UK Covid19 Inquiry Team HR & Business Operations Support Officer

In December 2021 Baroness Heather Hallett, a retired Appeal Court judge, was appointed by the Prime Minister as Chair of the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry was formally established with full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 in June 2022. The Inquiry sits independently of the Government with the Cabinet Office acting as the sponsoring department.

Following an initial set up phase the Inquiry began hearing evidence in May 2023. We are now looking for a HR & Business Operations Support Officer to join the excellent team that is delivering the Inquiry.

This is an exciting role in fast moving circumstances, to ensure lessons are learned from the UK response to the Covid-19 pandemic., The HR and Business Operations team within the Inquiry is an inclusive and close-knit team of seven, led by the Head of HR. The team provides general HR support with particular focus on recruitment and onboarding of staff for the Inquiry. In addition, the team assists and collaborates with other teams to procure IT, stationery and undertake a variety of administrative tasks needed to aid the smooth running of the Inquiry., Some of the key responsibilities include and are not limited to:

• Providing advice, guidance and support to vacancy holders recruiting to roles in their teams.


• Updating recruitment data, including identifying any issues with recruitment or onboarding and resolving or escalating them where needed.


• Uploading vacancies onto the VX recruitment system, and supporting their administration throughout the end-to-end recruitment life cycle.


• Supporting the onboarding of new starters, including assisting with pre-employment checks, providing induction packs and arranging IT delivery.


• Supporting general administration, such as managing organograms, assisting with payroll queries, updating distribution lists and maintaining trackers


• Working flexibly across the Inquiry on a range of priority projects with a range of stakeholders, providing support to the team to assist with ad hoc events, such as away days.


• There may be a requirement to work flexibly within the Inquiry within the EO grade as part of a wider Inquiry approach to flexible working and work would be at the equivalent level and supported by full training.


• The post-holder may be required to perform other ad hoc duties consistent with the role and grading, where necessary., If successful please upload your CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.


You will also need to provide a Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted. You may also choose to reference the desirable skills listed.

Selection process
Should there be a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted using your Statement of Suitability.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview

If you are successful in securing an interview you will be asked questions on the behaviours listed within the advert, on strengths and about your relevant experience.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date - w/ 3rd June 2024
Expected interview date/s - w/c 17th June 2024
Interview location - Remote - Video - Google Meets

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 Services via cabinetofficerecruitment.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 a wheelchair access at interview, or if you are 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 CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years UK residency prior to commencement. 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.

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

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. Determine your eligibility at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out., Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

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 counter-terrorist 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.,
• 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
  
  We're looking for someone who:


• Is highly organised and able to prioritise effectively, often dealing with competing deadlines.


• Is a confident communicator- you will need to engage effectively with a range of stakeholders from senior hiring managers to candidates and colleagues.


• Is interested in identifying ways to improve the processes they are working on, and can support and co-ordinate work in this area.


• Is flexible and has a can-do attitude and is willing to work across different teams.


• Is a self-starter who, once up and running, can deliver without significant oversight and has the resilience to work in a high performing team that delivers at pace.


Desirable Skills:

• Experience of working in an Inquiry, investigation or legal context.


• Experience of recruitment or previous HR work within the Civil Service would be advantageous.


• Experience of using applicant tracking systems (though full training will be given).


• Experience of using the Oleeo/Vx system.
  
  We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:


• Working Together


• Managing a Quality Service


• Delivering at Pace


• Changing and Improving, Alongside your salary of £27,750, Cabinet Office contributes £7,492 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 average employer contributions of 27%.


• 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