26.25 HEO People Advisor- Fixed Term Appointment

Job summary

About the Department:

DBS was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 on 1 December 2012, operating from two sites, Liverpool and Darlington. We operate on behalf of government delivering Disclosure functions in England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and Barring functions for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

We operate in the complex world of safeguarding alongside our multi agency partners. Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

We provide a service that enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make better informed, safer recruitment and other decisions. We do this by providing information to enable them to determine whether individuals are unsuitable or unable to undertake certain work, particularly with occupations involving regular contact with vulnerable groups, including children.

DBS is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office.

DBS has a number of strategic Priorities:

1. Provide high quality, reliable, consistent, timely and accessible services for our customers.
2. Embrace technology to drive improvements to the quality of our work.
3. Develop a talented and diverse workforce that understands how their contributions help to achieve our objectives.
4. Build a flexible, vibrant and contemporary workplace where our staff will be able to do their jobs using modern ways of working that are smart and which promote OneDBS.
5. Raise awareness of the DBS and the services we offer, keeping people informed through our communications, to increase public understanding and confidence in our organisation.
6. Be a respected and trusted organisation, working with our partners to play an influential role in the environment in which we operate.

Further information about the Disclosure & Barring Service can be found via - https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-serv…

Job description

Job Purpose:

To support the HR Services Team to ensure that we deliver an effective HR service.

Corporate Duties:

• To provide advice and guidance to managers using working knowledge of DBS policies, Employment Law, and best practice.
• Provide advice, guidance, support and coaching to Managers in the effective use of all HR policies and procedures; supporting on all ER matters including but not limited to investigation, disciplinary, grievance, short and long-term absence, whistleblowing, family friendly policies recruitment and workforce planning.
• In line with the team’s operating model follow up on ER issues to ensure that advice is being acted on and followed through to conclusion, provide specific case management.
• Support managers in performance management processes by advising on appropriate tools and techniques (e.g., appraisals, performance reviews)
• Ensure HR and Employment Law knowledge is up to date and advice is given is in line with law and best practice.
• Prepare all ER letters in conjunction with Managers ensuring legal requirements are met.
• Act as a HR Support in Employee Relation cases when required.
• Supporting the Senior HR Advisor with various HR matters including various capability investigations, including grievance and disciplinary
• Provide support to the HR Services team including Resourcing and Onboarding, for example supporting at assessment centres.
• Provide support with HR Computer System (Metis) development and support for wider business, LTER, also monitoring key MI in recruitment metrics, such as turnover and retention rates, absence. Collate and analyse management information identifying trends to support HR colleagues and the business to make any improvements
• Work with DBS Academy identifying criteria for training and development, providing training interventions and building capability, delivering coaching where appropriate
• Work with OD in developing talent, wellbeing and engagement through DBS Excellence
• Liaising with Trade Union and key stakeholders in relation to HR matters.
• Supporting HRBP’s in working with operational management teams to identify opportunities/ areas of improvement to support improved organisational and people performance in line with business needs.
• Assist the People & Inclusion Directorate and wider business, to promote and raise awareness of equality and diversity issues and to meet our legal responsibilities in the workplace and wider society.
• Contribute to the development, delivery and on-going evaluation of DBS’s people management policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the day to day management, monitoring and updating of casework for the business.
• Identify areas for improvement, put forward potential solutions and options to meet these and work with the business to plan and deliver improvements.
• Ability to work flexibly to be able to provide HR support for Evening shift as and when required.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Desirable Criteria

ABILITY

· Strong stakeholder management and the ability to engage people at all levels

EXPERIENCE

· Demonstrable experience of having a broad understanding of employment legislation and HR best practice.

· Demonstrable track record of providing excellent customer service

· Demonstrable experience in high volume case management, including remote case management

· Demonstrable experience in coaching and supporting both new and experienced line managers

· Demonstrable HR Generalist experience

· Experience of business change with excellent communication skills.

TECHNICAL

· Successful candidate will be CIPD Level 5 qualified and/or confident and experienced in DBS HR Policies and Procedures.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Working Together

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,444, Disclosure & Barring Service contributes £10,557 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The DBS offers a number of excellent benefits for its employees. These can include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent maternity, paternity and adoption schemes (after a qualifying period)
• Commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Occupational Health Service including referrals for counselling and physiotherapy
• 24/7 Counselling and Wellbeing Service
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

The DBS vision and purpose is to make people safer by being a visible, trusted and influential organisation, providing an outstanding quality of service to all our customers and partners, where our people understand the important safeguarding contributions they make and feel proud to work here. To do this, the DBS is committed to being an employer that is able to attract, develop, retain and engage diverse talent that is representative of the communities we serve, and to be an organisation providing outstanding service to all our existing and new customers, who are diverse and have a range of different needs. We want all our staff to be able to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.

Further Information:

To view the DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice, please click the link below:

DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

As part of the recruitment process the Disclosure & Barring Service will conduct a behaviour based sift exercise and interview process.

To apply for this role, please provide a CV along with a personal statement of no more than 250 words, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, including all essential and desirable criteria. You will also be asked to provide 250-word statements showcasing each of the following Civil Service Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

For all candidates who are successful at the initial sifting stage, you will be invited to interview. The interview will consist of an in person panel-based interview.

The aim of the panel interview will be to assess your ability to demonstrate the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

For all candidates who are successful at the initial sifting stage, you will be expected to complete a short case study exercise assessing 'Managing a Quality Service', followed by a panel based interview. The case study will be provided to the selected candidates before the interview.

The following timetable outlines indicative dates. Please note, these dates may be subject to change without prior notice.

Closing date: 30th March 2026 at 10am

The initial candidate sift is due to take place week commencing 30th March.

Interviews are due to take place week commencing 6th April.

Whilst we will endeavour to provide some flexibility with regards to dates wherever possible, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer an alternative date once an appointment has been scheduled.

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

Security

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

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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 : DBS People Support Team
• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Attachments

HEO HR Advisor - 2026 Opens in new window (docx, 328kB)