Apprentice Operational Officer

Job summary

Pleasenote: Applicants should review all aspects of this advert to ensure a thorough understanding. If reviewing via a screen reader, please note that the Job summary, Job description, Person specification and Things you need to know sections have been emphasised

About Companies House

At Companies House, we’re proud to deliver vital public services that support the UK economy. We believe it’s a great place to work, and we’d love you to join us. Our ambition is to be the best registry of companies in the world, powered by brilliant people, innovative systems, and exceptional service. With new powers to tackle economic crime, we’re working across government to make a real difference. That’s why we’re looking for adaptable, confident, and forward-thinking leaders to help us deliver more for our customers.

Find out more about what a great place Companies House is to work

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for 2 Apprentice Operational Officers in our Edinburgh office at Companies House!

• Do you pick up new skills quickly and enjoy a challenge?
• Love being part of a supportive, friendly team?
• Looking for a flexible way to gain a qualification and earn a competitive salary?

If that sounds like you, this apprenticeship could offer you the first step into a Civil Service career.

As a Companies House apprentice, you will gain a wide range of on-the-job operational experience whilst undertaking a two-year programme of formal training and coaching. You’ll work towards a Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Level 6 apprenticeship in Business Administration (Business Administration - Employer , Apprenticeships.scot) with our training provider.

If you'd like to find out more about these great roles and how to apply, then come along to our virtual event on Tuesday 13th January 2026 at 6pm Join the meeting

It's a friendly session, no need to book – just click the above link at the start time and come as you are (no need to even have your camera on!)

Job description

As an Apprentice Operational officer, you could be placed in a variety of teams within our Edinburgh Office:

• Do you have an eye for detail? You could be checking and processing documents and recording data.
• Do you enjoy helping people? You could be responding to our customers and handling correspondence from them.
• Do you enjoy working in a bustling environment? You’ll be meeting deadlines and targets.
• Do you enjoy working with others? You’ll be part of a team, to deliver a great service to our customers.
• Do you want to make a difference to the UK economy? You could be ensuring our powers are put into action, helping to fight economic crime and ensuring our customers are doing everything they should be.
• Do you enjoy earning whilst learning? You’ll need to be motivated to study whilst working – spending 4 days each week gaining on-the-job experience, and 1 day will be dedicated to completing your apprenticeship studies.

Your duties may include, but are not limited to the examples above, giving you a varied and rewarding experience as you develop your skills.

Please note: This is a 2-year fixed-term role, with the potential to become permanent if you successfully complete your probation, apprenticeship, and maintain good performance

Companies House cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

Where you’ll be working

You’ll be aligned to our Edinburgh office and expected to attend regularly under our hybrid working model. Your weekly pattern will be agreed with your manager, though business needs may require additional office time.

You’ll also spend at least one day a week in the office for study support. Please note this study day is in addition to your required weekly office day and is designed to give you a supportive space to focus on your apprenticeship coursework.

With Edinburgh as your base, you’ll have flexibility, plus support from our training provider, your line manager, and your buddy. We’re a great place to work, and we’d love you to join us!

Be part of the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP)
This role is part of the Operational Delivery Profession – the largest profession in the Civil Service, with over 290,000 members. ODP professionals are the public face of government, delivering essential services to millions of people every day. As a member of this profession, you’ll have access to a wide range of development opportunities, a supportive community, and a clear framework to grow your career.

To learn more about the Operational Delivery Profession, visit ODP Civil Service Careers Page

Person specification

Whatwe’relooking for

We’re seeking individuals who can demonstrate:

• Be well organised - enjoying working in a fast-paced environment
• Be a great communicator – both in writing and when speaking to people, including on the telephone
• Have good IT skills – you don’t have to be an expert, just somebody who feels confident using a computer
• Be adaptable – sometimes ways of doing things change and we need people who are happy to change too
• Be accurate – this just means having an eye for detail
• Be confident to make decisions – where you can explain why you’ve made them
• Be bold and curious – we want people who will look at our information and aren’t afraid to ask questions when things don’t seem quite right
• Be motivated to complete your studies alongside your role – with a willingness to work hard, act on feedback and complete your apprenticeship to a high standard

Please note: If you're interested in part-time hours, we can support this with a minimum of 30 hours per week, over 4 or5 working days.

