Public Safety Group - 4x Policy Advisers and 1x Grant Manager London, England
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Job summary
The Public Safety Group’s role is to keep the public safe by cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our police, fire and rescue services are as efficient and effective as they can be in delivering front line public services.
People in PSG develop and implement policy, provide funding and deliver legislation. We make the most of innovation, data and partnerships to prevent crime, protect the vulnerable, and tackle the highest harm crimes. We work with our partners in law enforcement establishing governance arrangements at a national, regional and local level.
Sitting within the Public Safety Group, the Crime Reduction Directorate coordinates and delivers the Government’s approach to preventing crime.
Our approach is grounded in taking an evidence-based approach, working with partners at national and local levels, and tackling the drivers of crime: drugs, alcohol, opportunity, profit, vulnerability, and the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
Job description
This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Crime Reduction Directorate which covers high profile policy work on drugs, county lines, neighbourhood crime and serious violence. We are recruiting for five posts within the Crime Reduction Directorate. The key responsibilities for each role are as follows:
Role 1: Alcohol policy team
The team leads on policy and strategy to prevent alcohol-related crime and disorder. The team is also responsible for oversight of the Licensing Act 2003, which provides the legislative framework that regulates the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales.
Responsibilities will include:
- Participating in work on a range of licensing issues, widening the evidence base, consulting, drawing up policy options, and working on any resulting legislative processes.
- Supporting work on the use of digital ID and age verification technologies in the context of the Licensing Act and on the wider policy issue of regulation of online and remote sales of alcohol.
- Supporting work to put in place a long-term solution to the covid-related regulatory easements which the Business and Planning Act brought in.
- Supporting the work of the team on policy measures to reduce alcohol-related crime and wider harms.
- Working closely with stakeholders including alcohol and hospitality trade organisations, police, local authorities, public health groups and leading academics.
- Supporting the general work of the team as required including correspondence, FOI requests and PQs.
Role 2: Policy and Grants Manager, Safer Streets Fund delivery team
The Safer Streets Fund supports communities disproportionately and persistently affected by neighbourhood crimes (such as burglary, robbery and theft), anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls in public spaces to implement evidence-based and innovative crime prevention initiatives. This is a fantastic opportunity to work on the delivery and potential ongoing development of a high-profile fund and gain experience of a wide range of policy and delivery skills, as well as an opportunity to deliver positive outcomes for thousands of households across England and Wales with the intention of preventing them from becoming victims of crime in the first place.
Responsibilities will include:
- Acting as a single point of contact (SPoC) for a number of funded projects. This involves building the relationship with project leads, scrutinising quarterly returns, site visits to the local area and processing payments.
- Monitoring project delivery, ensuring risks are highlighted and mitigated and problem-solving delivery challenges.
- Working closely with analysts and academics on the evaluation of the Safer Streets Fund – for past and current rounds - to build the evidence base and ensure potential future rounds of the Fund reflect the best available evidence.
- Advising senior officials and Ministers, including drafting and/or oversight of stakeholder communications, briefing materials and submissions.
Role 3: UK and International Drug Policy, Drug Misuse Unit.
The Drugs Misuse Unit is a friendly, inclusive and creative place to work within the Crime Reduction Directorate, focussed on supporting individuals to realise their potential in the workplace. Our policy objectives are to reduce drug misuse to historically low levels and strengthen the system to support police and partners to intervene effectively in relation to drug possession. We also work to ensure domestic and international law, via the United Nations, achieves an effective balance between preventing criminality and enabling lawful use in healthcare, research and industry, supporting a thriving UK pharmaceutical sector and contributing to the economy, providing high quality products for patients and consumers. As an HEO in the Drug Policy team you will:
- Work with UK Mission to Vienna to coordinate a successful multi-disciplinary UK delegation to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs. This includes working with various teams to determine the UK position to negotiate resolutions, gather information to decide how the UK should vote on recommendations for changes to international scheduling of substances and setting up opportunities to learn from other countries through bilateral meetings and side events.
- Act as the point of contact for matters relating to the UN including ensuring appropriate UK representation at various international meetings and ensuring timely and accurate data and information sharing, including for the UN Annual Report Questionnaire and various requests from the International Narcotics Control Board.
- Support the G7 to respond to proposals by the British Virgin Islands government to legalise cannabis, and more generally engaging with British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on drug policy and economic opportunities.
