Assistant Head of Delivery (UKSV)

Job summary

This is a crucial leadership position within UKSV Field operations, overseeing a high volume of specialist Vetting Officers and providing essential management of SEO functions to maintain operational integrity. The role is a vital catalyst for meeting Developed Vetting KPIs and ensuring rigorous assurance standards across the largest division of the organisation. Beyond SEO management, the incumbent leads the QA and training framework, driving continuous improvement and excellence in vetting practices. As UKSV undergoes strategic recruitment to achieve core objectives, this role provides the forward-looking leadership necessary to deliver results in a fast-paced environment and uphold the overarching mission of the department.

Job description

You will be a resourceful, self-starting leader, delivering excellent customer service in a fast-paced environment and leading large communities to deliver high levels of performance using teaming and matrix management concepts. You will:

• Provide strong leadership, both personal and corporate, and embed a culture of learning in an environment of continuous learning.
• Be an active member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to the wider Departmental agendas and providing visible, accessible and effective senior leadership, taking a personal.
• Create and sustain effective relationships with key partners/stakeholders, to develop stronger working across UKSV to create powerful, purposeful partnerships.
• In your membership of Senior Leadership Teams, role model exceptional leadership, working flexibly across boundaries, building capability in line with Professional Standards and undertaking regular activity to build and sustain engagement.
• Demonstrate strong and effective change management; and be accountable for the delivery and quality of activity in your area.
• Through your behaviour and ways of working make UKSV an inclusive place where people can be at their best.
• The effective implementation of cross skilled and graded delivery teams within UKSV, whilst enabling transformation and embedding a continuous improvement culture.
• Coach and mentor staff continuously and be a strong visible role model, development and people focussed performance.
• Develop and deliver the UKSV Operational Delivery Plan during a period of significant change. The effective delivery of the UKSV Operational Delivery Plan should be used to meet service, delivery and budget targets.
• Ensuring the successful delivery of UKSV qualitative and quantitative requirements.
• Supporting with narrative at Board Meetings, Senior Meetings and Customer engagement to ensure the entire delivery performance is understood and not focussed solely on Key Performance Indicators but on the balanced scorecard metrics.
• Work closely with the Workflow team to ensure the flow of work enable UKSV to meet KPIs.
• Engage with staff to ensure their satisfaction and engagement continues to improve as measured by staff survey during a period of significant change.
• Support the Head of Delivery as the demanding/intelligent Customer to ensure transformation programmes are successfully operationally embedded within UKSV and solutions are fit for purpose to meet business needs.
• Ensure effective performance management, workforce and succession planning and talent management is in place and all staff are engaged in this.

Person specification

As an Assistant Head of Delivery within UK Security Vetting, we are looking for people who have the following expertise and attributes:

• Extensive experience in managing and optimising the investigative interviewing process
• Have an understanding of the Vetting Decision Framework and be able to support and mentor team members to implement it effectively
• Ensuring Compliance and Quality using Vetting guidelines
• Proven ability to challenge senior leadership to ensure operational integrity and continuous improvement
• A catalyst for change who is at ease in a fast-paced environment
• Confidence in providing constructive challenges to senior management.
• Ability to take a holistic view, adopting a Government wide perspective when assessing problems.
• Forward looking with a holistic approach when assessing problems.
• Confidence in making difficult decisions, ensuring all relevant expectations are sought.

Experience

Essential criteria

• A good understanding of Vetting Processes
• A good understanding of the Vetting Decision Framework
• Able to deliver at pace to meet KPIs
• An effective Change Agent

Desirable criteria

• Experience of using and implementing AI

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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.

Application process

At the sift stage you will be assessed on the behaviours and experienceelements of the Success Profiles.

You will be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the Behaviours Leadership and Managing a Quality Service.

To assess experience you will be asked to provide a 750-word personal statement and a name-blind (anonymous) CV. In the CV you will need to provide details of your job history.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The personal statement should provide a summary of your skills and achievements to show that you have the relevant experience, skills and attributes required for the role. Please detail your experience relevant to the role and carefully consider the essential criteria listed in the person specification.

If we receive a large number of applications, we may begin with an initial review of the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass this stage could advance to a full review or be progressed to the assessment or interview stage.

Selection process

At interview, you will be assessed on the behaviours, experience and strength elements of the Success Profiles.

The Behaviours being assessed are Leadership, Managing a Quality Service, Changing & Improving and Making Effective Decisions.

The Strengths assessed will be relative to the requirements listed in person specification and Behaviours being assessed so please read the advert carefully and consider what Strengths might be relevant to the role.

Interviews will be held face-to-face in Glasgow and York. If you are not able to attend any of the available interview dates we may not be able to offer alternatives.

Expected Timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 13th July

Expected interview date/s – w/c 17th August

Interview location - Interviews will be held face-to-face in Glasgow and York.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : UKSV Resourcing Team
• Email : uksv-resourcingteam@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.

Attachments

G7 Assistant Head of Delivery Job Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 7909kB)Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 344kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)