About the job

Job summary

In December 2021 Baroness Heather Hallett, a retired Appeal Court judge, was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chair of the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry was formally established with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 in June 2022. The Inquiry sits independently of the Government with the Cabinet Office acting as the sponsoring department. 

Following an initial set up phase the Inquiry began hearing evidence in May 2023. We are now looking for an energetic and collaborative senior leader to join the excellent team that is delivering the Inquiry.

This is an exciting role, offering the opportunity to join an innovative team, in fast moving circumstances, to ensure lessons are learned from the UK response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Further information about the Inquiry can be found on the UK Covid-19 Inquiry website.

Conflicts of interest

Please note that candidates invited to interview will be invited to declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interests which could affect the independence of the Inquiry, in confidence, to the senior conflicts of interest recruiting manager. This may include current or prior work undertaken on the COVID-19 pandemic response. Decisions on any potential conflict of interest will be made before an appointment to the role is confirmed.

Job description

About The Team

The role of Correspondence Officer sits within the Correspondence Team, in the Communications and Engagement Directorate of the Inquiry. The Correspondence Team is integral to our engagement with members of the public and other key individuals and organisations. Our focus will be on:

• Building trusted relationships within the Inquiry team, as well as with the people and organisations who have emailed or written in to the Inquiry.
• Ensuring all correspondence is effectively logged, and responded to within the Inquiry’s set timelines, using the Inquiry correspondence system to do so.
• Using existing resources available to draft high quality responses, and using judgement to actively research and collate bespoke responses where needed.
• Proofreading and cross checking responses for consistency, and ensuring that relevant correspondence is shared with others across the Inquiry team as appropriate.
• Assisting with ad hoc work in the wider team, as needed to contribute to Inquiry priorities as a whole.

This is an exciting opportunity to join an inclusive, innovative team where you will be supported to challenge yourself in often ambiguous circumstances. The team encourages working in a flexible, collaborative manner to learn and support each other as we look to undertake one of the broadest, most publicly anticipated inquiries in UK history.

Person specification

The work of the Inquiry team is diverse and as such you will need to be a great team player with a can-do attitude, who is prepared to jump in and assist with a range of challenging tasks. Travel to London will be required.

As Correspondence Officer some of your key responsibilities will be:

• Drafting timely, high quality correspondence in response to letters and emails from members of the public, external organisations, MPs, journalists, campaigners and others with an interest to communicate the Inquiry’s work with empathy.
• Contributing to Inquiry processes relating to correspondence to ensure best practice and consistency across the team, and ensuring these are maintained in your day to day work.
• Working collaboratively across the Inquiry team, ensuring that correspondence is shared where relevant and that advice is sought where further input is needed.
• Assisting with ad hoc work in the wider team, as needed to contribute to Inquiry priorities as a whole.

Essential Criteria:

• Excellent written and oral communication, with strong attention to detail.
• Empathetic, with good interpersonal skills.
  
• Experienced and skilled in translating complex and detailed information into engaging and easy-to-understand language.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced role and exercising judgement when doing so.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working in an Inquiry, investigation or legal context.
• Previous experience of working in a correspondence role or similar.

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 £27,750, Cabinet Office contributes £7,492 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 and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and provide a personal statement. The maximum word count for the personal statement is  750 words ,and should address the essential criteria and demonstrate the areas outlined in the person specification listed above.

Selection process

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the personal statement.

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

If you are successful in securing an interview you will be assessed against your experience and the behaviours listed in this advert.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 29/04/2024
Expected interview date/s – w/c 13/05/2024
Interview location - Video - Remote - Google Meets.

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

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

Reasonable adjustments

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 Services 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 a wheelchair access at interview, or if you are 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/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

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 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

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.

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.

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. 

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 UK residency prior to commencement. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

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

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.