Overseas Security Adviser -

Details

Reference number

283581

Salary

£49,955 – £60,078

The pay range for this role at Grade 7 is £49,955 to £60,078 per annum, depending on demonstration of skills, competence and experience. A non-pensionable, nonconsolidated London Allowance is also payable (currently £2,000 per annum for posts in central London). Separate arrangements apply to existing Civil Servants who will transfer on lateral transfer or promotion terms.

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Other

Working pattern

Full-time

Location

London

About the job

Job summary

Alongside your salary, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes 27.1% – 27.9% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UKs role in the world.

We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners.

Main Purpose of Job

To provide advice to the Director Estates Security and Network, Senior Risk Owners, Heads of overseas offices and other departments in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on protective security of Diplomatic Missions overseas. In addition, to provide advice on protective security as required to other Government Departments and to the British Council.

Job description

Roles and Responsibilities

Based in London, you will work in a small team delivering specialist security advice across a wide network.

Your work and overseas visits will cover activities taking place throughout the whole spectrum of risk to offices and staff from very high threat to routine operations by our Missions overseas, principally concerning the threats from espionage, crime and terrorism.

You will be required to travel overseas frequently (around 100 days per year), to write clear and concise reports, to justify your recommendations and contribute to the work to implement security enhancements.

You will give security advice at design, construction and renovation stages of Estates projects and deliver presentations on security to FCDO staff deploying overseas.

You will represent the Directorate at a wide variety of meetings across the FCDO delivering security advice and determining security policy as a matter of routine. You will participate in working groups investigating security related issues. You will be required to give specific security advice during any crisis management.

You will maintain a high level of personal expertise and knowledge through professional development, attending exhibitions and relevant conferences and networking with the security industry.

You will have the skills to assess, train and mentor a wide variety of staff employed on security duties with the FCDO.

Mitigation measures to reduce security vulnerabilities as recommended by Overseas Security Advisers can have significant costs and practical implications and so you will have a good understanding of the likely impact of your recommendations.

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will be expected to work routinely and regularly in the office in London.

Person specification

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring your British Passport with you.

This role requires you to attain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majestys Government, or having lived overseas as a result of your parents or partners Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria and Behaviours as far as you are able
to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

Minimum Criteria

Confident leadership skills and ability to work in a team environment or independently.
Strong organisational, analytical and problem solving skills.
Recent operational experience in a security and/or risk management role. You will be conversant with intelligence and risk assessment, modern security
equipment and have first-hand experience of dealing with security management issues.
Proven experience in dealing with and influencing people at all levels.
Previous role working for a large organisation involving overseas experience at senior level in either the public or the private sector.
A proven ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to senior audiences.

Behaviours

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

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

Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

Specialist Security Technical Skill
Motivation Question

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

Specialist Security Technical Skill

Benefits

· A Civil Service Pension.
· 25 days Annual Leave per annum.
· 9 days Public and Privilege holidays per annum.
· Learning and Development tailored to your role.

See the attached candidate pack.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Stage

You will be required to complete an online application form, anonymised CV, 1000 word personal statement, technical statement and answer two Behaviour questions to assess your skills and experience.

When completing your anonymised CV, you should include details of the companies you have worked for, your job title, and a short description of the work and any significant achievements. Where appropriate, please include details of your professional and vocational qualifications that you have achieved, along with any details of relevant education, courses and training that you have undertaken. You should include details of any professional memberships and any security clearances previously or currently held. It is not a pre-requisite to hold security clearance in order to apply for this vacancy.

Please note that the CV will be used for reference only.

The Behaviours you will be assessed on at the application stage are as follows:

Delivering at Pace give an example where you have produced high-grade work under time pressure and where you were decisive and accountable.
Communicating & Influencing give an example where your communication skills made a difference to a situation. What approach or style did you use? Your example should include evidence where you persuaded others to accept your recommendation.

IMPORTANT: If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and require Reasonable Adjustments in order to complete your application/, please ensure GRS are aware of this on the date of application and certainly by the closing date.

Interview / Assessment Stage

If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to attend a panel interview in person at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London. Candidates MUST be able to attend the Assessment Day in London on the date selected by the FCDO during the week commencing 25th September 2023.

The start time for all shortlisted candidates will be 08.30.

Please be aware that, depending on the timetable, you need to be available for the whole day.

The assessment day will consist of the following elements:

Group Exercise
Written Test
Presentation
Interview

The Behaviours you will be assessed on during the interview are as follows:

Changing & Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating & Influencing
Delivering at Pace

You will also be asked Motivation and Specialist Security questions at the interview.

Candidates will be required to give a short Presentation at the Interview and the topic will be given to you 15 minutes before your Interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put 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 fcdorecruitment.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 youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to FCDO 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

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 applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available.
You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : FCDO Recruitment Team
Email : fcdorecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : fcdorecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

The FCDOs recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should, in the first instance, contact csc.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the FCDO, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.