About the job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is part of the Cabinet Office. We’re here to make digital government simpler, clearer and faster for everyone. Our work is user-focused, dynamic and forward-looking, making our organisation an exciting and innovative place to work

GDS exists to help the government make brilliant public services that empower people in the UK. We work at the very centre of government to drive digital transformation, focused on users. We build and maintain common platforms, products and tools for others to use and create great public services that are accessible, inclusive and easy to use. We also work with departments to identify patterns, share learning and create change to make government more efficient.

Our teams are organised around delivering on our priorities. These are:

• making it easier for people to find what they are looking for on GOV.UK
• building common service platforms to make it simpler and cheaper to build quality digital services
• promoting agile, user-centred design practices both in the UK and across the world
• creating OneLogin for all Government services

Job description

The GDS Recruitment team is evolving. This role is a key part to this evolution ensuring we hire the best technical talent to run major government programmes.

The GDS operating model has Digital Data and Technology professions at its heart. 

• you will be a senior member of the Recruitment team, reporting to the Head of Recruitment and People Operations, and will focus on partnering with our programmes and professions to fill technical, sometimes very niche vacancies. As well as recruitment delivery, you will also have the opportunity to support the Recruitment Lead with strategic planning, processes, and tools used.
• you’ll be responsible for and control the end-to-end recruitment process with hiring managers and candidates by using proactive communication throughout. You’ll plan and manage campaigns with hiring managers, actively sourcing through your networks and managing candidates, always ensuring a positive experience.
• you will line manage more junior talent partners, leading and developing them to reach their full potential whilst ensuring that all relevant HR policies, practices and procedures are adhered to

Person specification

This role requires you to:

• have significant and proven experience in both high-volume and niche technical recruitment in a government organisation
• have recent knowledge of AI recruitment in government and experience working with Digital , Data, Technology Profession Capability Framework
• have the ability to direct source and engage all levels of niche technical talent via a range of cost-effective and innovative channels
• proactively build and maintain talent pipelines
• have significant experience in Senior Stakeholder management, providing timely feedback to hiring managers on the processes and best practices, supporting challenging high-level campaigns with long/short listing and pragmatism, and able to independently resolve issues effectively, constantly looking to improve the recruitment team's service
• develop, create, manage, and continually iterate an awesome candidate journey 
• provide training and guidance to hiring communities
• have experience of designing selection processes for technical hires from scratch 
• be a brand ambassador for GDS, organising and attending recruiting events, employer brand awareness and community outreach activities
• have experience of using recruitment data to identify trends and make informed decisions about recruitment strategies and process improvements
• a leader in recruitment practices and processes developing your team members to be exemplars in digital and technology recruitment
• high attention to detail with the ability to prioritise workload and manage expectations
• have the ablility to work with a high degree of independence in day-to-day activities
• team leading experience

Strategic planning:

• collaborate with the Recruitment Lead to develop and support the design of highly effective talent acquisition processes
• partner with Senior Stakeholders in creating deliverable and realistic strategic workforce plans
• be creative in making regular suggestions for the effective use of our attraction strategy and delegated budget (including advertising, sourcing, and events)

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to Government Digital Service 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

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• an assessment of approximately 20 minutes at the start of the interview. Comprehensive details will be shared with the shortlisted candidates
• a 60-minute video interview

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing
• Managing a quality service
• Working together

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

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

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.

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.