Skip to main content
GOV.UKSurge and Rapid Response - Administrative Officer (Apprenticeship) 293R
HM Revenue and Customs
Apply before 11:30 am on Monday 30th January 2023
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.
See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Surge & Rapid Response Team (SRRT) helps government departments during predictable peaks in demand for services, and to respond to unexpected crises.
SRRT sits within HMRC, but our work extends across all government departments including the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
In SRRT we pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service to everyone we support. We are an adaptable, skilled and flexible team who can deploy our staff where and when they are needed the most, often at short notice. This means sometimes working away from your home location, across the UK and sometimes abroad.
Job description
SRRT are looking for flexible frontline operational staff to carry out various roles Civil Service-wide.
You’ll provide great customer service and work in a changing environment, managing priorities where required. Your work will vary, developing your skills within the Operational Delivery Profession.
Tasks may include:
- inbound and outbound phone calls with customers
- case work and data processing, using a variety of IT systems
- face to face engagement with the public, such as passport control
- responding quickly to priority work requiring training or travelling at short notice
You won’t need previous experience because we’ll provide full training. It’s your enthusiasm, helpful manner and willingness to learn and be flexible that we are looking for. You’ll join a friendly and welcoming team, who will help you reach your potential.
Person specification
Before applying, please consider the following requirements essential to this role:
- Need for flexibility – You may need to change deployment at short notice, and this may involve working away from your home location anywhere in the UK and potentially abroad
- Travel – Due to requirements for working away from your home location, you’ll need to be able to travel nationally or abroad, sometimes at short notice. We’ll pay for all travel and accommodation.
Apprenticeship
You will be enrolled onto the Level 3 Operational Delivery City & Guilds Apprenticeship Programme. You’ll build valuable skills and gain a recognised qualification, whilst also being employed. The apprenticeship takes about 16 months to complete
You’ll need to hold GCSE Grade 4 (formerly C) or equivalent in English and Maths. If not, you’ll need to complete a Functional Skills Level 2 qualification in both subjects as part of the apprenticeship.
We expect you to stay in post until you complete your apprenticeship.
If you are currently completing or have completed any other apprenticeship or further education programmes, we will need to check your eligibility for this apprenticeship scheme. Please email our recruitment team to discuss.
Security Clearance
Once you start your role with SRRT, you’ll need to get Security Check (SC) clearance. For this you’ll normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period, which is 5 years. Until you gain SC clearance, there may be restrictions on which deployments you can do.
If you are successful and transferring from another Government Department, we will carry out a check of your identity, nationality and immigration status (including the right to work in the UK) and a criminal record check before confirming your appointment.
Question and answer session
We will be hosting a virtual event where you can find out more about the application process and what it is like to work in SRRT.
This will take place on Monday 23 January 2023 at 1.30pm. To book your place please visit Surge and Rapid Response Team Recruitment Q&A registration
Further information about the role is available in the candidate pack attached at the bottom of the page. Please read it before applying to this role.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension
Team members that are moving offices as a result of the Locations Programme will be entitled to a Moves Adjustment Payment for three years where they incur additional costs. This is calculated based on the difference between the costs of travelling to and from the new and old office, over a weekly period. You will get more detail on this as part of targeted locations move communications.
Find more about HMRC benefits in 'Your little extras and big benefits handbook' for further information or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply for this post, you will be required to complete:
- A short application form
- Civil Service Situational Judgement Test (CSJT)
- Employment history/CV
- Video interview
Guidance and details on how to access the CSJT test will be provided in advance.
Please complete the online CSJT tests as soon as possible (within 24 to 48 hours is recommended). The closing date for the tests is 11:30am, 30/01/2023.
Please ensure that any technical issues with the test are reported prior to 12 pm on 27/01/2023. There will be no extension to the deadline for completing the test.
If you fail to complete the online CSJT test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the CSJT test. The CSJT tests are administered online and accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
If you successfully pass the online CSJT test you will be invited to complete a written application which also needs to be submitted prior to 11:30am, 30/01/23.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. The inbox to contact is: hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk Use subject line to insert appropriate wording i.e. Please re-open my application – 261033 & vacancy closing date 30/01/2023.
Security Update
If you are successful and transferring from another Government Department, we will carry out a check of your identity, nationality, and immigration status (including the right to work in the UK) and a criminal record check before confirming your appointment.
Successful candidates must pass a Disclosure and Barring Security Check/Disclosure Scotland. Please note that HMRC have an exemption under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which enables us to make enquiries about both unspent and spent convictions.
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
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.
HMRC transformation
HM Revenue and Customs is currently going through an exciting ten-year transformation programme to create a tax authority fit for the future. As part of this, we are committed to providing high-quality jobs and giving employees a great place to work, whichever location you work from.
HM Revenue and Customs has made significant progress with its plans to locate in 14 large, modern, flexible offices, equipped with high-speed digital infrastructure supporting improved customer service and compliance activity. These collaborative workspaces will enable smarter working and great training and development facilities, allowing for the sharing of expertise, local training, promotion, and provide great ongoing career development opportunities.
These offices will be located in central locations in the following towns and cities close to accessible transport links: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon, Portsmouth and Stratford.
In addition, there will also be a small number of specialist sites where the work cannot be done anywhere else, in Gartcosh (near Glasgow), Telford, Ipswich, Worthing and Dover, as well as our headquarters in central London. What’s more, our Welsh language service has people located in Porthmadog, as well as Cardiff.
We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are recruited into an office that is not one of these locations, you will be expected, subject to HM Revenue and Customs applicable policies, to move to one of these locations in the future. In some cases, this will be via one of our nine transitional sites.
For more information please contact the vacancy holder.
Terms and Conditions
We really hope you decide to apply for this role. If you’re successful you need to know that in February 2021 members of recognised trade unions (ARC and PCS) voted to approve a pay and contract reform offer. This means that HMRC will adopt new terms and conditions for all colleagues as part of a multi-year pay deal and contract offer, the pay deal period is 01 June 2020 – 31st May 2023 and terms and conditions changes take place from the 01 June 2021 onwards. These terms will apply to colleagues who already work in HMRC and if you join us, it will apply to you too. We’ve put together a summary of the key changes that will be made and you can find this attached to the Job Advert.
Pay
If you are currently working for an OGD and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Pay on Transfer from OGD" for further information. (Please note the attached document could also be called “Combined T&C and OGD Pay English”)
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Further Information
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement this will be tested as part of the selection process.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
After interview, a single merit list will be created and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Any move to HMRC 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 here
HMRC welcomes applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, taking into account our operational and customer service needs. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Reasonable adjustment
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. Please see our Disability Matters: How we can support you during our selection process booklet for more details.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
• Contact Government Recruitment Service via hmrcrecruitment.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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : CSG Recruitment Team
- Email : recruitmentqueries.csg@hmrc.gov.uk
Recruitment team :
- Email : hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
