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About the job
Job summary
The Home Office leads on immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime policy and counter-terrorism and works to ensure visible, responsive and accountable policing in the UK. The Home Office is a ministerial department, supported by 27 agencies and public bodies.
Customer Services is a recently established capability, playing a key role within the Migration and Borders System. Customer Services has typically over 13m customers annually, with a workforce of over 14,000 across its legacy constituent business units including: Asylum & Human Rights, Visas and Citizenship (V&C), His Majestys Passport Office (HMPO), and the General Registrar Office (GRO). We take a customer-led approach to delivering services, whilst always maintaining robust security controls.
European and Settlement casework are a part of VSI dealing with in country and out of country applications for residence in the United Kingdom.
Job description
Executive Officer (EO) Resolution Centre Agents are responsible for handling calls and emails in relation to EU Settlement Scheme and Future Borders and Immigration applications. EO Resolution Centre Agents liaise predominantly with solicitors and other supporting organisations who represent some of the departments most vulnerable customers.
Agents may also be required to assist with training, call escalations, safeguarding queries, along with mailbox management and support of Administrative Officer colleagues, with the expectation to complete other tasks when necessary.
The full time shifts that will be available are:
- Shift A: Monday Friday 07:45-16:09
- Shift B: Monday Friday 08:45-17:09
- Shift C: Monday Friday 09:45-18:09
A small number of part time evening/weekend shifts may be available. Applications will be considered from those who wish to work part-time hours; however, candidates should note that if they are successful and offered a role their request to work part-time will need to be discussed and agreed.
The two part time shifts that will be available are:
- Shift E: Wednesday – Friday 17:00 – 21:00 and Saturday 09:15 – 16:45.
- Shift F: Sunday 09:15 – 16:45 and Monday – Wednesday 17:00 – 21:00.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder.
Person specification
The successful candidate will be able to:
- Communicate effectively and authentically with Government Funded Organisations/Supporting Organisations who possess an in-depth knowledge of Immigration Law and Policy.
- Go the extra mile for all customers, treating them fairly and honestly, managing expectations and taking ownership of customer queries to bring a resolution in a timely manner.
- Confidently deal with vulnerable and/or difficult customers. Manage customer complaints and display emotional intelligence together with empathy where appropriate.
- Work flexibly between multiple workstreams at pace, whilst demonstrating discipline in adhering to GDPR and internal processes.
- Have excellent written skills to be able to efficiently draft comprehensive email responses in plain English.
- Make decisions in complex cases based on the information supplied by the customer and, following appropriate checks, provide a complete and informed response on first contact to all customers.
- Support colleagues with complex queries and escalations where necessary.
- Proactively keep up to date with the most relevant policy and guidance.
- Exhibit excellent organisational and mailbox management skills.
- Champion inclusivity, embrace individual differences, and challenge discriminatory behaviours.
- Take responsibility for their own development needs, maintaining and building your knowledge of policies and processes.
- Actively participate in the Performance Management process by prioritising regular, development-focused check-ins with my line manager to ensure they are supporting the delivery of Home Office strategic objectives through the attainment of goals.
- Commit to continuous improvement with willingness to take responsibility for identifying and/or implementing improvements in-line with operational excellence; highlight problems and share best practice with colleagues, act on feedback provided by customers and share with team (listen, learn and act).
- Report to their Higher Executive Officer (HEO) team lead, delivering against quality and customer satisfaction targets, improving their performance by seeking and acting upon feedback.
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a fast-paced inbound customer telephony unit.
- Evidence of commitment to delivering excellent customer service.
- Strong written and inter-personal communication skills.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of writing bespoke customer email responses.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
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:
- Statement of Suitability (Personal Statement) (maximum 500 words).
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The Statement of Suitability (Personal Statement) 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.
The sift will be completed on the Statement of Suitability (Personal Statement).
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions (no preparation necessary) and behaviour-based questions (preparation recommended).
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links Behaviours.
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 18th December 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 15th January 2024.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert; however, these may change due to business needs. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
Due to time constraints, we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s).
Please note interviews are being carried out via Microsoft TEAMS, candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam.
- Good internet connection.
- Microsoft 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.
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 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
For more information about working for the Home Office, please visit Home Office Careers website
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.
Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.
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.
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.
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 : HORCCampaignTeamHMPOandUKVI@homeoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
