We’re advertising for 160 Administrative Officers to work in Asylum and Human Rights at our new hub in Stoke-on-Trent.
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports. Customer Services Group brings together Asylum and Human Rights, His Majesty’s Passport Office and UK Visas & Immigration. As a major operational arm of the Home Office, we play a vital role in supporting the economy and cultural life of the UK.
Our new hub in Stoke-on-Trent will accommodate a new multidisciplinary case-working function and a national asylum customer communication hub, along with other operational and enabling teams.
The Home Office will become a major employer in Stoke-on-Trent for the first time, bringing a range of different functions and jobs to the city and providing a pipeline of exciting career paths.
About the role
Asylum and Human Rights protects the most vulnerable in society and provides a crucial public service.
These roles are part of the new Asylum Customer Communications Hub (ACCH) which will bring all national asylum correspondence into one place. You will work to the guidance and framework in place. You’ll be expected to maintain and ensure that a high quality of service is delivered to customers.
We are going through a period of exciting change. The team is growing and you’ll play an integral role in the department. You’ll receive and action a variety of correspondence from our stakeholders to help with the smooth running of asylum claims.
If you are inquisitive, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and take pride in delivering a high quality of customer service, then these roles could be right for you. You will be given full training, coaching and support to help you achieve your best.
You’ll need to be diligent, have resilience and the ability to work calmly under pressure. This is a challenging role, but also one that is rewarding, interesting, and that can provide a good insight to work across the Home Office.
The roles in this campaign are to fill current and emerging vacancies. Currently there are Administrative Officer vacancies in departments across Customer Services Group and you may be offered a different role upon allocation to those listed.
Apprenticeships
We are invested in our people and offer excellent professional development opportunities. These roles can be coupled with the fantastic opportunity to be a Level 3 Operational Delivery apprentice (suitability and eligibility requirements apply).
As an apprentice within Asylum and Human Rights and the wider Civil Service, you’ll have a first-rate opportunity of working in an energetic and transformative organisation while gaining an internationally recognised qualification.
Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes, and apprentices spend 20 per cent of their contracted hours undertaking off-the-job training with the support of their learning provider and line manager.
Should an apprenticeship be available, and if you meet the eligibility criteria, we would actively encourage you to undertake an apprenticeship to support your development in this role.
Benefits
We offer competitive starting salaries, along with a Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of at least 26.6 per cent, as well as a range of other brilliant benefits including flexible working and 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
You’ll have learning and development tailored to your role and the opportunity to be a Level 3 Operational Delivery apprentice.
Find out more about some of the other benefits we offer.
Hybrid working
The roles available will vary between a requirement to be fully office-based and hybrid working. Where hybrid working is available, it enables employees to work a minimum of 40 per cent of their time at their designated office, and up to 60 per cent from home. Please be aware that, whilst some hybrid roles may be available, this is not guaranteed and you should be willing, from the outset, to attend the office 100 per cent of your working hours if your role requires this.
At present, the Comms Hub is working once per week within an interim building in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. However, we anticipate moving into our permanent location during the first part of 2023, where hybrid working will be re-introduced.
Meet the team
We will be holding online recruitment Q&A events via Microsoft Teams Live. The calls will be hosted by colleagues from the Home Office who will share their experiences of the recruitment process.
We will talk about hints and tips for writing a strong personal statement and how to get the best out of your interview.
The content is the same for each event, so you only need to join one. There is no requirement to attend an event to apply for this role, but they are a great way to learn about our recruitment process.
Click one of the links below to register for the event on your preferred date.
- Weds 21st December at 11:00 – 12:00
- Tuesday 10th January at 18:30 – 19:30
- Wednesday 1st February at 14:00 – 15:00
More about the role
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Stoke on Trent
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£22,400
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Key Duties can include:
- Provide administrative support, such as file movement and tracking, logging correspondence, monitoring electronic inboxes, issuing letters and dealing with customer enquiries.
- Scanning and digitising of evidence and updating relevant databases and files.
- Making and demonstrating well-judged decisions.
- Prepare and make case files decision ready for casework, or for appeals or removal processes.
- Telephone call handling and booking appointments.
- Escort customers, conducting face-to-face identity interviews and facilitate language analysis interviews.
- Work closely with colleagues and contribute to maintaining a comprehensive database of freelance interpreters.
Additional duties within the scope of the grade may vary dependant on business needs and the specific team where placed.
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- Good communication and interpersonal skills (both verbal and written).
- Collate, assess and respond to information.
- Adapt to changing priorities and ability to work at pace.
- Ability to work independently and closely with others to achieve a shared goal.
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We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
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This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
You will submit your application through the online civil service recruitment portal: Civil Service Jobs.
1. Statement of suitability
You will be asked to complete a statement of suitability of no more than 500 words explaining concisely how you meet the key responsibilities and essential criteria outlined in this advert.
Sift will be completed on the personal statement only.
Please do not include any personal details that could identify you within your statement of suitability. If personal details are included your application will be withdrawn from the process.
2. The Interview
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 required) for all behaviours as stated on the job advert.
Your interview will be via Launch-pad, which is a virtual platform. A full explanation of how this works will be provided to you, but you will need to have access to a laptop or computer with a working webcam and good Internet access.
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
It is advisable to take some time to prepare for the behaviour-type questions. Please have a look at the success profile guidance (gov.uk) and our candidate pack, which gives some hints and tips.
Sift and Interview dates
This campaign will be sifted and interviewed in tranches, which means that candidates will be sifted and interviewed while the advertisement is live. You may be asked to sit an interview at short notice.
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The closing date for the test and full application form is 23:55 on Thursday, 16 February 2023.
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If you are interested in one of these roles, please apply using the button below.
