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About the job
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Home Office Intelligence brings together a number of existing teams involved in the collection and analysis of border and immigration related intelligence. It delivers Intelligence Collection, Development, Analysis, Targeting (Data Analytics) and Watchlisting capabilities within the Home Office and to its partners across Government and Law Enforcement.
Learn more on the HO Intelligence careers page.
Job description
The Home Office Immigration Sensitive Intelligence Unit (HOI-SIU) is part of the Sensitive Intelligence Network (SIN) across law enforcement. The HOI-SIU is a busy, challenging environment, with a remit to develop and disseminate high grade sensitive intelligence to support investigation of Organised Immigration Crime, working in partnership with Immigration Intelligence units, Criminal and Financial Investigations teams and other Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Specialist Intelligence Command is responsible for gathering and developing intelligence on organised crime groups involved in Organised Immigration Crime (OIC), to initiate new criminal investigations and support existing investigations in the UK and overseas. This includes management and oversight of the use of specialist and covert intelligence techniques, and engagement with appropriate partners and stakeholders. The teams also support Frontline Enforcement work to address all immigration abuse.
We are looking for 5 Intelligence Officers. The post of Intelligence Officer within the unit involves gathering, managing and analysing a large amount of often complex information from a variety of sensitive sources and turning it into meaningful, timely and useable high value intelligence in support of investigations.
The Intelligence Officer post in HOI-SIU also requires the successful candidate to act as Duty Officer managing a busy and often pressurised inbox where requests for information/intelligence can be urgent/ high harm cases that require quick and accurate responses.
The post involves a high degree of engagement with internal and external partners. The post offers excellent opportunities for development of skills within the sensitive intelligence arena.
This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidates to develop and embed a wide range of people and engagement skills within a high performing team, delivering what is required to continue to make the team a great place to work and to support staff and senior managers in delivery.
Please Note: These roles are full-time/shift-working. This is due to the nature of the role and current working patterns within the unit.
Responsibilities include (but not limited to):
- Handling sensitive intelligence in line with standard operating procedures.
- Paralleling information from sensitive intelligence tactics, thereby turning sensitive intelligence into usable intelligence reports.
- Creating and disseminating intelligence reports.
- Conducting intelligence research across a wide variety of intelligence databases and other sources of intelligence.
- Liaising with internal and external stakeholders.
- Developing intelligence investigations.
- Supporting covert operations.
Please Note: DV clearance is required to work within the SIU and applicants who do not hold such clearance must be prepared to undergo the DV vetting process.
Person specification
The successful applicants will be enthusiastic, team players and willing to learn.
They will need to be resilient, as the role may be particularly busy whilst supporting covert operations.
There will be a requirement to attend appropriate training courses, which may be residential.
The post holders will be expected to achieve IPP accreditation as an Intelligence Officer within a reasonable timeframe.
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Good organisational skills.
- Enthusiasm and willingness to learn.
- The ability to problem solve.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in an intelligence or investigative role.
- A good understanding of intelligence processes and legislation.
- Experience of working in Immigration Enforcement or Border Force.
- Experience of handling sensitive intelligence.
Please Note: Security clearance at Developed Vetting level is required to undertake this post. In addition, STRAP clearance will also be required.
Licences
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Working Together
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 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 statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
- provide evidence of the behaviour - Working Together (maximum 250 words)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours
The sift will be held on the behaviour - Working Together and the statement of suitability (personal statement).
The statement of suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability, will progress to a further sift where the lead behaviour (Working Together) will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the statement of suitability will not have their lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the statement of suitability.
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions.
Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here
Sift and Interview dates
Sift is expected to take place week commencing 5th June 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 26th June 2023.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
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
- Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams
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.
Note for Candidates:
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 information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.
Are these Reserved Posts for UK Nationals only?
UK nationals who hold dual nationality are able to apply for this reserved post. If a UK passport is not being presented, then candidates will need to provide alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Annual Hours Working Allowance
This is a shift-working role which attracts an Annual Hours Agreement payment. Intelligence Officers currently cover early, mid and late shifts between office hours (currently between 0700 - 1900hrs) 7 days a week. However, there may be a requirement to work outside these hours, or provide on call coverage in the future, should there be an operational need to do so. A high degree of flexibility is likely to be required in line with operational demands.
This post is being advertised on HO annualised hours working terms and conditions and attracts an annual hours allowance (AHA), currently between 20 and 22% as a percentage of your basic salary. Successful candidates will be informed of the rate that will be paid.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.
Hybrid working is an option
Hybrid working enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. A hybrid working pattern may be available, where business needs allow. Applicants can discuss what this means with the vacancy holder if they have specific questions.
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.
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 [email protected] 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
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information