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About the job
Job summary
Customer Services Group brings together Asylum & Protection (A&P), Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) and UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI). As a major operational part of the Home Office, we play a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the UK.
Our vision is for everyone, no matter their role, to be able to make decisions that will help place our customers’ needs at the centre of what we do. Our priorities are to ensure that customers’ voices are heard and that we strive to improve.
Our customers range from UK citizens applying for passports to foreign nationals wishing to come to/stay in the country for visits, work, study or to be with family or seek refuge as asylum seekers.
Our roles are challenging and complex, as we seek to safeguard the vulnerable and their host communities whilst ensuring our borders are safe and controlled.
Initially, we are currently looking for 75 Executive Officers to join Visas, Status and Information Services (VSI) to work within the Customer Service Group. Roles will be based in Sheffield.
Additional roles, potentially in other business areas and locations within the Customer Service Group, may become available over the next 12 months and during that period successful applicants may be held on a waiting list to allow the rapid back-fill of posts as they become vacant throughout the year.
The roles available will vary between a requirement to be fully office-based and hybrid working. Where hybrid working is available, it enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. To be aware that, whilst some hybrid roles may be available, this is not guaranteed and all successful candidates should be willing, from the outset, to attend the office 100% of their time if their role requires this.
The roles which successful candidates will be posted to will depend on the business need/priority at the time they gain full clearance. Candidates will not be given the option to choose between hybrid/office-based roles.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a rolling recruitment which means we will be sifting, interviewing and making offers to candidates who pass the required benchmark whilst the advert remains live. There is therefore a benefit to submitting your application earlier in the advertisement window.
Job description
This is a generic campaign where primarily these will be decision maker roles, but there may also be opportunities to work in various related EO roles in Customer Services Group (CSG).
Those allocated to decision-making will be checking online applications where the individual will have to assess documentation supporting applications, for example from individuals wanting to visit or study in the United Kingdom. Full training and peer/manager guidance will be provided. Caseworkers are expected to work to daily targets and performance will be monitored against quantity produced as well as the quality and accuracy of decision.
Initially, successful candidates could be placed in any of the following areas:
- Visits, Work, Study, Marriage and Family casework.
- Cross-cutting Operations which can include supporting the business in planning and performance activity, supporting Directors’ offices, and working within Supplier Relationship, Customer and External Relations teams.
Candidates are expected to be both flexible and adaptable as there may be a requirement to work across all work areas, depending on business need. Also, candidates may get offered alternative EO roles outside Visas, Status and Information Services, but still within CSG.
Successful candidates will be posted on a staggered basis, and the timings will be based on the availability of accommodation/IT.
Person specification
Your duties could include:
- Using complex guidance and policy to consider and make well-judged decisions on customer applications, considering a range of options.
- Having responsibility for effective personal and team delivery.
- Delivering against timeliness and quality targets, providing excellent customer service.
- Developing and maintaining good working relationships with customers and both internal/external stakeholders to deliver what is required.
- Managing team inboxes and drafting responses to correspondence and complaints.
- Articulating complex decisions in a concise, clear manner verbally and in writing.
- Effective management of a complex caseload.
- Supporting colleagues to deliver performance of a high standard.
If posted to a line management role you may also be required to:
- Lead teams to provide the best possible service to our customers and stakeholders.
- Supporting staff in the development of their knowledge and skills.
- Manage individuals in line with Home Office policies linked to Attendance, Conduct and Performance.
- Manage the workflow of an operational team.
Essential Criteria
- Use of Microsoft Packages, for example Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Can work both independently and as part of the team.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of casework or working in a casework environment.
- Experience of inbox management and dealing with customer correspondence.
- Experience of line management.
- Experience of using management information to monitor performance.
- Experience of working with external stakeholders.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- 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 you will be asked to complete a Personal Statement (Max Word Limit: 500). Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please note your Personal Statement should demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria so please ensure you tailor it accordingly. This means you should provide evidence of when you have demonstrated each of the criteria listed.
The sift will be completed on the Personal Statement.
If you are successful at sift stage you will be invited to an Interview which will be Behaviour and Strength-based questions.
When interviewed on your behaviour examples please ensure you cover the following:
1. The specific situation you were in
2. The task you had to complete
3. The action you took and
4. The outcome/result
“Strengths” will be tested at interview. We assess your strengths because, by ensuring that the role is the right fit for you, you are more likely to enjoy it and perform well. It is important to remember that there are no right or wrong answers to strength-based questions. Do not rehearse your answers because we are looking for your initial response.
Sift and Interview dates
The campaign will run in 2 tranches. The first tranche closing after 3 weeks and the second tranche closing after 5 weeks.
Sift will take place for tranche 1 week commencing 06/02/2023 and for tranche 2 week commencing 13/02/2023
Interviews will take place for tranche 1 week commencing 20/02/2023 and for tranche 2 week commencing 06/03/2023. This may change subject to business needs.
Please note - due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews are being carried out via Microsoft TEAMS therefore you will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good Internet access
- MS Teams
It is advisable to access your interview from a windows operating system laptop, desktop, phone or tablet as there is no guarantee that Microsoft Teams will work without issue on an Apple laptop, tablet or desktop.
However please note that this may change to face to face interviews should the Home Office Policy change.
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.
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.
Please note: 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.
Hybrid working enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. As Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, 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 may be created for other similar roles for a period of 12 months. Selection will be in Merit Order to fill the same role or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria and Success Profile elements without further assessment.
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 Stonewall top 100 Workplace Equality Employer and 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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