About the job

Job summary

The Home Office is here to make our country safer. As well as working to protect the most vulnerable, reduce crime and enforce the law, we also work to, and have a proud history of, providing refuge to those who have been displaced or are seeking asylum. Whether it is fighting crime, protecting our borders or combating slavery, the Home Office (HO) is at the cutting edge of public policy in this country and our work is some of the most challenging and rewarding in government.

The role of the Public Safety Group (PSG), which sits within the HO, is to keep the public safe by protecting the vulnerable, cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals and ensuring that our police, fire and rescue services are as trusted, efficient and effective as they can be in delivering front line public services. 

The people in our Group develop and implement policy, provide funding, and deliver legislation. We make the most of innovation, data, and partnerships to protect the vulnerable, prevent crime, and tackle the highest harm crimes. We work with our partners in law enforcement, establishing governance arrangements at a national, regional and local level.

The Police Strategy and Reform Unit is part of the PSG. It is responsible for: 

- Overarching strategy and reform: Setting the overall strategic direction for policing with the sector, delivering the Government’s commitments on police reform via the National Policing Board’s work programme and spotting and gripping policing related risks and opportunities. 

- Governance, accountability, and scrutiny: Developing the role of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), policy responsibility for police and crime panels, police related inspection policy (including all-force Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL)) and force improvement via His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), along with driving up performance in the poorest performing forces. It also acts as a key interlocutor with chief constables, police and crime commissioners, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary and other key policing stakeholders. 

- Mayoral devolution and policing structures: Supporting delivery of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda by leading on the policing governance elements of English devolution plus policy on policing structures issues and neighbourhood policing.

Job description

We are looking to recruit for the below roles to be based within the The Police Strategy and Reform Unit:

1 x Head of Police System Performance & Improvement

As G7 for Police System Performance and Improvement, you will be responsible for overseeing police performance and improvement policy, across England and Wales, interpreting and analysing information to identify performance concerns and providing strategic insight into the current state of policing. You will be required to engage with a wide range of senior policing stakeholders and work closely and collaboratively with leads across Public Safety Group to identify links and develop improvement approaches, drawing on evidence and analysis to deliver effective policy. 

1 x Head of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Police Inspection Policy

As G7 for HMICFRS Police Inspection Policy, you will be responsible for overseeing police inspection policy across England and Wales, ensuring we have a police inspection programme and assessment framework in place to assess police performance – both collectively and at force level - against priorities set by the Home Secretary . You will be required to engage closely with HMICFRS and senior policing stakeholders and work collaboratively with leads across Public Safety Group and beyond to consult on its inspection programme, provide policy oversight of delivery and draw on evidence and analysis to shine a light on police inspection outcomes.

Both these roles require the post holder to be a self-starter, able to think independently, draw insights across a range of material and proactively drive policy development. 

You will be on a rota of out of hours officials who provide policy advice on the unit’s areas of responsibility. It is likely that you will be on call every two to three months for a period of one week.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will help to build the unit’s capability to successfully deliver and to develop its standing as a trusted, strategic policy team - developing staff and improving performance by identifying and supporting learning opportunities, setting and role modelling high standards and through effective coaching and mentoring. 

Both these roles will require some travel within the UK, where the cost associated with this will be met by the business area.

These roles are available on a full time basis with compressed hours. Applications for part-time working would be considered however due to the nature of the role the minimum hours would be 30 hours per week. Job-sharing applications would also be considered.

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). 

Person specification

As Head of Police System Performance & Improvement, your key responsibilities will be to: 

- Lead the policy response to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s ‘State of Policing’ report, working across the sector to develop advice in respect of proposed governance and leadership reform.

- Lead on analysing and identifying commonalities across police inspection reports, advising Ministers on any necessary actions and working with the sector to make improvements. 

- Take the lead for the Group on Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) performance issues, providing assurance to SCS and Ministers on their progress, identifying risks and ensuring sufficient cross-sector support.

- Play a key role in overseeing activity on thematic inspections, working closely with policy leads to draw links between Departmental activity and engaging with HMICFRS on future inspections.

