the national team. 

Note: The post holder may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence, and training.

Important information 

Due to the nature of this role, it is full time and office-based only.  The successful candidate will be required to work from London 2MS Monday-Friday (5 days per week).

Person specification

Essential criteria

We are looking for a motivated individual who can demonstrate the following:

• Highly motivated, dynamic, and proactive; able to work in a fast-paced environment, managing time and priorities effectively.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to confidently deal with staff of all grades of all levels.
• Strategic thinker, problem solver and able to provide clear, accurate direction to stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365, Word, Excel, SharePoint, Outlook etc.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• 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, Ability 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 Verbal 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 8th July 2024. If you fail to complete the online test/s or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.  

Guidance for the 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.  

For the next part of the application process, you will be asked to complete: 

• a CV detailing job history/skills
  
• a Statement of Suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words) 
• provide evidence of one lead Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions (max 250 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 and Behaviour. The CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored.

If a large number of applications are received, an initial sift will be conducted on the lead Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift when the Statement of Suitability will also be marked.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach consisting of Strength-based questions (no preparation necessary) and Behaviour-based questions on all the Behaviours listed in the advert.  

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place from 11th July 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 29th July 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

PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.

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

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 and generating of examples/answers from internet sources including Artificial Intelligence. If any is detected the application may be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving civil servants. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.