About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Job Title:  Security Vetting Officer – Personnel Security Vetting Team

Directorate:  Directorate of Security

Band:  5

Overview of the job

The Personnel Security Vetting team are part of Risk and Capabilities Unit in the Directorate of Security. Located in Newport, Wales and Manchester, the team is responsible for evaluative decisions on the suitability of all applicants applying to join the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS Agency who are subject to security vetting. The team contribute to the management of corporate risk on behalf of the organisation, working closely with the Head of Personnel Security Vetting , as well as offering the opportunity to build relationships with individuals and agencies across the criminal justice landscape.

The role will contribute to the acceptance or refusal of vetting on over 6,000 applications in the central Ministry and over 22,000 cases per annum in HMPPS.

The post holder provides verbal and written advice to senior and recruitment managers in the central Ministry, as well as providing information which contributes to submissions, appeals and PQs.

The job role involves close, regular liaison and discussion with recruiting managers and Shared Services vetting teams to ensure any risk to HMPPS is effectively managed. It also involves partnership working with a number of internal and external stakeholders including the police and other criminal justice agencies.

This post will be based in Newport or Manchester within one of our vetting hubs. On occasion there may be a requirement to travel for a location other than your base location for full team/unit events.

Summary

The Security Vetting Officer works as a member of the Personnel Security Vetting team. This team is responsible for making evaluative decisions in a range of substantial work areas on the suitability of applicants to work within the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS; it contributes to the management of corporate risk in compliance with agreed policy and procedures.

To ensure all applicants are evaluated on a consistent basis and providing cover for colleagues to ensure business continuity in their absence, making decisions in consultation with the Head of Team where necessary.

Review and respond to appeals from applicants refused vetting for HMPPS and Ministry of Justice appointments within agreed timescales.
 
Undertake sampling checks on vetting applications ensuring checks are accurately submitted to third party organisations.

To maintain, review and update the record of staff dismissed and workers excluded held on the HMPPS Exclusion List as required in a timely manner.

Contribute to the overall operation of the Personnel Security Vetting team, the post holder will establish and develop stakeholder partnerships, ensuring the organisation applies best practice in security vetting in the most cost effective manner.

Contribute to the analysis of data on vetting applicants and decisions, identifying trends and patterns which may require revision and change to existing protocols or deliver procedural improvements.

Ensure that all applicants are evaluated in compliance with agreed policy and procedural guidelines, consulting with the Head of Team in more complex cases with wider policy, legal or procedural implications.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Ensure the quality and consistency of decision making, retaining an evidentiary audit trail and knowledge bank for future referral for both the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS.
• Operate within the Ministry of Justice SLA constraints and turnaround work to contribute to those timeframes being met.
• Consider the applications presented via the Oleeo platform and make balanced decisions on their eligibility and suitability to progress to a panel review.
• Direct follow up work for clarification purposes with Shared Services Vetting teams as appropriate.
• Provide fair, consistent and defensible decisions on the suitability of applicants, maintaining the security and credibility of the service.
• Work collaboratively and liaise regularly with a number of key stakeholders including Disclosure Scotland, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Corporate Security Branch, National Security team in Shared Services, recruiting managers and HRBPs.
• Applications under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) should be progressed taking into account relevant policy and codes of practice.
• Consider any appeals/representations against a vetting decision whether from an applicant or third party, providing written notification of outcomes in a timely manner ensuring an appropriate audit trail.
• Monitor the storage of critical data and customer information to support decision making and conduct regular reviews to ensure it is stored accurately, confidentially and responsibly.
• End-to-end management of the Digital Vetting process within the Digital Investigation unit.
• The composition of evidence into formal and detailed reports to enable informed decisions around an individual’s suitability for HMPPS employment.
• Work closely liaising with Disclosure Scotland to ensure the efficient and accurate delivery of PNC reports. Ensure the integrity of data through quality checks, updating a local database of all cases where inaccuracies have been revealed in order that appropriate remedial action is taken.
• Ensure Disclosure Scotland comply with agreed service level agreement (SLA) raising any issues on quality or consistency of service with the contract manager via the Head of the Approvals Team.
• Ensure data is handled in line with the provisions of the Data Protection Act (DPA).
• This post is part of an adaptable resource and the post holder may be flexibly deployed in response to Ministry priorities.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,104, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £8,971 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 Strengths.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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

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.