About the job

Job summary

Corporate and Delivery Directorate works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The directorate is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology. 

The Department faces significant challenges and can change rapidly in the global environment in which we operate, making this one of the most exciting and stimulating Government Departments in which to work.

This is a specialist role based in the Home Office Tax CoE team and will provide a detailed advisory, support and delivery function covering VAT, IR35 and Direct tax. In addition to delivering for the Home Office the post holder will need to engage and work in partnership with colleagues across Government Departments which may involve working collaboratively with HM Revenue and Customs and HM Treasury. Tax queries are often technical and complex in nature. 

Job description

The post holder will work within a highly skilled tax function within the Home Office and will be tasked with delivering internal tax services from ensuring the accuracy, timely completion of statutory returns that adhere to current tax/VAT legislation to providing a professional tax/VAT advice service to the wider business including upskilling those that do not have a tax background. 

The post holder will identify potential sector-wide risks and feed these into the TCoE to ensure wider, cross-sector tax compliance. This role will involve interpreting and preparing guidance and providing clear communications on technical issues which are often challenging and complex in nature.

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.  Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). 

Due to the nature of the role, this post is available on a full-time basis only and with the possibility of compressed hours. 

Person specification

The successful candidate will be a motivated self-starter who relishes a challenge and has a proven track record of delivering a high quality service at pace. They will be adept at building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders and be adaptable to support the wider corporate activities of the Tax CoE. 

The successful candidate will proactively seek out learning and development opportunities to build on Civil Service skills and behaviours.

Essential Skills

•    A good working knowledge, experience and understanding of Direct Tax and VAT.
•    Ability to build and facilitate successful working relationships with both internal and external customers.
•    An understanding of taxation around off payroll engagements 
•    Strong written and oral communication skills including the ability to translate complex rules into guidance that can be understood across the business and disciplines.
•    Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders.
•    Ability to assimilate complex information from both internal and external sources and to provide accurate, complete and timely advice and guidance.
•    Ability to manage competing priorities and work to demanding timescales.
•    Willingness to develop further expert knowledge in Tax and Finance in Government departments.

Desirable Skills

•    A good understanding of tax and VAT within government departments, a working understanding of Corporation tax and familiarity with Oracle systems and accounting would be useful, but not a necessity.
•    A professional Finance and/or Tax qualification is not essential but would be welcome.
•    Good Excel spreadsheet and data manipulation skills.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

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

• Evidence of the Behaviour - Leadership (maximum of 250 Words)
• Personal Statement maximum of 1000 Words)
• A CV including your job history, qualifications and previous skills/experience

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

The Statement of Suitability should concisely explain, your motivation for applying to this role, and evidencing how you meet the essential criteria listed on the Job Specification.

The sift will be based on the Suitability Statement, Lead Behaviour and the CV is for information purposes only and will not be marked.

Should a high volume of applications be received, the sift will be conducted on the Lead Behaviour – Leadership.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which a blended approach of Technical skill, Strength-based (no preparation necessary) and Behaviour based questions.

Sift and Interview dates

The sift are expected to take place from  week commencing 12th August 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place from  week commencing 2nd September 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 be carried out via video. 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 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

 A 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.  

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.

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.