Eligibility Criteria

There are some things to be aware of when applying for this apprenticeship:

• There are no age requirements for this apprenticeship – we welcome all applications.

• To have the best possible chance of success, you need to show the ability and commitment to achieve all aspects of your apprenticeship – having National 5s in English and Maths (or the equivalent qualifications, if you were educated outside of Scotland) will be helpful for this. Whilst these qualifications would be beneficial, they are not essential as the most important aspect is that you are enthusiastic and willing to learn.

• If you are shortlisted for interview, we will ask you to confirm your name, date of birth and National Insurance number with us, so that we can share them with our apprenticeship provider (Rewards Training Scotland , Modern Apprenticeships , Business Training)- this is simply so that they can check your eligibility for apprenticeship funding.

• To be eligible for a Scottish Apprenticeship you need to:

• Be living and working in Scotland for at least three days each week.

• Not have the same or an equivalent qualification (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Level 6 apprenticeship in Business Administration) at the same or a higher level.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,452, Companies House contributes £7,663 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.

Head to Our benefits - Working for us - Recruitment (companieshouse.gov.uk) to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.

We celebrate diversity...

As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we’re representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at application stage, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing recruitmentCH@companieshouse.gov.uk.

Read our 'Applying under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS)' guide to find out how to successfully complete an application under the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS).

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, Strengths and Experience.

What will the process looklike?

Communications will be electronic via email therefore it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.

Key Dates:(dates are indicative only and could be subject to change)

• Closing date: 26th January 2026 at 23:55pm.
• Sift/shortlist: 27th – 30th January 2026.
• Interview dates: Virtual interviews to take place on 9th, 10th and 11th February.

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:

We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as your name and age) from your personal statement.

Personal statement

As part of your application, please provide a 750-word personal statement explaining why you’re a great fit for this apprenticeship. Focus only on these three essential criteria points:

• Be a great communicator – both in writing and when speaking to people, including on the telephone
• Have good IT skills – you don’t have to be an expert, just somebody who feels confident using a computer
• Be adaptable – sometimes ways of doing things change and we need people who are happy to change too

You can use examples from school, work, volunteering, or other experiences. It is advisable to give clear examples for each criteria listed above, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) with most detail on what you did and the outcome. Please use this link as guidance How to write your PS , Civil Service Careers. Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

Please note:

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead criteria. If so, we will sift on:

• Be a great communicator – both in writing and when speaking to people, including on the telephone (Lead Criteria).

If you pass the initial sift (lead criteria), you may either move on to a full sift (full personal statement) or go straight to interview, depending on number of applications received.

We may raise the score required at sift stage to progress to interview if we receive a high number of applications.

Stage2 - Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours and Strengthbased questioning will be used.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Interviews for this role will be carried out virtually via Microsoft Teams.

Stage 3 - offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

Reserve list
This recruitment campaign will keep a reserve list for 12 months. If you meet the requirements for this role but aren't offered after passing the interview, you'll be placed on the reserve list. Subject to business need, if a suitable position opens up during this time, we will reach out to individuals in merit order.

This post is being advertised Externally.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, or if you'd like to discuss any person-centred adjustments then please let the recruitment team know viarecruitmentch@companieshouse.gov.uk

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : Luke Andrews
• Email : landrews@companieshouse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentch@companieshouse.gov.uk

Further information

Commissioners statement

The Civil Service recruits by merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Complaints Procedure:

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact infopoint@companieshouse.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, contact the Civil Service Commission at:

Email: info@csc.gov.uk

Phone :020 72701 0831

Address:
Civil Service Commission,
Room G/8,
1 Horse Guards Road
SW1A 2HQ

Please use the following link to visit the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Complaints page for further information

https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitme…