DDaT Vetting and Aftercare Manager

Job summary

BIST provides personnel security support across its customer departments. This role offers an exciting opportunity to work within an innovative, professional and evolving unit as the dedicated DDaT vetting and aftercare contact, supporting the delivery of effective personnel security services across DDaT.

The successful applicant will be responsible for providing DDaT with advice and support on vetting, aftercare and wider personnel security matters, ensuring that appropriate policies and processes are applied efficiently, consistently and effectively.

As an HEO in a developing and dynamic environment, you will play an active role in delivering these services on behalf of BIST. You will act as the dedicated DDaT support person for vetting and aftercare, contribute to the Personnel Security Strategy, support insider threat activity and review personnel security requirements across all DDaT roles, including role mapping and determining appropriate clearance levels.

This will also include briefing staff on security vulnerabilities. You will also need to be aware of and consider where security risks to the business can be managed in post.

You will be trusted with highly sensitive and personal information, which you must handle securely in line with data protection rules whilst maintaining a professional and understanding approach with applicants, considering the sensitive nature of the information being shared.

As a manager you will provide advice and direction to others within the team to support the timely and efficient delivery of decisions and actions. This role is highly suited to a person who can make difficult risk-based decisions, conduct investigations in a sensitive way, and motivate and build the capabilities of staff under challenging circumstances.

This is an interesting and varied role the successful applicant will manage casework by assessing personal vulnerabilities for individuals with access to sensitive government assets, to assist them in maintaining their National Security Vetting clearance.

You may be required to manage a member of staff, proactively monitoring the performance and delivery of the risk management team, to ensure that personal information and issues are handled sensitively, and that MI is recorded accurately.

You will also be responsible for implementing and conducting risk-based Aftercare for those holding National Security Vetting levels and taking forward appeals processes for those who appeal decisions for Vetting. You will support decision makers within the team including senior managers where Aftercare or appeals actions are required.

Job description

Your duties will include but will not be limited to:

• You will build professional and supportive relationships with colleagues across BIST, DDaT, the wider security community, recruitment partners and suppliers to support the continuous development of effective personnel security processes.

• You will champion vetting policy, procedure and process with colleagues at all levels, using various communication media.

• You will provide advice on how to handle insider threat issues, providing personnel security advice

• You will act as the primary DDaT contact for vetting and aftercare support, manage relevant casework and mailbox activity, and monitor the performance and delivery of staff within your line management.

• You will investigate and assess vetting cases, making decisions on individual’s ability to hold security clearance, escalating high risk cases where appropriate. This will include conducting briefings and investigative interviews.

• You will be responsible for implementing Aftercare measures, working closely with the Aftercare Lead and other stakeholders. You will update databases to ensure accurate records are maintained.

• You will review personnel security requirements across all DDaT roles, working with the Aftercare Lead and DDaT stakeholders to map roles, determine appropriate clearance levels and deliver presentations and information sessions to participating teams.

• Line management and supervision of EO and AO team members.

This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list, and the post-holders will be required to perform any additional duties reasonably expected of them within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

Person specification

It is essential that you have:

• Experience of making vetting decisions and managing complex vetting and aftercare casework within a personnel security environment, including gathering and assessing sensitive information to inform decisions. (LEAD)
• Practical knowledge of personnel security, risk management, information and records management, and UK GDPR requirements when handling sensitive information.
• Experience of managing stakeholders in relation to sensitive or complex cases, communicating decisions and advice clearly and appropriately.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, evidence-based case documentation and recommendations.
• Ability to build trust and rapport while asking challenging and probing questions about personal and sensitive matters.
• Strong attention to detail, with good Microsoft 365 skills, particularly Word and Excel, and the ability to quickly learn and confidently use new systems.

It is desirable that you have:

• Experience of working within, or alongside, a digital, data and technology function, with an understanding of how security and vetting services support a complex organisation.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

• 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%

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.

At the interview stage for this role, you will be asked to demonstrate relevant Strengths and Behaviours from the Success Profiles framework.

Strengths are designed to test your innate talents so are not listed on the advert to ensure you provide a natural answer

How to apply

As part of the application process you will be asked to upload a two-page CV and complete a 750 word personal statement outlining how you meet the essential skills and experience listed above. You can use bullet points and subheadings if you prefer.

Sift will be from week commencing 2/11/2026

Interviews will be from week commencing 16/11/2026

Please note these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

If there is a high volume of applications, we will sift looking at the Lead criteria only. You may then be progressed to full sift or straight to interview.

How we offer

Offers will be made in merit order based on location preferences. If you pass the bar at interview but are not the highest scoring you will be held on a 12-month reserve list in case a role becomes available. If you are judged a near miss at interview, you may be offered a post at the grade below the one you applied for.

This role requires SC clearance. BIST's requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet this requirement will result in your application being rejected and your offer will be withdrawn.

Checks will also be made against:

• departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• security services record
• location details

More about us

This role can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. If you are based in London, you will receive London weighting. BIST employees work in a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by BIST, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered.

You can find out more about our office locations, how we calculate salaries, our diversity statement and reasonable adjustments, the Recruitment Principles, the Civil Service code and our complaints procedure in the candidate pack attached to this advert.

Find out more about life at BIST, our benefits and meet the team by watching our video or reading our blog!

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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

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.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 : DDaT Recruitment
• Email : Ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at Resourcing@trade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints

Attachments

DDaT Candidate Pack (BIST) Opens in new window (pdf, 569kB)