Joint Intelligence Organisation – Business Operations Manager

The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) primarily supports the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), the National Security Council (NSC), the Prime Minister and other key decision-makers by providing authoritative, robust all-source intelligence assessment on a vast range of national security matters.

The Capability Team’s remit covers IT and technology, HR, finance, commercial, security and STRAP, intelligence policy, crisis management and estates functions for the JIO. There are two Business Operations Managers within the team working to the Head of Business Operations to ensure all these functions are delivered to a high level of efficiency and expertise, as well as driving projects on future innovations and capabilities that will help the JIO carry out its mission better going forward.

You’ll work at the heart of the UK’s national security community, regularly engaging with colleagues and senior leaders from across the Cabinet Office, UK Intelligence community and key ‘Five Eyes’ allied partners overseas. 

You will be exposed to an intelligence environment working at the highest possible classifications within HMG, requiring you to help ensure the security of JIO staff and intelligence, enable delivery of the tools and services we need to get the job done, whilst also being on the front foot to help manage JIO’s response to crisis events.

Your organisational skills will help you manage how the JIO operates on a daily basis. Your ability to manage multiple priorities effectively when under pressure enables you to respond to unpredictable requirements when they arise without losing focus and progression against longer-term goals. And your management skills will help you get the best out of your team, playing to their strengths and helping them develop weaker areas, whilst being a role model that echoes the behaviours and culture throughout the JIO.

You may be expected to work additional or extended hours with little notice during a crisis or critical incident, although this will be managed in line with your regular working hours and alongside others in the JIO drafted in to support those events.

You can read more about working for the JIO in the information pack attached at the bottom of this advert.

Role and Responsibilities:

The main duties of the Business Operations Managers are listed below. The appointed Candidate may take on a range of responsibilities from the portfolio below

Security: You’ll work with the Cabinet Office Security and STRAP teams to ensure the security provisions for existing and new JIO staff is delivered and maintained appropriately. This will involve some service provision to ensure our protocols and procedures are fit for purpose in handling the most secret intelligence available. You’ll also help ensure the physical security of our working environment meets the needs of both the security accreditors and the JIO as a whole.

Finance and Commercial: You’ll assist in the management of the JIO’s finances, helping oversee our multi-million pound budget and related processes such as forecasting and invoicing/processing. You’ll also help run our commercial oversight, assisting your team and wider JIO colleagues in procurement activities, contract management and ensuring sensitive procurement chains are adequately protected.

HR and People Functions: The Capability team manages most of the JIO’s people processes locally (a somewhat unique situation in the Cabinet Office), to help protect our officers and the sensitive work they do. You’ll oversee a team responsible for recruitment, on and off boarding and all aspects of people casework, engaging with CO central HR colleagues where necessary.

Business Continuity/Crisis Management: Alongside the Head of Capability, you will be responsible for ensuring the JIO’s business continuity and crisis response protocols and facilities are available for use and fit for purpose. During a crisis event, you’ll help coordinate how the JIO responds and ensuring key personnel are able to conduct assessment work with the right accesses and facilities (such as attendance at COBR, offsite facilities) outside of usual working hours.

Estates and other Capabilities: The Capability team are also responsible for managing the working environment for the needs of the business, helping to shape and develop it as the JIO grows in size and adapts to changes in the National Security community as a whole. You’ll also get involved in any other capabilities that affect the JIO, from communicating with international partners and making best use of intelligence supplied to us, to reviewing our capability partnerships in other parts of the intelligence community and wider government.

Skills and Experience Required
Whilst we very much welcome candidates with experience and interest in the Capability responsibilities (such as Financial Management, HR processes, Commercial, Crisis Management etc.) we do not expect the successful candidate to be versed in them all on appointment; we’ll upskill and support you if you are new to these areas. However, we are looking for candidates who have a passion for learning areas such as these that they may not be familiar with.

It is critical that the successful candidate has a high degree of IT literacy and familiarity with tech in general, as the vast majority of the Capability functions involve engaging with a variety of different platforms and systems, as well as being an initial line of IT support for JIO colleagues before referring to the right technical analysts elsewhere for more detailed support. We would expect you to be confident and relatively fluent in MS Windows environments (inc, MS office or similar tools).

Essential criteria

• Significant relevant experience working in a business operations support role.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of individuals.
• You will be highly IT literate and have good knowledge of the Google suite including Basic Google Sheets skills or MS Office 365. 
• You must be able to prioritise, delegate, meet targets on different workstreams and push back where necessary.
• Excellent written skills including verbal communications and correspondence.
• The successful candidate must be able to attain DV clearance (if not already held) and must be a UK national 

Desirable criteria

• Experience of high classification IT systems is very much welcomed, but not mandatory – we will upskill you accordingly if you are new to those systems.

We invest in up skilling our team members to enable them to thrive once they start working with us. As such, if you don’t quite match these desirable skills, don’t let it put you off applying as we will equip the successful candidate with them once you are in post.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Annual salary increases will depend upon individual performance and contribution to the organisation’s success. In addition, there will be the opportunity to earn performance related bonuses.

Existing civil servants can take up the post on loan from their parent department for the duration advertised (permission from their parent department would need to be secured in order to take up the post). Those joining on level transfer will retain their current salary. Staff joining on promotion terms will receive up to a 10% increase of their current basic salary or the pay band minimum whichever is the greater. Staff joining on promotion will adopt the modernised terms and conditions of employment which came into force in 2013. 

Pension: There is a choice of excellent pension schemes. More information about pension provisions can be found at www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Flexible Working: Flexible working including job-share arrangements may be considered for this role.

Leave allowances: 25 days’ paid leave per annum rising to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, full-time staff receive eight public holidays and the King’s Birthday privilege day as well as competitive maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave.

Probation: Staff new to the Civil Service will be required to serve a six month probationary period.

Location: The post will be based in Central London. No relocation costs will be available.

Equality and Diversity: The Cabinet Office is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all staff. We will not discriminate on grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, those with caring responsibilities, part time workers or any other factor irrelevant to a person’s work. We encourage a diverse workforce and aim to provide a working environment where all staff at all levels are valued and respected, and where discrimination, bullying, promotion of negative stereotyping and harassment are not tolerated.

Civil Service Code: All civil servants are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code which details Civil Service values, standards of behaviour, rights and responsibilities. Go to http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk for more information. 

Job contact :

• Name : Vacancy Enquires
• Email : info.applications@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk