About the job

Job summary

The Government People Group (GPG) with Cabinet Office exists to work with government departments, professions, and functions to build a modern, effective Civil Service. We support the government workforce with the right skills and capability. We are working with leaders to get the right people in the right jobs, with the right skills and continuous learning to excel in their roles. We provide leadership, and in turn, create leaders with exceptional line management capability across departments, influencing partners in the wider public sector and beyond. This involves getting our retention and reward strategy right, to nurture specific skills, and create pride and resilience in our workforce. Our role is also to provide CS-wide leadership across central government in pulling together back office services. Collectively, we help support the Cabinet Office’s priority to drive efficiencies, and reforms that will make government work better, to ultimately provide a better service to the public.

The Employee Experience & People Performance Unit (EE/PP) comprises the Civil Service Inclusive Practice (CSIP) and Organisational Development Practice (ODP). EE/PP works to better equip the Civil Service to deliver its priorities and support reform; through increased innovation, creativity and productivity driven by improved People Performance. 

We work to support Civil Service organisations to create an inclusive environment where all civil servants can thrive, where the full range of diverse voices are heard, where innovation is welcomed and where workplace relationships are built on reciprocal respect and tolerance.

Our Inclusive Practice seeks to harness the performance benefits that diversity can offer; creating a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, their talents are fully utilised, and organisational priorities are delivered.

The Organisational Development Practice takes a systemic approach to establishing structural, cultural and strategic alignment. This is key to facilitate organisational success and enable sustained organisational performance through the involvement of our people.

Job description

This is a great opportunity to join the Civil Service Inclusive Practice (part of the Civil Service Employee Experience & People Performance domain in Government People Group, Cabinet Office), a friendly and supportive team of HR professionals working across government to deliver the current Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy and the Civil Service People Plan as well as to help develop future strategy and a number of high priority government reform projects. The role provides an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of supporting the research, development and implementation of best practice, innovation and policy for the Civil Service.

The specific areas the role will lead on may be subject to change to meet emerging strategic priorities following the conclusion of the General Election. However, you will work at the heart of the team where you will be expected to support a wide range of stakeholders including Permanent Secretaries, HR Directors and profession leads, working on a variety of cross-Civil Service initiatives which support the delivery and implementation of the Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion strategic approach and practice.  Areas of work may include: Employee Experience Insights, a Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination review, an Organisational Readiness for Change programme, as well as wider strategic outputs from the Civil Service-wide Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure review.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Work closely with Civil Service Permanent Secretaries and their Private Offices to drive activity which will support delivery of the Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2022-25.
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with stakeholders across government, responding to immediate pressures, but also strongly focused on building the capability needed for a more programmatic approach to D&I and professionalising and transforming D&I across the Civil Service, ensuring alignment with the Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2022-25..
• Collaborate and support teams across Government People Group within Cabinet Office as well as the wider Civil Service to build capability and to ensure consistent, contextual application of evidence-based best practice.
• Represent the Civil Service Inclusive Practice team and its value at cross-Civil Service meetings, demonstrating strategic grip and expertise with stakeholders.
• Develop products and embed in existing guidance to bring the current strategy and its successor to life.
• Consider and evaluate impactful D&I interventions in departments and professions.
• Coordinate and oversee official correspondence (Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, Parliamentary Questions and ministerial submissions) across the team - ensuring the right processes are followed and deadlines are met.
• Use high quality written and verbal communication skills to develop briefing, guidance and other documents, with appropriate styles for a wide variety of stakeholders including senior leaders.
• Possible line management of a Senior Executive Officer (SEO).

Line management (if applicable)

• Working with other senior team members to create an inclusive and positive team culture and environment where all team members contribute and thrive.
• Embody excellence in line management through leading and managing direct reportees with a positive, inclusive and supportive approach, ensuring corporate requirements (performance conversations and reviews, learning plans etc.) are prioritised.
• Ensure that deliverables are met by reportees, and be able to clearly articulate and demonstrate how their activity drives and impacts upon key work areas for your team.
• Develop talent in line with Civil Service talent interventions and programmes and support and promote opportunities for learning and development.

Person specification

We’re interested in learning from different perspectives and experiences.  We’re looking for an individual who may have a range of D&I, culture and employee experience and insight, which could have been gleaned from public or private sector roles. 

• You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the shifting and often complex and contested nature of D&I in a range of contexts and lead and collaborate with others to interpret what this means for D&I practice in the Civil Service
• You will be highly collaborative, able to engage and work with a range of stakeholders (some very senior) appropriately and effectively
• You will be an effective communicator with the ability to translate complex information into meaningful, easily understood narrative that is tailored to your audience and takes into account the wider business, social and political context
• You will be open to new ways of working and able to demonstrate comfort in experimenting with a range of technologies and platforms to maximise efficiency and effectiveness across the wider team.
• You will be a strong team player able to work flexibly across organisation and team boundaries.
• You will be evidence-led and comfortable using data and other evidence to develop hypotheses which support actions
• You will have a track record for delivering high quality, high impact work at pace.
• Knowledge of the HR Profession or previous HR experience is desirable but not essential.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,400, Cabinet Office contributes £14,418 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, Strengths and Experience.

Application process

Applicants are asked to provide:

• Statement of Suitability max 500 words to demonstrate how they meet the person specification
• 250 word examples of when they have demonstrated the required behaviours. We will be assessing against four behaviours.

Selection process

Sift:
We will sift against against the following behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and influencing
• Making Effective Decisions, and
• Leadership.

If a large number of applications are received an initial sift will take place using the lead behaviour; Delivering at Pace.

Applicants who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Interview:
We will assess each of the behaviours at the interview

You will be asked to give a short presentation as part of the interview process - the topic for this presentation will be shared in advance with details of the interview.

We will also ask some strength based questions at the interview. These questions are intended to enable candidates to offer their views on topics and do not require any additional preparation. Strengths based questions are designed to test a candidate’s suitability for the advertised role by assessing their initial response 

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 05/08/2024 
Expected interview date - w/c 26/08/2024 
Interview location - Virtual 

Reasonable Adjustment

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 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 /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

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 

Further information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

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

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.

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

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. 

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.

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.