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About the job
Job summary
As the Operational Security Advisor for the Homeland Security Group (HSG) youll be responsible for protecting the operations of a sensitive and fascinating policy area within the Home Office. Youll report into the Home Offices Security Advisor but the day-to-day role is firmly embedded within the HSG. If you are after autonomy and the opportunity to keep a fast-paced and dynamic policy portfolio secure then this is the job for you.
Homeland Security is one of the three policy missions working to deliver the Home Offices vision for a safe, fair, and prosperous United Kingdom. HSGs mission is to reduce homeland security risks to the UKs people, prosperity and freedoms. This includes risks from:
Terrorism
State threats
Economic crime
Cyber crime
We also support our colleagues in the Home Office to deliver their priorities, particularly to reduce crime.
We deliver a breadth of strategic initiatives and provide systems leadership across government. This ranges from coordinating national security and crisis response to writing world-leading legislation, policy and strategy. We work alongside many organisations to address complex problems. We work particularly closely with our operational partners including:
Mi5
Secret Intelligence Service
GCHQ
Counter Terrorism Police
National Crime Agency
We also work jointly with Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Ministry of Defence, amongst other departments, as well as the private and third sectors.
Job description
The Operational Security Advisor (OpSy) is a newly- created independent advisor role with the strategic objective to assess and reduce HSGs operational security risk, working as the bridge between HSG and Home Office Security. The OpSy will advise on the security, integrity, and ethical conduct of the directorate, including addressing any risk arising from legal proceedings and court attendance. The OpSy will seek to implement and maintain consistency in standards of security and practice in accordance with legislation, national guidelines, and local security policy, and working in conjunction with operational partners.
Responsibilities
- Provide advice, guidance and implement best practice in relation to personal security issues particularly around legal proceedings and digital security awareness.
- Act as a security advocate, promoting good security behaviour whilst also making security an integral & routine part of HSG business activities.
- Embed security engagement across the HSG group, being highly visible and approachable to the HSG workforce.
- Lead the Security Champion network within HSG.
- Develop and implement the relevant, processes, and procedures to establish good security behaviour within HSG in accordance with legislation, national guidelines, National Technical Authority best practice guidance and local security policy.
- Establish and maintain relevant security forums and management groups with a particular focus on insider risk management.
- Respond to ad hoc operational security requests providing specific advice and guidance potentially at short notice.
- Protect assets including staff, capabilities, intellectual property, and organisational reputation.
- Provide appropriate responses to recommendations made in respect of audits, inspections, and reviews.
- Provide current and relevant operational security advice and guidance in the management and avoidance of compromise to HSG assets, information handling, communications, and operational techniques.
- Develop policy and operational practice by reviewing and implementation of approved recommendations.
- Provide and facilitate expert advice in managing risk and maintain oversight of security risks, recording and escalating as necessary.
- Risk mitigation to counter the risk of corruption and insider threat.
Maintain working relationships with:
- Home Office Security
- National Technical Authorities
- National OpSy Network
- Investigatory Powers Commissioners Office
- Information Security Officer network
- Other internal stakeholders e.g., HR, Finance
Other outside bodies and agencies
- Undertake independent reviews and inspections of the handling and operational use of intelligence and other sensitive material.
- Highlight activities that are potentially a risk to the organisation, maintain an operational security risk register to supervise and manage local risks but with the ability to be escalated to corporate risk registers and management boards.
- Report operational security incidents and/or compromises to allow learning and reduce the risk to future operations.
- Identify learning requirements to increase security culture within HSG.
- Undertake and participate in audit and inspections of HSG work.
- Other tasks based on business need.
Note: This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and the post holder will be required to perform additional duties reasonably expected of them within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence, and training.
Important information
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
Person specification
The post holder must have the highest standard of personal integrity and aptitude to digest complex operational plans, manage highly sensitive information within the government security classification guidelines and the operational credibility to influence key decisions at a senior level within Homeland Security Group.
They must be able to:
Demonstrate effective communication both orally and in writing and be able to exercise initiative within this specialist field.
Demonstrate flexibility and ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines, using their own initiative to prioritise workloads and progress issues.
Provide pragmatic solutions to operational problems as well as possessing the necessary interpersonal skills to influence corporate stakeholders.
Be able to work under minimal direction always maintaining motivation.
Be an excellent ambassador for the HSG and for the Government Security Function, exhibiting strong leadership skills and Home Office values.
Essential criteria
- Strong understanding of protective security including security threats, knowledge of Government security standards, policies and processes and security management.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, using language to clearly articulate recommendations in strategy documents, briefings, papers, and presentations.
- Strong interpersonal skills and experience of stakeholder management with senior leaders.
- The ability to work autonomously and at pace.
- The ability to manage risks and issues combined with analytical skills to identify how one issue or risk can impact on another and put in place the required interventions through support or from own knowledge base.
- A strong track-record in handling a complex work portfolio and managing challenging demands.
The post may require some work outside conditioned hours, and a requirement to be on-call. This will attract an on-call allowance.
This is a reserved post open to UK Nationals only.
The successful candidate will need to achieve Security Check (SC) level clearance prior to taking up post and must be willing to undergo Developed Vetting (DV) level clearance once appointed.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Delivering at Pace
- Changing and Improving
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 CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills
a statement of suitability (maximum 750 words)
provide evidence of the behaviours Changing & Improving & Delivering at Pace (250 words maximum each)
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.
The sift will be held on the Behaviours – Changing & Improving & Delivering at Pace & Statement of Suitability.
The CV will not be scored.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be behaviour & Strength based questions.
Sift and Interview dates
Sift is expected to take place from 11th December 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place from 8th January 2024. We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried face to face at London 2 Marsham Street – Further details will be provided ahead of the interview.
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.
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 candidates 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
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).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office resourcing centre
- Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance
HORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.
