Service Delivery Lead

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.

The Asylum Group is driving the government’s commitment to operate a fair, efficient and transparent asylum system. The key priorities include, operational excellence, ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers and reducing the number of people supported by the asylum system. The group brings together analytical, data science, policy and operational teams responsible for transforming the asylum system, efficient decision making, operating new and existing accommodation models, asylum support, and excellent Management Information and data modelling.

This role leads the delivery of asylum accommodation contracts, ensuring high-quality service for vulnerable individuals. The post holder will manage provider performance, lead a service delivery team, and oversee contract governance. They will work closely with internal and external stakeholders, including local authorities, health services, and MPs to ensure services meet legal, policy, and customer standards.

This is a high-impact leadership role at the heart of public service delivery. You’ll shape strategy, drive performance, and influence national policy outcomes, making a real difference to people’s lives.

Job description

The post-holder will manage service delivery of asylum accommodation contracts in a dynamic and fast-paced environment and be accountable for managing relationships with service providers, working alongside commercial colleagues to manage performance against the contracts. This involves setting direction and leading a Service Delivery team who will carry-out the day-to-day contract management functions and driving performance of their team and respective providers in line with contract Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

The post-holder will work closely with colleagues in Risk and Assurance to continuously drive improvements across all the contracts, in line with audits by the Immigration Chief Inspector, the National Audit Office and the Home Affairs Committee. They will work to embed customer insight and use management information to drive improvement across the contracts. Ensuring that the contracts deliver for Service Users and stakeholders, with the customer at the heart of what we do.

The post-holder will be expected to build strong relationships and represent HO with internal customers and external public sector stakeholders including Local Authorities, Health and Police as well as OGD and MPs. This will involve, attending and presenting progress updates for internal stakeholders on service delivery and leading communications for the contract to external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and performance management of asylum accommodation contracts, holding providers to account using KPIs and contractual levers. Overseeing formal contract governance, including Contract Management Groups and Strategic Review Management Boards, ensuring compliance with Home Office standards.
• Use data insights and dashboards to challenge provider strategies, maximise bedspace utilisation, and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with commercial colleagues to ensure value for money, balancing operational needs with cost efficiency and risk mitigation.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, including Local Authorities, Health, Police, and MPs.
• Provide regular updates and briefings to senior stakeholders across the Home Office and contracted providers.
• Lead and manage a Service Delivery team, with line management and countersigning responsibilities, including performance reviews and staff development.
• Participate in an out-of-hours on-call rota to ensure continuity of service and rapid response to emerging issues.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 5 days / 32 hours per week due to business requirements.

Travel

Occasional travel to other Home Office locations may be required, potentially involving overnights stays.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Hold CIPS Level 4–6 or GCF Commercial Practitioner/Expert accreditation.
• Experience in leading contract management within a service provision environment, including managing external supplier performance against KPIs and contractual levers.
• Demonstrate strong leadership skills, setting direction and supporting teams in fast paced, shifting and politically sensitive environments.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities, competing demands and unexpected situations on a daily basis.
• Build and maintains strong relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, with confidence to challenge, negotiate and deliver difficult messages when required.
• Have a strong customer focused approach, with clear understanding of the needs of vulnerable service users.
• Have a proven track record of continuous improvement and driving change, with the ability to work independently in a distance managed contract or service delivery setting.

Qualifications

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Level 4–6 or GCF Commercial Practitioner/Expert accreditation. You will be required to provide evidence of your qualification certificate ahead of interview.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

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

• Leadership

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.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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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.

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 8th May 2026

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

• CV
• Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words).
• Evidence of the Behaviour Leadership (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/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, qualification 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 Behaviour), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

2. Sift – week commencing 11th May 2026

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

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the lead Behaviour Leadership. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (Personal Statement / CV).Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

3. Interview – week commencing 1st June 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) and Strength based questions. All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place on Microsoft Teams.

Please note that you will be required to provide evidence of your qualification certificate ahead of interview.

If you are unable provide ahead of the interview, please contact the HORC Team using the email address below.

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 Preference

You can select up to two locations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) 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.

Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.

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 Basic. 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 /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

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.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 (HORC)
• 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)