My name is Nick and I work as a Delivery Lead in the Border Force and Immigration Enforcement Technology Delivery Centre in the Home Office. I have worked in the Home Office for nearly 7 years, after leaving the Armed Forces. I want to tell you a bit about my journey and my experience working here.
I served the British Army for 23 years in the Royal Logistic Corps. I left the Army in 2016 at the rank of Warrant Officer. When I left the Army, I began a placement at global bank, but I quickly realised that I didn’t enjoy working in the financial sector. I decided to apply for a contractor placement at the Home Office working as a Change Readiness Manager on the National Law Enforcement Data Programme. This exposed me to the vast opportunities in the Civil Service, which encouraged me to apply for a permanent position at the Home Office working as a Senior Technology Delivery Manager. It was a no brainer! The Home Office offers plenty of career progression and learning and development opportunities. This is how I’ve been able to work my way up to my current leadership role.
Although my day-to-day work changes depending on the projects I am involved with, my overall role is to lead a team of around 20 delivery managers, at varying grades, who deliver small to medium sized projects for Border Force and Immigration Enforcement. We currently have multiple interesting projects in flight, including one to deliver technical solutions enhancing the tracking of migrants through the relevant immigration processes. Projects like this make me feel like my team makes an impact.
What I enjoy most about my role is working with my team. I love seeing the team’s outputs and how our work benefits our customers. I enjoy coming to work and I’m up for any challenge laid in front of me! Another thing I enjoy about working in the Home Office is the benefits provided, such as job security and training. One of the main worries you have, as someone leaving the Armed Forces, is how you’ll integrate back into society, and the job security offered by the Home Office helped ease this concern greatly.
If you’re considering applying for a role at the Home Office after leaving the Armed Forces,do it! I think there are many similarities between the Armed Forces and the Civil Service, which allows you to use your transferrable skills. There is also a community of military veterans and leavers at the Home Office who are very welcoming and supportive.
