About the job

Job summary

You will be one of two Search Consultants and will be supported by a Researcher. You will provide hands-on search expertise for all our senior and challenging recruitment campaigns.  You will be responsible for delivering search campaigns to a high professional quality and, to time. Your ability to apply your experience of successfully delivering search campaigns will be vitally important.

Job description

You will be part of this centralised expert service that works across the whole of Government where you will be able to apply your specialist headhunting experience to a portfolio of customers. Your work will vary daily, providing an opportunity to demonstrate flexibility and collaboration skills as the team flex between dealing with a range of campaigns where we are searching for professionals in scarce or hard to recruit markets or locations.

You will be expected to be involved in a wide variety of activities including (but not limited to):
Working closely with the Senior Search Consultant to develop and deliver search campaign;

• Provide joint oversight of the work of a researcher 
• You will work closely with the Campaign Management Team to ensure we deliver to the highest standards of quality and excellent customer service;
• Holding in-depth briefing meetings with senior customers, ensuring accurate notes are taken to deliver successful outcomes;
• Overseeing the desk-based research undertaken following briefing meetings with vacancy holders;
• Building good working relationships both internally across GRS and externally across the Civil Service;
• Responsibility for a number of associated system improvement projects (for example developing our work on near-miss candidates or the work with Heads of Professions across Government. 
• Ensuring we deliver recruitment activities that are consistent with employment law and relevant policies and procedures, including the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles;
• Using strong oral and written communication skills daily along with excellent presentation skills, initiative, showing self-motivation and an ability to develop working relationships with external and internal prospects at pace and with ease;
• Producing good quality pre-sifting of applications, offering feedback and insight where applicable for our customers and to candidates;
• Produce timely insight, analysis and updates during the campaign and post-campaign reports, understanding the way in which we can use this data to create positive impact across our services;  
• Committed to the “one team” ethos to support colleagues across the In-House Direct Sourcing and Campaign Management; 
• Demonstrating the ability to work independently and at pace but knowing when to escalate.

Person specification

We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals who can play a pivotal role as an active member of this new team and to ensure we make an immediate impact to the outcome of some of the hardest to fill roles. You will be a team player who works collaboratively, communicates with ease and brings out the best from their colleagues.

In order to be successfully shortlisted and invited to the next stage, candidates must be able to clearly demonstrate in their application, evidence of the following Essential Criteria: 

• experience of direct head-hunting/executive search for senior appointments or experience of desk–based research to support executive search activities within a comparable organisation in terms of size and complexity; (Technical - Lead Criteria)
• the ability to, and evidence of, operating in a fast-paced operational environment (Delivering at Pace)
• being comfortable with and competent at engaging with Senior Leaders and candidates, and in representing the Civil Service (or comparable organisation) in a professional and confident manner, that aligns with the calibre of candidates being approached (Communicating and Influencing)
• being an enthusiastic and collaborative team player that is flexible, adaptable and willing to support colleagues, given the small team (Working Together)
• being an organised and focussed self-starter, with excellent attention to detail (Managing a Quality Service)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,400, Cabinet Office contributes £9,558 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

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application via the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55 on Wed 3rd January 2024.  

As part of this process you will be asked to provide:

1) A CV (which is for information purposes only) setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years. 

2) A Personal Statement (no more than 1,000 words) that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria for the role, as set out in the Person Specification.

Government Recruitment Service will acknowledge your application and advise you of the outcome of the sift meeting.  

Applications will be sifted against personal statements. Please use your personal statement (in no more than 1,000 words) to explain how you meet the essential criteria for this role. Please note that your CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored. 

Full details of the selection and assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the shortlist has been completed and may include a short presentation or a practical exercise along with the interview. Further details of this will be sent prior to the interview. 

In the event of a high number of applications, the initial sift will be based on the lead criteria (Technical).

Please read the attached candidate pack for full details.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.