Operational Line Manager – Council Tax Reform

Job summary

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This role is part of HMRC Valuation Office, formerly known as the Valuation Office Agency. We have recently integrated into HMRC.

HMRC Valuation Office are the public sector’s property valuation experts and advisers with a vision to be a world-leading provider of public sector valuations. Our work is vital to the collection of over £60 billion of revenue which goes back into communities, touching every citizen and every business across England and Wales.

Job description

Operational Line Manager – Council Tax Reform – Role Overview

A vacancy has arisen for two permanent HEO Line Managers within the CT Reform Team.

Our exciting Council Tax Reform Programme is aimed at developing the organisation’s capability to utilise modern mass methods of valuation and appraisal which supports policy decision making at National Government level.

The role will be pivotal in supporting new work following the Welsh Government undertaking a consultation exercise leading to an ambitious package of new Council Tax reforms. This reform has evolved and is likely to evolve further over the term and may take an exciting or different path.

The role will be leading and managing a small team of EO Caseworkers and AO Property Researchers,working to the SEO Team Leader . The post holder will closely with Mass Appraisal Surveyors and analysts supporting model development, data improvement and identifying properties and areas for further investigation.

The team will be at the forefront of the delivery of any major policy reform in Council Tax. Over time we will also look to support other activities where market insight and modelling may assist.

This is an exciting opportunity for candidates to develop or deepen their mass appraisal and valuation modelling capability and further develop already proven line management and leadership skills.

The successful candidates will be based in the Cardiff location and will manage a co-located team.

If you are interested in joining a fast-paced team where you will be able to help develop our skills, digital tools and use of data to employ the latest valuation techniques, then we would like to hear from you.

Key responsibilities

The role of an HEO Line Manager is to:

• Managing your teams performance, by closely monitoring both timeliness and quality metrics, and having meaningful performance conversations with teams and individuals around personal development.
• To identify the correct quality standards and ensure quality assurance is carried out on a regular basis.
• To create and promote an inclusive working environment that values everyone for their individual contributions, inspiring the whole team to be the best they can be.
• To identify and communicate business needs and robust workforce plans to maximise efficiency, and to manage and mitigate potential risks.
• To recognise and deal with management issues within the team and resolve them quickly and effectively – applying the correct HR principles to process and escalating where appropriate.
• Manage the team to undertake investigative work into the property market in Wales or resulting from modelling outputs and helping to identify anomalies in either property data or valuation accuracy.
• Identify opportunities for data improvement as well as constraints and the difficulties with successfully collecting sufficient data.
• Support the development of Mass Appraisal and Revaluation products.
• Identifying risks to performance achievement and driving forward continuous improvement and celebrating success.

100% Office attendance is required to provide face-to-face support to your team whilst they are undertaking training and get comfortable with new processes. This will be expected until each team member is upskilled to the required expectations.

There may be a need for occasional travel across the UK with some overnight stays required to support business needs.

Person specification

We are looking for people who have an interest in the property sector and who are looking for an exciting role to further their property knowledge. The successful candidate will already have a good understanding of domestic property valuations. You must be self-motivated and able to thrive in and work in a fast-paced environment. You will have good leadership skills and be able to use your judgement, strong analytical and problem-solving skills to make informed decisions when providing advice to others.

Essential Requirements

• Working knowledge and experience of the valuation of domestic properties.
• A successful track record of leading a team with the ability to motivate and innovate others whilst demonstrating strong leadership, with a continuous improvement mindset and a positive approach to working in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate technical or complex information clearly and simply to stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence effectively with a range of stakeholders both verbally and in writing.
• Able to provide support, training, and leadership to the team and continuously improve individual and business performance
• Excellent organisation and planning skills with the ability to prioritise and work quickly and accurately.
• Ability to work in a busy team environment and have the flexibility to switch, at short notice, between the various duties outlined.
• Experience of people management considering the team’s work-life balance and wider HR policies.

Desirable requirements

• Understanding of MI (Management Information) data.
• A knowledge of the Welsh property market

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,682, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,916 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days, increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days and a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRChear from our insiders or visitThinking of joining the Civil Service

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.

How to Apply

If you can meet our person requirements above, we are keen to hear from you. To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:

A CV setting out your Job History and Previous skills and experiences.

A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words) please outline your suitability for the role. Please pay particular attention to the ‘Essential Requirements’ and ‘Person Specification’ outlined in the advert when providing your answer.

Sift 26-27 May 2026 Please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change.

We will assess you on your CV and Personal Statement.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement against the less essential requirement.

• Working knowledge and experience of the valuation of domestic properties.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Interviews -w/c 22 June 2026 Please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change. These will be confirmed should you be invited to interview.

Interviews are currently taking place using Microsoft Teams Video. We will provide more detail if you are shortlisted for interview.

We will assess you on the Behaviours listed in the job description and Strengths.

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.

Application Hints and Tips

For more information on Success Profiles, tips on how to write a successful application and find out more about what’s involved in the application process please visit About the application process , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk).

Further Information

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Applicants who do or wish to work an alternative working pattern are welcome to apply. The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder.

This post is advertised as temporary with the possibility of permanency.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

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

Contact the UBS Recruitment Team via resourcingteamvo@hmrc.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.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Terms & Conditions

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

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.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

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

Reserve Lists

If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 6-month reserve list. During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.

Concerns/Complaints

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address: resourcingteamvo@hmrc.gov.uk

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : Cerys Lundregan
• Email : cerys.lundregan@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment-principles/