About the job

Job summary

The Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) provides the government with impartial, expert advice and scrutiny on the tools, policies and approaches needed to tackle extremism.

The CCE recently established the Standards and Compliance Unit (StaCU) in response to recommendation 34 of the Independent Review of Prevent to process and investigate complaints from both Prevent practitioners and the general public. StaCU has been set up to make sure anyone applying the Prevent duty, or providing training on Prevent, follows the right process and standards.

StaCU are looking to recruit an Investigator to conduct specific investigations into agencies, or institutions, who consistently fail to adequately uphold the Prevent Duty.

Job description

• Extremism is a complex and multi-faceted threat that remains high on the public and political agenda. Established in 2018, the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) supports society to fight all forms of extremism. The Commissioner for Countering Extremism, a public appointee independent of government, is supported by a Secretariat of Civil Servants in order to deliver objectives agreed with Home Office Ministers and No.10.
• The Commissioner’s vision is to make the CCE a Centre of Excellence for the public sector by providing outstanding policy advice, scrutiny and independent expertise whilst calling on external input where appropriate.
• The CCE is uniquely placed to scrutinise and advise on the approaches required to address extremism and the need to better understand the influence of extremist ideologies. This was reflected in the recently published Independent Review of Prevent (IRP), in which the CCE has been identified as an important partner to help progress key recommendations.
• The CCE is based in Farringdon, London and has a small foot-print in Manchester. The successful candidate can be based in the London or Manchester office and successful candidates will be required to travel to meetings as and when required.  
• A key recommendation of the IRP called on government to encourage public trust by improving transparency and establishing better oversight of how Prevent is implemented through a new unit to investigate complaints and undertake specific investigations on behalf of Home Office ministers. In response to this, the Home Secretary delivered an oral statement in parliament on September 2023 announcing that a new Standards and Compliance Unit (StaCU) would sit within the CCE.
• The purpose of StaCU is to contribute and build confidence in Prevent amongst the wider public, but also to be able to keep it in line with the IRP recommendations, which the Government have committed to implementing.

The StaCU’s remit is to:

1. Process and investigate complaints from Prevent practitioners and the wider public.
2. Be tasked by ministers to conduct specific investigations.
3. Develop proper process and procedure for when agencies, or institutions, consistently fail to adequately uphold the Prevent Duty.

Person specification

Information about the specific Job:

• This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new multidisciplinary team, advising the policy direction for the StaCU and developing its capabilities to support the Commissioner to deliver objectives agreed with Home Office ministers.
• The post holder will be line-managed by the G7 Head of StaCU and will be responsible for:
• Under the direction of Home Office ministers, conduct fair and detailed investigations to assess identified issues surrounding complaints or gaps and concerns regarding Prevent delivery.
• Provide oversight and expertise to the HEO caseworker in complex complaints cases.
• Ensuring all relevant decisions and documentation are filed accurately and maintained in accordance with legal duties.
• Producing summary reports of investigations and supplying wider analysis to advise reports to the Prevent Oversight Board.
• The post holder is required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by the line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Important information

This post is being offered on a part-time fixed term/loan basis for 12 months to complete a finite piece of work, with a possible extension.

The current expectation is that an internal HO candidate applying for a loan position would take up the post on Detached Duty and return to their original post, if available, at the end of the period or a similar grade within their home business area. 

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs).

Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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). 

Essential criteria

• Experience working in an investigatory field or,
• Experience in Audit or handling casework and case triage systems.
• Excellent organisation skills, including good time management and prioritisation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in, or with Law Enforcement agencies
• Experience writing briefings and reports.
• Experience of working with government departments.
• Knowledge or experience of the Prevent programme.

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.

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:

• A CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills.
• A Statement of suitability (Personal Statement) (750 words max).

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

The Statement of Suitability, Should concisely explain, in no more than 750 words, 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 and CV. Your CV will be scored. Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications, skills and experience including any key achievements in each role and will be used to provide further context on your personal statement, and support conversations at interview. 

For guidance on how to construct your CV example, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links - CV

In the event a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will be based on the Suitability Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.

Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which will be based on the below behaviour:

• Making effective decisions 

For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours

Sift and interview dates:

• Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22nd July 2024.
• Interviews are expected to take place from week commencing 5th August 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.

Interviews

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

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

If you are successful in this position and choose to accept the provisional offer for this role, you will be removed from all other Home Office reserve lists at the same grade.

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 security 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.