- Provide a strategic policy link into key, related activity, such as the Crime and Policing Board (CPB), Digital Crime and Performance Pack (DCPP), early warning systems etc.

- Oversee and support the development of the Department’s role in supporting ‘engaged’ forces, ensuring policy teams are utilising all available levers to help turn forces around. 

- Deliver priorities more broadly from across the Police Strategy and Reform Unit and the wider group where needed.

As Head of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Police Inspection Policy, your key responsibilities will be to:

- Maintain and further develop a strong relationship with HMICFRS, ensuring it delivers on its statutory requirements and that its inspection programmes reflect ministerial priorities for police inspection.

- Maintain an overview of HMICFRS’s main work programmes and outputs, and be a central point of contact for the Department, OGDs and HMICFRS on HMICFRS police inspection and Criminal Justice Joint Inspection related queries, working closely with colleagues in Sponsorship Unit and Fire policy (on fire inspection policy) to ensure work is joined up and any risks/issues are identified.

- Work with policy teams, provide ministerial advice on commissioning additional, priority, inspections on behalf of the Home Secretary, working with finance, policy teams and HMICFRS to broker delivery.

- Work with the Police System Performance and Improvement to respond to the findings and recommendations from HMICFRS’ annual ‘State of Policing’ report, identifying key themes and working across the group and beyond to develop a Government response.

- Brief Ministers and/or senior stakeholders on the outcomes of force level inspections from the “PEEL” programme, which looks at the Police’s effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy.

- Lead and coordinate the Home Office response to HMICFRS proposals for future iterations of its PEEL programme analysing HMICFRS data on inspections and recommendations and providing senior stakeholders / Ministers with a line of sight on emerging force performance findings.

- Lead on Home Office engagement with HMICFRS’s Police Performance Oversight Group to support and challenge ‘engaged’ forces to improve, ensure sector support is in place for ‘engaged’ forces, and, where necessary, challenging the Group on its oversight and support.

- Ensure HMICFRS has a strong focus on improving outcomes for victims, working with MoJ, OGDs and HMICFRS to deliver the legislative and non-legislative commitments in the Victims and Prisoners Bill, including identifying appropriate mechanisms for inspecting victims’ services.

- Manage one SEO, providing coaching and support, overseeing their delivery of policy advice, regular and reactive briefings (e.g., bilats with Ministers/SLT, emerging issues).

Essential Criteria (This applies to both roles)

- Strong track record in problem solving, developing and implementing policy.

- Able to lead through ambiguity and negotiate effectively to achieve policy outcomes.  

- Excellent stakeholder management skills with an ability to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels.

- Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to write well with good attention to detail and an ability to present ideas and options to a range of audiences.

- Ability to work flexibly and deliver change through others.

- Strong leadership and management skills.

- Identifying and reflecting strategic priorities, with an ability to communicate these effectively with senior leaders to influence future strategies.

Desirable Criteria (This applies to both roles)

- Knowledge or experience working in, or on policing, performance, or policing policy.

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.

As part of the application, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV (job history)
• Statement of Suitability (Personal statement) (1000 words maximum)
• Evidence of the behaviours 'Making Effective Decisions' and 'Seeing the Big Picture' (250 words maximum per behaviour).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The Statement of Suitability must be aligned to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.

Note: Please state your role preference within your Statement of Suitability, this will be considered where possible and where business needs allow.

The sift will be held on the Statement of Suitability and the two behaviours listed above. CVs will not be scored.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the Statement of Suitability. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.

Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be tested on a blended approach of Strength based questions (no preparation necessary) and all the behaviours listed in the job advertisement.

In addition you will be asked to prepare a presentation to be delivered at interview. This will be based on a behaviour listed in the advert (details to be disclosed closer to the interviews).

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.

Sift and Interview Dates

The sift will take place week commencing from 22nd January 2024

Interviews will take place week commencing from 12th February 2024

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Interviews will take place remotely. 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 details and instructions will be provided closer to the scheduled interview.

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.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

Note for Candidates

A location based 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.

When completing your application you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks. 

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need for them to go through a further selection process. 

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 counter-terrorist 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.