We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
APPLICATIONS INVITED FROM
Salary scale: £30,989-£41,095
A Recruitment and Retention Allowance is available for Belfast-based staff up to a maximum of £4,000 for Band B, bringing the effective band minima up to £34,989 (from £30,989)
This allowance is non-pensionable and subject to annual review in line with MoJ pay awards.
New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band advertised.
Who we are
Inclusion and diversity
The Northern Ireland Office is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as they are under-represented within the NIO at this level.
The Northern Ireland Office strives to be an inclusive employer and is recognised by its staff and externally as being an employer where Diversity and Inclusion are valued.
We hold a Diversity & Inclusion Charter Mark and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader organisation. In March 2018 we won the award for Best Employer for Diversity & Equality in Northern Ireland (small employer category) in a Gala Award ceremony hosted by Legal-Island, a multi-award winning workplace compliance company based in Northern Ireland.
We have an active D&I network supporting colleagues through D&I Advocates, championed by our Directors.
We want all our people to feel valued for who they are and we are confident that you will find the NIO a warm, welcoming and inclusive place to work.
What we do
Background
The Northern Ireland Office represents Northern Ireland interests at a UK Government level and UK Government interests in Northern Ireland. We have a wide range of responsibilities, including: underpinning political stability in Northern Ireland; overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement; leading on national security policy in Northern Ireland; addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past; delivering elections and constitutional reform in Northern Ireland; playing a key role in rebalancing the NI economy; representing NI interests, including on the border with Ireland, as the UK exits the EU. Our small size and diverse portfolio creates a stimulating and challenging working environment, with regular engagement with a range of Ministers and senior officials. We support flexible working and have a modern, flexible IT system which helps enable this.
About the Role:
Keeping people safe from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism (NIRT) is one of the UK Government’s strategic aims and the Security & Protection Group (SPG) in the NIO delivers this through core teams working on: Policy, Strategy, Operational Delivery, Casework and Protection.
We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality work on issues that matter, at pace and often in challenging circumstances. All SPG colleagues have an anchor within one of the core teams, allowing them to build specialist knowledge, expertise and relationships. Everyone, regardless of grade or experience, also has the opportunity to get involved in project-based work across the group and the wider department beyond their core teams. This approach ensures we add more value, are agile enough to deliver on key departmental priorities and give everyone in SPG a wide range of developmental opportunities. We are committed to using every opportunity to continuously improve ourselves and our business outcomes. You can expect diverse, interesting and rewarding work that goes to the heart of public service and you can expect to do this in a safe space where individuals and teams are supported to deliver and encouraged to innovate, stretch, challenge and learn.
We are currently looking to recruit an Operational Delivery/Policy Officer within the Security and Protection Group.
In this role you will work on one of the UK Government’s highest priorities - national security - and gain a broad range of operational delivery, casework and policy experience and briefing skills within a supportive and focused team.
You will work closely with other group members in London and Belfast to ensure that Ministers are fully briefed on national security matters, and owing to the Department’s relatively small size this will mean more exposure to Ministers than might otherwise be the case in a larger Department.
You will work closely with partners in the Cabinet Office, Home Office and other government departments, a range of security and law enforcement partners, and colleagues in the NI devolved government.
As a Operational Delivery/Policy Officer you will work a range of issues which may include the Department’s incident response and crisis management arrangements, policy issues relating to the fulfilment of our statutory obligations under the Investigatory Powers regime and policy relating to Northern Ireland’s resilience/protective security, including critical national infrastructure in Northern Ireland and the National Security Risk Assessment.
Building and maintaining a strong and extensive network of business critical relationships with policy and operational partners in Northern Ireland and in Whitehall will be key. Good communication and relationship management skills will be essential. Applicants must be prepared to work on an on-call rota basis, and occasional out of hours working will be required (for which an allowance will be paid) and sometimes at short notice.
You will be articulate, discreet and thoughtful in your approach, quick to pick up new subjects and proactive in all your dealings. In this busy and varied area of work you will have a high level of responsibility and autonomy so good judgement is essential.
