Problem Manager

Job summary

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK’s role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.

Job description

Problem Management sits within the Service Centre function in the Information and Digital Directorate (IDD). We are responsible for the resolution and control of the root causes of incidents caused by errors within the IT infrastructure, to improve service by identifying and addressing issues to bring them into a controlled state. Our Problem Managers will shape and influence both digital services within IDD and the wider FCDO as we develop our Government Digital and Data Community.

You will be joining FCDO at a time of transformation with the opportunity to shape digital tools to support front line delivery. As we transition our internal systems, land new digital products and expand the scope of some of our existing digital platforms, we are building an expanded product function to design and integrate our products, spot efficiencies in existing processes and continuously improve our digital services to provide the best user experience.

Roles and responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Conduct thorough investigations to identify the root causes of incidents and errors within the IT infrastructure. This involves diagnosing and prioritising incidents, investigating their causes, and finding resolution.
• Lead and manage a small team of Problem Analysts, supporting their performance and development, ensuring they successfully resolve user demands and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Mentor, coach, and guide team members to help them achieve their digital career aspirations.
• Work closely with multi-disciplinary teams to ensure products meet quality standards and issues are resolved to user satisfaction.
• Use the FCDO’s ServiceNow platform to monitor performance, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement strategies to resolve identified problems, ensuring minimal disruption to services. This includes working to prevent the recurrence of these incidents.
• Manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators (KPIs). This involves diagnosing and prioritising incidents, investigating their causes, and finding resolutions.
• Implement change requests and apply change control procedures under supervision. This involves ensuring that changes are managed effectively to minimise disruption and maintain service quality.
• Contribute to the work of others, motivate and empower teams and create the right environment for teams to work in. This includes identifying the best team makeup depending on the situation and recognising and dealing with issues.
• Identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions. This involves working to continuously improve service delivery and efficiency.
• Explain the basic principles of IT standard continuity management processes and procedures. This includes ensuring that continuity plans are in place and can be executed effectively in the event of an incident.
• Own an issue until a new owner has been found or the problem has been mitigated or resolved. This involves taking responsibility for resolving issues and ensuring that they are addressed promptly and effectively.

The successful candidates will be part of an integrated delivery environment working with policy and operations. They will have access to a tailored Learning and Development offer, combining both Government Digital and Data Profession and FCDO subject matter opportunities.

There will be opportunities for short visits to UK offices and overseas Consulates, High Commissions and Embassies to support product development occasionally. You will be informed of any overseas travel well in advance.

The FCDO also operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.

Candidates who secure a role that is considered specialist/technical, may be required to affiliate to the relevant specialist network, if not already a member.

Person specification

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.

This role requires you to attain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty’s Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents’ or partner’s Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

Minimum Criteria

• Continuous Improvement: Committed to identifying process optimisation opportunities and contributing to the implementation of solutions.
• Change Management: Willing to learn and implement change requests, applying change control procedures to promote successful outcomes.
• Initiative and Ownership: Take ownership of issues until resolved or a new owner is found, demonstrating initiative in addressing problems.
• Collaboration: Work effectively with technical teams, testing, service assurance, and product managers to ensure exceptional digital service delivery.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Adept at resolving and controlling the root causes of incidents preventing their recurrence.
• Understanding of the core technical concepts related to the role and able to apply them with guidance.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Incident Management(Level: Practitioner)
• Continual Service Improvement (Level: Practitioner)
• Ownership & Initiative(Level: Practitioner)
• Incident Management(Level: Practitioner)
• Community Collaboration(Level: Practitioner)

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

• Incident Management(Level: Practitioner)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,500, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £11,153 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days Annual Leave per annum.
• 9 days Public and Privilege holidays per annum.
• Learning and Development tailored to your role.

See the attached candidate pack.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

This vacancy uses the Success Profiles Framework to assess your Experience and Behaviours. We will use the Problem-Manager framework to assess your Technical skills at Application and Interview stages.

Please see the ‘Hints and Tips’ that are provided for your information about how to prepare Behaviour examples at the Application and/or Interview stage.

Application Stage

You will be required to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). CVs will be assessed against the Minimum Criteria outlined in the Person Specification section above.
• A Personal Statement of 500 words explaining how you consider your skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with specific reference to the Minimum Criteria. These responses will be explored further during the interview process for shortlisted candidates.

Your application will be assessed on the following:

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing

Technical skills:

• Incident Management
  (Level: Practitioner)

IMPORTANT: If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and require Reasonable Adjustments in order to complete your application, please ensure Government Recruitment Service (GRS) are aware of this on the date of application and certainly by the closing date.

In the event of a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift by a lead Behaviour. For this campaign we will be prioritising Leadership. Only candidates who meet the minimum standard in this Behaviour will have the rest of their application fully assessed.

Interview Stage

At the start of your interview, you will also be asked a non-assessed warm-up question about your motivation for applying for the role.

Candidates will be required to give a Presentation at the Interview, and the topic will be sent to you in advance. The Presentation will test the following Technical skill:

Continual Service Improvement(Level: Practitioner)

You will also be assessed on the following Behaviours and Technical skills at Interview:

Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Working together

Technical Skills:

• Ownership & Initiative
  (Level: Practitioner)
• Incident Management
  (Level: Practitioner)
• Community Collaboration
  (Level: Practitioner)

Please note that the FCDO carries out name-blind (anonymised) recruitment to help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The personal information on your Application form and/or CV will be concealed during the sifting phase, and only the names of those who are being invited for Interviews will be made known to the Panel.

Please see the attached candidate pack for the selection process details.

Reasonable Adjustment

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 via fcdorecruitment.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.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to FCDO 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

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.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems reading the Candidate Pack, such as through screen reader software, please contact our Team via fcdorecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk and we will share a Word version of this.

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 Check to 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

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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 developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : FCDO Recruitment Team
• Email : fcdorecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

The FCDO’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should, in the first instance, contact External.Recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the FCDO, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.

Attachments

Hints and Tips on Behaviour Examples Opens in new window (pdf, 85kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)434814 Problem Manager Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 1020kB)434814 Problem Manager Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 569kB)