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Audit
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About the job
Job summary
Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing the governments immigration laws, tackling illegal migration, removing foreign national offenders and immigration offenders from the UK. It also aims to disrupt the organised criminal groups that exploit the vulnerable for their personal gain.
Job description
There is an exciting opportunity to join the Detention Services Security Team (DSST) as the team expands and new avenues of work are being explored.
As part of Immigration Enforcement (IE), DSST are responsible for ensuring that the private contractors who are responsible for managing immigration removal centres, short-term holding facilities and in-country and overseas escorting operations manage them effectively, safely and securely and in accordance with Home Office policies and operating standards.
The Security Officer is a key role within DSST. The team cover a variety of work areas such as Counter Terrorism (CT), Intelligence, Physical Security and Use of Force (UoF). Due to ever evolving security threats and priorities, it is key that the Security Officer is flexible and has a keen interest in security, intelligence and use of force.
Responsibilities
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities and duties:
- Carrying out process and checks on counter terrorism referrals received from across the estate, maintaining the DSST CT Register and liaising with internal and external agencies as required.
- Acting as a point of contact and liaison during a rotated on call system, providing security advice to local compliance teams, gaining advice from duty directors where required.
- Assisting in the administrative processes involved in regular meetings held and chaired by DSST.
- Publishing monthly dashboards to report on certain areas of the business.
- Assisting in the reviewing of Detention Service Orders (DSO).
If working within Physical Security:
- Undertaking localised in depth operational security review work in IRCs and RSTHFs, using analytical skills to make independent judgements regarding performance and the quality of service delivered.
- Working under their own initiative to identify key themes, examples of good practice and areas for improvement, and making recommendations to inform service integration, planning, development and commissioning, and system development activity.
- Measuring performance against the Operating Standards, supplier contractual agreements and DSOs.
- Assisting in implementing and maintaining a support system with local Home Office compliance teams and service providers in a structured format to monitor progress against security recommendations.
If working with Use of Force:
- Monitoring use of force forms received by IRCs, RSTHFs and Escorting providers to ensure force was necessary, proportionate, and reasonable in the circumstances, feeding back any issues or concerns identified.
- Identifying issues and trends in relation to use of force.
- Publishing the agenda and minutes at monthly quality assurance meetings attended by stakeholders.
- Assisting in the implementation of a meeting to quality assure use of force whereby there have been Serious Injuries & Warning Signs (SIWS) identified during incidents.
- Reviewing CCTV and footage of Use of Force, providing feedback when required.
- Attending a yearly training course to gain a wider knowledge of the restraint techniques used by providers (Home Officer Manual of Escorting Safety and Control & Restraint).
- Regularly attending and observing enforced removals and document findings in a structured report format.
If working with Intelligence and Counter Terrorism:
- Analysing and evaluating information to support and inform decision making in the prevention of security breaches and management of incidents.
- Processing weekly and monthly data to measure the temperature of the estate.
- Reviewing the intelligence recording and collation within IRCs and work collaboratively with suppliers to ensure intelligence is processed appropriately.
- Ensuring intelligence is consistently reported by suppliers in order to establish national threat objectives.
- Regularly updating line management regarding prominent security issues from intelligence, looking at trends in both the DS and HMPPS estates by implementation of a National Threat Assessment.
- Ensuring the Mercury intelligence system is used appropriately and that service users are aware of policy and system changes.
- Delivering specific Counter Terrorism training, to both Home Office staff and service provider staff as per policy requirements.
- Liaising with wider DS departments, law enforcement agencies, service providers and external agencies to disseminate intelligence in line with policy to maintain safety and security.
- Carrying out Open Source research on behalf of the DS. When applicable, feeding back findings to senior managers in a timely and efficient manner.
Please note holding a full valid UK manual or automatic driving licence is essential as there may be a requirement to travel around the UK regularly and often at short notice, with over night stays.
Please also note that due to the travel requirement these positions are advertised on a full time basis only.
Person specification
Essential criteria:
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:
- Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to develop good working relationships with a variety of internal and external partners.
- Strong organisational skills with proven ability to plan, organise and manage time to deliver the best quality and efficient service.
- The ability to plan own work independently, and initiate and organise workload.
- Being able to work flexibly in tight and often changing deadlines in a busy environment and able to solve problems and adjust priorities accordingly.
- Strong computer literacy skills with good knowledge of MS office and ability to produce accurate documentation.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Immigration Enforcement.
- Operational experience with Use of Force.
- Experience conducting quality assurance or audit work.
Licences
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
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:
- A CV detailing previous skills and experience and job history
- A Statement of Suitability (personal statement) (Max Word Limit: 750).
- Provide evidence of the behaviour – Working Together (Max Word Limit: 250)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please note your 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.
Please can you indicate within your personal statement which role(s) you are interested in, the choices are Physical Security, Use Of Force and Intelligence And Counter Terrorism.
For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links Statement
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links Behaviours
The sift will be held on the behaviour Working Together and the Statement of Suitability (personal statement). The CV will not be scored.
The Statement of Suitability will be scored first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the minimum pass score for the Statement of Suitability, will progress to a further sift where the lead behaviour – ‘Working Together’ will be scored. These candidates will therefore receive a sift score for both elements. Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the Statement of Suitability will not have their lead behaviour scored and will therefore only receive a sift score for the Statement of Suitability.
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the Statement of Suitability (personal statement) only.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions.
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
The sift is expected to take place week commencing 2nd October 2023.
Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 23rd October 2023.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.
Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam.
- Good internet connection.
- Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams.
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.
Reserve list
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
When completing your application you will have the opportunity to select your preferred locations. Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in, for Gatwick please select Horley, for Hassockfield please select Consett, for Kidlington please select Oxford and for West Drayton please select Heathrow. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.
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.
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.
Annual Hours Working Allowance
Annualised Hours Working (AHW) is an attendance system where staff work an agreed number of hours for the year rather than weekly conditioned hours.
You will be required to work flexibly on any day of the week, including weekends, nights, Public Holidays and the Privilege Day, and the hours may vary each week. Attendance may also be subject to change at short notice.
The rate payable under the AHW scheme is driven by business requirements and may vary depending on location. Your initial rate will be confirmed when you have started in post and will be paid as a percentage of your basic salary. If a member of staff has agreed an annualised hours arrangement, this does not become a permanent or guaranteed right. Annualised hours working is subject to changes in operational needs and managers can adjust, cease or suspend it, for operational or performance reasons. Annualised hours agreements are reviewed at least annually.
The annualised hours year runs from 1 April to 31 March. If an individual begins working on an annualised hours basis part way through the year, they will receive a part-year agreement and the Annualised Hours Allowance will be pro-rated for the remainder of the year to reflect that agreement.
If you transfer to a non-AHW post the requirement to work in accordance with the terms of the AHW policy will also end, and you will move to standard Home Office Terms and Conditions.
The initial rate payable is approximately 18.4% depending on location.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.
Hybrid working is an option
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.
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).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Home Office Resourcing Centre
- Email : HORCBandENational@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.