You will be an enthusiastic, self-starting and committed person who inspires confidence when briefing verbally and in writing. You will have strong interpersonal skills, accustomed to building productive relationships in difficult contexts.
You have an eye for detail and will be accustomed to being agile and able to anticipate and respond quickly to new challenges and unexpected developments. The ability to prioritise competing tasks will be essential.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Specific responsibilities of a Operational Delivery/Policy Officer may include:
- National security related counter-terrorism and protextive policy
- Investigatory powers policy and legislation, ensuring departmental compliance
- Development of policy and processes on incident response, crisis management, and investigatory powers casework
- Overseeing the flow of paperwork for approval by Senior Officials and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, paying close attention to detail and accuracy.
- Working with security and law enforcement partners and others in relation to investigatory powers casework, national security incident management and protective security
- Representing the Department at Whitehall and Northern Ireland based security meetings
- Engagement with the Devolved Administration on matters that impact national security
- Advising and briefing senior officials and Ministers in relation to national security issues
- Building strong relationships with partners in Northern Ireland and in Whitehall to safeguard and enhance delivery of strategic objectives
- Participating in Out of Hours on-call duty rota.
- Budget management
- Line management of staff at Bands C/D/E
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Excellent written and oral communications skills.
- Experience of briefing senior leaders on complex issues
- Ability to self-organise, prioritise and pay close attention to detail.
- Ability to work effectively and collaboratively whilst under pressure
- The ability to develop and maintain effective responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, and to use your interpersonal skills to achieve results.
- An understanding of the political and security environment in Northern Ireland.
- DV clearance is essential and must be achieved before commencing the full duties of the post, therefore applicants will need to be prepared to go through this process.
DESIRABLE CRITERIA:
- Experience working on national security or law enforcement policy within Whitehall or Northern Ireland.
- Experience of briefing senior leaders both orally and in writing.
- Experience working on complex policy development or
- Experience working on operational delivery/complex casework
For the essential and desirable criteria please upload a suitability statement of no more than 500 words setting out how you meet the essential/desirable criteria
Selection Process:
We will assess you against the following Success Profiles Behaviours at Level 3 during the selection process:
- Working Together (Lead Competence)
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing (to be assessed at interview only)
More information on Behaviours and Success Profiles can be found here.
The selection and interview process will consist of two stages:
Sift
You will assessed on:
- Your suitability statement
- Working Together (Lead Competence)
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Leadership
Interview
The interview will be conducted remotely and will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience, utilising the following success profiles behaviours:
- Working Together
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing (tested throughout the course of the interview)
Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run an initial sift on the suitability statement and lead Behaviour “Working Together” only.
SECURITY CLEARANCE
Security clearance to Developed Vetting level will be required for this post.
ELIGIBILITY SIFT
An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the application form. It is therefore important that all applicants demonstrate in their application how and to what extent their behaviours are relevant to the above criteria. Those candidates who do not clearly demonstrate that they meet the experience and behaviours will not be invited to interview.
PAY AND ALLOWANCES
The successful candidate will adopt the terms and conditions of the NIO for the length of their appointment.
Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information about the post may be obtained from
spg.recruitment@nio.gov.uk
APPLICATIONS
You can apply for this post through the Civil Service website at: civilservice.gov.uk. Once logged onto the site go to the civil service jobs page and then search for jobs in the Northern Ireland Office where the application form can be found.
Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.
Home Civil Service applicants who, because of disability, need assistance in completing the application form should contact MoJ Shared Services on 0845 010 3512.
All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.
This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.
Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following interview.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Further information about us
We are a small and friendly department of approximately 200 staff. Due to our size we are able to offer staff more exposure to ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting, though often challenging, work environment.
Other Benefits
The NIO offers a pleasant, modern work environment which allows consideration of a range of flexible working arrangements which support a good work/ life balance. These include flexible/ alternative working patterns, part-time and job-share options.
Benefits include:
interest-free season ticket and bicycle loans
Reward & Recognition scheme
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
The Northern Ireland Office operates the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, details of which are attached to the application form for this post.
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact MoJ-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com to be removed from the reserve list.
Further information on civil service careers can be found at www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles.
Please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk) in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages:
http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/
https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/
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