- Organise the annual UK Drug Ministerial which brings together ministers and experts across the UK to discuss tackling drug misuse. This includes working with teams across the Home Office, UK Government and Devolved administrations to create an agenda, organise expert presentations, arrange event logistics and briefing for the Minister.
Role 4: County Lines National Law Enforcement and Engagement Policy Adviser
This is an exciting opportunity to work on a high-profile issue and develop the national law enforcement response to county lines and ensure that learning from the County Lines Programme, a high impact Programme of law enforcement activity, is embedded and expanded. We are recruiting an HEO for our county lines team. This is a critical role in the team responsible for overseeing programme delivery. The team’s work involves working with a range of partners, both internally and externally, including law enforcement and cross-Government partners. This role involves a varied and interesting mix of programme and policy development/delivery work, and will provide good exposure to senior leaders and Ministers. As a policy adviser on county lines national law enforcement and engagement, you will be responsible for drafting briefings for Ministerial meetings and visits, responding to correspondence & PQs as well as:
- Work with a range of partners to develop policy in relation to national county lines law enforcement;
- Develop and manage stakeholder engagement, including developing and drafting advice and briefings for senior officials and Ministers;
- Manage the secretariat for the County Lines Task & Finish Group;
- Respond to regular parliamentary, public and media interest in county lines and the Home Office County Lines Programme.
Role 5: Retail Crime Policy Adviser
The Retail Crime policy team sits within the Acquisitive Crime team in Neighbourhood Crime Unit. The team has a particular focus on reducing violence and abuse towards shop workers, shop theft and other crime affecting retailers. This is a varied and interesting policy role which involves working with stakeholders, parliamentary work, briefing senior colleagues and ministers, and managing grant funding for stakeholder projects. You will take a lead role in engagement with stakeholders, facilitate working groups and develop our policy response to retail crime. This is a stretching role with opportunities to develop a range of policy skills.
Responsibilities will include:
- Secretariat for the National Retail Crime Steering Group, chaired by the Minister for Crime and Policing, including preparing agendas and briefing for the meetings;
- Regular engagement with stakeholders including retail trade associations, the national policing leads, criminal justice charities and other Government departments where there is a shared policy interest;
- Parliamentary work, including drafting PQs, briefing for debates and written updates to a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry;
- Grant management of funding provided to specific projects, including drafting business cases, liaising with finance and commercial colleagues and managing the grant funding process;
- Drafting correspondence, including working with colleagues to manage the correspondence process on behalf of the unit.
The team works flexibly and the post holder may be asked to provide support to the wider team’s work on acquisitive crime, including vehicle theft, metal theft and the Scrap Metal Dealers Act, and our Stolen Goods Working Group.
Person specification
The successful candidates will be required to:
- Work across, and flex between, a number of different work streams and policy areas, sometimes at pace;
- Able to build and maintain constructive relationships with a range of stakeholders;
- Have strong planning and organisational skills; and
- Have excellent drafting and communication skills, and the ability to identify and deal with critical details while presenting succinct advice and options to senior staff and ministers.
Essential criteria
The post holders must have an ability to:
- Establish and maintain strong partnerships with a range of stakeholders;
- Communicate effectively and provide clear written and oral briefing to senior officials and Ministers;
- Plan and organise work to meet deadlines; and,
- Work across a number of work streams, often balancing the needs of each at pace.
Desirable criteria
Previous experience of working in policy or delivery would be helpful, but not essential.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
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
As part of the application process candidates will be required to submit a CV and Statement of Suitability (of no more than 500 words). In addition candidates will also be required to provide evidence of the following behaviours:
- 'Communicating & Influencing'
- 'Delivering at Pace'
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Your Statement of Suitability should be aligned to the Essential Criteria as set out in the job advertisement.
As part of the Statement of Suitability, the candidates will need to express their preferences of roles. Candidates can list the five roles in order of preference. When matching successful candidates to roles, we will take these preferences into account, however allocations will be made based on best fit for roles in terms of the candidate’s skills and experience.
CVs will not be scored.
The sift will be held on the Statement of Suitability and the two behaviours.
In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the lead behaviour 'Communicating & Influencing'. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.
Successful candidates shortlisted for interview will be tested on all behaviours outlined in the job advertisement.
Sift and interview dates
The sift will take place week commencing 29th May 2023.
Interviews will take place week commencing 19th June 2023.
Interviews will take place remotely. Further details and instructions will be provided closer to the scheduled interview.
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.
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.
The successful candidates will be required to hold or be willing to secure CTC clearance.
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 may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.
We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need for them to go through a further selection process.
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
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
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).
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