Associate Application Operations Engineer

Job summary

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.

Technology, data, and digital services underpins everything that HSE does. We are a knowledge organisation, with a wealth of experience in keeping people safe. It is the responsibility of the Information and Technology Services (TD) Division to ensure that everyone in the organisation can access our data and information, to share it and to use it to make effective decisions. We support over 3000 colleagues working in a hybrid style at home and in 26 offices across Great Britain. Our services keep inspectors functioning effectively and efficiently on industrial sites nationwide, from oil platforms in the North Sea to our deepest mines and quarries.

We strive to constantly improve the technologies and services supporting the organisation

Job description

You will join the Technical Division (TD) Team as an Associate Application Operations Engineer, working in a team responsible for both supporting applications and delivering application maintenance & support services to best practice principles. You will also contribute to continually improving the service.

As an Associate Application Operations Engineer, you will support, manage, and maintain applications running HSE business. You will be a key member of the Application Support function, ensuring application support services are business driven, customer focused and provide HSE with value for money.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of the Application Operations teams work providing exceptional application support to HSE.
• Contribute to the delivery of Second Line Application Support, using ServiceNow, for all strategic core business applications and collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve application issues.
• Perform administrative tasks and assist with maintenance and monitoring duties to manage application performance, ensuring high availability and reliability.
• Be aware of Service Support processes including Incident and Problem Management, Change and Release Management, Continuous Service Improvement.
• Where required, participate in, and represent Application Support in the implementation of projects.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of support documentation and user guides

Working pattern

Part time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Travel

As part of the role you may occasionally be required to attend any of the HSE office locations as advertised. This may occasionally necessitate overnight stays with travel and subsistence provided.

Person specification

Essential Skillsand Criteria:

• Experience in 2nd line support within a customer-focused application support role (lead).
• Understanding of key ITIL best practices including Incident, Problem, Change, Release, and Configuration Management
• Experience of PeopleSoft Software
• Experience of managing databases (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server; Actian Ingres)
• Experience of managing systems in a mixed-on premise/cloud environment including using Microsoft 365 to effectively coordinate tasks

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

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

• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

• Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework - Associate Application Operations Engineer - Incident Management - Level - Awareness
• Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework - Application Operations Engineer - Change Management - Level - Awareness
• Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework - Application Operations Engineer - Availability and Capacity Management - Level - Working

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,657, Health and Safety Executive contributes £9,171 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

We invest in our people with:

• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector.
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave · Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

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 Technical skills.

Application Information

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV which should include your career history, experience, and qualifications which will be scored against the Essential Skills and Criteria listed in the advert. You will be asked to complete an anonymised Personal Statement, of no more than 750 words which demonstrates how you meet the Essential Skills and Criteria of the job advert.

You will also be invited to submit 250 words on the lead behaviour "Managing a Quality Service". Please provide an example of the behaviour using an example of your experience in 2nd line support within a customer‑focused application support role.

Application Guidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal
Statement About the application process, Civil Service Careers.

Sift Information

The sift is due to take place from 09/02/2026

At sift, you will be assessed on the lead behaviour, your Personal Statement and anonymised CV.

In the event of a high number of applications, a first sift may be conducted on your written response to the behaviour Managing a Quality Service. If you are successful at this stage, your Personal Statement and CV will then be assessed.

Interview Information

The interviews will take place from week commencing 23/02/2026

If successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview via MS Teams which will consist of a series of technical questions related to the Technical Skills listed in this advert. Please see link for the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.

You will be assessed on the Behaviours listed in this advert. In the event of a tie-score we will use the Lead Behaviour to determine merit order.

Please note the sift and interview dates could be subject to change due to panel availability.

AI Tools & Platforms

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of
your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk .
Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions. HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an
alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please
contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE 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. Determine your eligibility here.

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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

Security

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

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 : TD.DST@hse.gov.uk
• Email : TD.DST@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address: HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)