Head of Complex Casework

Job summary

This is a high-profile and influential leadership role responsible for the strategic direction and operational delivery of the Complex Casework function within the Cabinet Office.

The successful candidate will be a specialist in HR casework and employment law, leading a centre of excellence that manages the department's most complex, sensitive, and high-risk cases, including significant litigation. The role is dual-focused: providing expert, high-quality advice to Directors General and the Permanent Secretary, and simultaneously driving the strategic transformation of the casework operating model. Key responsibilities include implementing proactive interventions for early conflict resolution, modernising the function by leveraging data to create a "single source of truth," managing relationships with the most senior leaders and Trade Unions, and holding accountability for the £1 million annual budget for Government Legal Department (GLD) services and HMT financial compliance.

Job description

The Complex Casework Team

The Complex Casework Team sits within the Expert Services team of the People & Places (P&P) Directorate. It is a small dedicated team whose purpose is to support the Cabinet Office in creating a working environment that enables people to achieve their potential and ensures all employees are treated with dignity and respect. The team provides high quality, timely HR and legal advice (directly and through third party suppliers) and is dedicated to continuous improvement using data to drive change.

Key Accountabilities and Deliverables

1. Casework Leadership and Strategic Oversight

• Develop the Complex Casework team into a Centre of Excellence for dealing with complex, high-impact, and high-profile casework.
• Provide Expert Advice on very senior or highly complex cases to Directors General (DGs) and the Permanent Secretary.
• Develop and implement Early Resolution Management proactive interventions to support line management in dealing with conflict before it escalates.
• Review and manage contracts with third-party suppliers (e.g., Home Office Investigation Service, MoJ, GLD) to ensure Supply Chain Management delivers value for money.
• Ensure Strategic Collaboration with cross-departmental teams like Security, Fraud, and Policy to align processes and drive broader organisational improvements.

2. Data-Driven Insights and Reporting

• Improve casework data to create a "single source of truth," using it to identify trends, build management capability, and identify process issues (Evidence-Based Interventions).
• Use data storytelling to evidence the impact of casework and the necessity for additional interventions to senior stakeholders, including ExCo (Senior Briefing).
• Support the development of HR Business Partner (HRBP) and wider P&P capability in casework through data-driven interventions (Capability Building).

3. Team Leadership and Culture

• Set and deliver a compelling Vision and Clarity for the team, ensuring deliverables link to wider P&P and Cabinet Office strategic aims.
• Role model Civil Service values and the Cabinet Office "Respect, Trust, and Collaborate" values (Inclusive Leadership).
• Prioritise team resourcing and building capability to avoid "single points of failure" (Capability Development).

4. Financial and Commercial Accountability

• Hold overall accountability for the £1 million annual budget managed by the G7 for Government Legal Department (GLD) services (Budget Management).
• Ensure effective demand forecasting and value-for-money (VfM) outcomes for the contract with GLD (Commercial Oversight).
• Ensure all settlement and termination decisions comply with HMT guidance and governance (Financial Compliance).

Person specification

Person Specification (Essential Skills and Experience)

• Specialist Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of HR casework and employment law. Significant experience overseeing complex or high-risk litigation and an understanding of the Employment Tribunal process. Ability to manage high-profile, sensitive, and politically scrutinised cases.
• Stakeholder Management: Highly effective communication and relationship-building skills, capable of working collaboratively and credibly with the most senior leaders and Trade Unions.
• Analytical Skills: Ability to use complex data to identify areas of concern, drive targeted interventions, and present clear strategic narratives to senior leaders.
• Data-Driven Interventions: Proven ability to use data to identify areas of concern and drive targeted interventions, including developing HRBP and wider P&P capability in casework.
• Resilience and Coaching: High level of resilience in managing high-profile, scrutinised cases and a strong ability to coach managers and team members through complex processes.
• Financial Acumen: Experience in budget oversight and ensuring financial compliance within a public sector framework.
• Qualifications: MCIPD qualified or equivalent experience with a willingness to achieve MCIPD status if necessary.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. 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:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £69,308, Cabinet Office contributes £20,078 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 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

As part of your application, you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history/qualifications, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.

You will also be required to provide a 750 word statement of suitability. This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements and provide evidence of your suitability for the role and the criteria outlined above, with particular reference to the essential criteria.

Interview Process

Behaviours to be assessed at interview:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing [Presentation question]
• Delivering at pace

You may also be asked to deliver a short presentation at interview. Further details will be provided if you are invited to interview.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 6th April 2026
Expected interview date/s – w/c 13th April
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

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 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 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.

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.

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 Checks 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

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

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 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 : Deputy Chief People Officer
• Email : cpo@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

Cabinet Office Employee Offer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)