About the job

Job summary

The Home Office is here to make our country safer. As well as working to reduce crime and enforce the law. We also work to protect the most vulnerable 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 is at the cutting edge of public policy in this country and our work is some of the most challenging and rewarding in government.

About the Public Safety Group:

The Public Safety Group’s role is to keep the public safe by cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our police, fire and rescue services are as 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 prevent crime, protect the vulnerable, and tackle the highest harm crimes. We work with our partners in law enforcement, establishing governance arrangements at a national, regional and local level.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Interpersonal Abuse Unit (IAU) in the Public Safety Group’s Tackling Exploitation and Abuse Directorate. The IAU leads on the Government’s work on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse (DA), sexual violence, stalking and ‘honour’-based abuse such as forced marriage and female genital mutilation. 

The unit’s policy area is characterised by fast-evolving, high-priority work that receives high levels of ministerial and public interest.

This role is based in the Violence Against Women and Girls Team and is focused on sexual violence, amongst which are some of the highest harm crimes that exist, and prostitution and sex work policy, although there will be opportunities to work across the Team. 

This is an exciting opportunity to take on two important and fascinating and complex policy areas that regularly get ministerial attention and also to play a key role in the Government’s wider work to tackle VAWG.

Person specification

The role will ideally suit a self-starter that is comfortable working on multiple workstreams at different stages of progress, whether it be policy design or implementation. The successful candidate will also be an individual that can drive progress by influencing internal and external stakeholders and ensuring a collective focus on the end goal.

The post holder will be required to engage with a wide range of stakeholders across Government, in the police and other criminal justice agencies and the voluntary sector. The post holder should also be comfortable advising senior officials and Ministers, whether through written advice or oral briefing.

The key responsibilities of the role include: 

• Overseeing the implementation of actions following the Government’s call for evidence on ‘sex-for-rent’;
• Working closely with and supporting the team delivering Operation Soteria, a programme working to improve the police’s response to sexual offences;
• Leading on the management of seven grants: five in the sexual violence policy area and two in the sex work/prostitution area, ensuring that (1) grantees are using money effectively to deliver the outcomes agreed to support survivors and improve the protection of vulnerable people and (2) insights of use for policy development from their work are acted on by the VAWG policy and other relevant teams;
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with the police, including the NPCC leads for adult sex offences and sex work/prostitution, grantees and other stakeholders in the voluntary sector;
• Working with stakeholders inside and outside the Department to ensure the Online Safety Act (which includes the relevant exploitation of prostitution offences) improves protections for those at risk of commercial sexual exploitation;
• Delivering and ensuring the delivery of key commitments related to sexual violence in the VAWG Strategy and Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan;
• Leading on drafting briefings, correspondence, FOI request responses, speeches, and parliamentary question responses relating to sexual violence and sex work/prostitution;
• Supporting the wider team and unit on other areas of VAWG policy as required; and 
• Line management of one HEO remotely,  with some travel with costs to be covered.

Essential Criteria

• Experience of developing and delivering policy in a fast-paced environment
• The ability to take responsibility for one’s own work, manage competing priorities and deliver to tight deadlines
• A proven ability to draw together and analyse a range of data from different sources to create policy options and select the optimal one
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to form effective working relationships with senior members of staff, key stakeholders and operational partners at all levels.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working with legislation;
• Understanding of criminal justice system or voluntary sector;
• Experience of grant management.

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 and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (Max Word Limit:500).

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

Please note your Personal Statement should be aligned to the Essential Criteria as set out in the job advertisement.

In addition candidates will be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours:

- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace

CVs will not be scored.

The sift will be on the Statement of Suitability and the behaviours - Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at Pace.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the lead behaviour - Making Effective Decisions.  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 all behaviours outlined in the job advertisement.

Sift and Interview dates

The sift will take place week commencing 19 February 2024.

Interviews will take place week commencing 11 March 2024.

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

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).  

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 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

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

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

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.

The successful candidates will be required to hold or be willing to secure CTC clearance.

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.