Fingerprint Comparison Officer

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) manages the UK’s immigration and identity systems. It oversees visa applications for visitors, workers, students, and those seeking to settle in the UK, as well as citizenship processes and resettlement services. ICS also issues British passports and maintains vital civil records, including births, marriages, and deaths. Through secure and efficient services, it protects the UK’s borders, supports lawful migration, provides safe and legal routes for refugees, and ensures trusted identity and travel documentation for citizens and applicants.

Immigration Fingerprint Bureau (IFB) comprises of a small team of highly motivated Fingerprint Experts and Technicians. It is the only non-criminal fingerprint bureau in the UK and is accredited to ISO 9001:2015 standard.

Job description

You will be experienced in fingerprint comparison using ACE-V methodology and will undertake the duties required to ensure an efficient, effective biometric checking and enquiry service for operational teams, carrying out both fingerprint verification and validation activities and supervising Fingerprint Technicians as part of this process.

The primary system used in IFB is the Immigration & Asylum Biometric System (IABS) and you will receive training in its full functionality. This will include basic facial matching training to enable you to process face comparisons on IABS. You will use your technical skills to ensure biometric products are issued to genuine applicants. For individuals who are encountered by UK Border Force, you will be responsible for confirming identity, so they can be dealt with under the Asylum application process.

You will work with the Quality Manager and Team leader to review existing operating procedures, and the introduction of new procedures to refine working practices, in order to meet the national ISO 9001:2015 accreditation standard. Any other duties as reasonably necessary for the fulfilment of your role.

There may be opportunities to expand your role within this area. There will be scope for you to undertake training to develop your skills in management, to enable you to line manage and mentor junior colleagues.

You will conduct fingerprint comparisons using IABS.

You may be required to provide witness statements and present fingerprint evidence at Immigration Tribunals.

Key Responsibilities

• Conducting Fingerprint comparisons using IABS.
• Completing facial matching checks on IABS (subject to training);
• Investigating any biometric queries. You will be given training to interrogate Home Office databases to enable you to arrive at a conclusion, using both biometric evidence and case history.
• Performing the role of Office Manager; Assessing and prioritizing the workflow coming into the Bureau, allocating resources accordingly, taking responsibility for meeting service level agreements.
• Providing witness statements and present fingerprint evidence at Immigration Tribunals.
• Completing other duties as reasonably necessary for the fulfilment of your role.

Working Pattern

Full Time Working

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.

Shift Working

Successful candidates will need to be able to attend for all shifts including early starts and late night finishes. These shifts may be outside of public transport operating hours.

The Bureau can operate between the hours of 06:00 – 21:00 hours Monday – Friday, and 09:00hrs - 17:00hrs weekends and Bank Holidays. You may be asked to work a shift between the hours of 06:00hrs - 23:00hrs on any day, including weekends and Bank Holidays should the business need arise.

Training

Completing facial matching checks on IABS (subject to training).

You will be given training to interrogate Home Office databases to enable you to arrive at a conclusion, using both biometric evidence and case history. Investigating any biometric queries.

There will be scope for you to undertake training to develop your skills in management, to enable you to line manage and mentor junior colleagues.

Travel

You may be required to deliver fingerprint training at any location in the UK which may involve overnight stays. The Immigration Fingerprint Bureau also has another site in the South of England which you will be required to attend should the Croydon site be become unavailable.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrate competence in fingerprint comparison in a Fingerprint Bureau accredited to a national standard using ACE-V Methodology.
• Strong organisational skills, and ability to work flexibly.
• Ability to prioritise own workload and that of a team, to ensure key tasks are completed, have good attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team to achieve a shared goal.
• Experience and confidence in interacting with both internal/external stakeholders.
• Ability to build strong working relationships with colleagues at all levels, showing sensitivity and discretion, ensuring an inclusive approach, and maintaining Civil Service values

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

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

• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• This role currently attracts Annualised Hours Allowance (AHA) of 19.5% of salary (subject to change annually) and Recruitment Retention Allowance: £1,600. Further information can be found on our website.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

1. Application – by 02 July 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Making Effective Decisions (maximum of 250 words per Behaviour).

Your CV should consist of your career history, skills and experience , including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – 06 July 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement, CV and Behaviour Making Effective Decisions as listed in the advert.

3. Interview – 27 July 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert). All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place MS Teams

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location

You will only be able to select a single location preference so please ensure this is a location that you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at your preferred location and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is Security Check (SC). Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Further Information

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

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional

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

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

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 : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamHMPOandUKVI@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Candidate_Information_v17_April_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 207kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)