Infrastructure Engineer (CTI) - Stratford Regional Centre - Westfield Avenue

Discover what it's like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department's civil and criminal investigations. Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within FIS. Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.

This role sits within the CODE Technology Infrastructure Team (CTI) which is part of FIS CODE Capability, Development, Infrastructure Innovation (CDII) and plays an integral role in His Majesty's Government's fight against serious and organised crime, supporting investigations totalling hundreds of millions of pounds each year. CTI supports FIS CODE and all wider FIS investigations.

CODE Technology Infrastructure (CTI) is responsible for delivering a broad portfolio of change initiatives, both to sustain and transform FIS's legacy technologies and to deliver innovative new solutions, designed around our customers' needs. CTI works in an integrated way to combine digital and technology change, project delivery, business process, product management and cultural change to maximise impact and ensure sustainability.

As FIS grows, so does the need for Infrastructure support. The Infrastructure Engineer role is an amazing opportunity for any experienced, forward-thinking and focused individual who has a passion for technology.

If you flourish dealing with diverse challenges, enjoy delivering exceptional support to users, growing your knowledge and want to work with a like-minded and supportive team then this may be the role for you.

As a Higher IT Infrastructure Engineer, you will ensure robust, reliable high-performance systems and services meet business needs. You'll be responsible for building, administration, maintenance, and monitoring of diverse systems. This includes servers, storage, endpoint management, networks, telephony, and business applications.

You will work closely with Infrastructure managers and collaborate closely with fellow engineers to provide third-line support and project delivery across a wide spectrum of IT systems. You'll also engage frequently with other teams and departments outside of IT to achieve shared objectives. This role offers the opportunity to influence the future technical direction within a dynamic and innovative team environment which is vital to the successful delivery of FIS CODE Infrastructure and Technology.

Flexibility Payment

This post attracts a Level 2 Flexibility Payment (FP) that is paid monthly with salary. This FP allows HMRC flexibility to change your work pattern, at short notice, to meet business needs. You will be expected to undertake periods of On Call. You will also be expected to work additional hours, at weekends and outside your normal working hours/days (including bank holidays).

In applying for a position and accepting the FP you agree that you can and will meet those attendance requirements. FP levels are reviewed annually - on a business need and personal basis - and may be subject to change.

Role Allocation

Please note that there are 3 posts available in Stratford and 2 in Manchester.

Person specification

We are looking for an enthusiastic, resilient individual who can deliver in an impactful way within a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.

This is an IT Technical role and you will already have an Infrastructure background with technical understanding of infrastructure (i.e., virtual machines, datacentres and environments).

The successful candidate will be undertaking the following (but not limited to):

Technical

• Providing 3rd-line support for Incidents, managing Service Requests, Tasks and Problems, adhering to established processes and ITIL standard methodology within agreed SLAs.
• Supporting datacentre management activities including capacity and availability management.
• Installing, managing, and maintaining end user devices in a Windows environment.
• Involvement in the assurance programme to ensure that assets are regularly reviewed, maintained and improved where necessary.
• Assisting in the provision of outstanding services and consistent levels of capability.
• Provide technical support and assistance to projects, ensuring delivery of non-functional requirements and continual service improvement.
• Be familiar with the installed hardware and software and the procedures in use in the IT Infrastructure area.

Communication

We are looking for an excellent communicator who can describe basic technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences and you will regularly be expected to provide verbal updates and produce written user documentation on BAU taskings and projects.

Additional Responsibilities

This may include participating in technical workshops to assess business requirements to support possible changes to existing services, identifying requirements and quantifying benefits.

Travel and On Call

Regular travel within the UK for meetings and infrastructure work will be required with occasional overnight stays. You will be required to work out of hours on an on-call rota, weekdays and weekends.

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable knowledge or experience with network technologies including knowing how to build, configure, administer and support infrastructure technologies and solutions. These technologies and solutions can include computing, storage, networking, physical infrastructure, software, commercial-off-the-shelf software (COTS), and open-source packages and solutions.
• Knowledge or exposure to virtualisation technologies such as VMWare, vSphere or Horizon.
• Demonstrable knowledge or experience of Microsoft Windows domains and associated services (A/D, GPOs, domain trusts, DNS, DHCP, PKI etc).
• Experience with supporting the planning, installation, maintenance and improvement of hardware services within a data centre.
• Demonstrable experience to break a problem down into its component parts to identify and diagnose root causes as well as troubleshoot across different technology capabilities.
• You can demonstrate an awareness of information security and the types of security controls that can be used to mitigate security threats within solutions and services.
• Strong communicator who can perform in a client/customer facing role with the ability to communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience (both verbally and in writing).

Desirable Criteria

• Qualifications in Information Technology or a related field and/or practical experience supporting an IT environment.
• Qualifications and certifications held may include (but are not limited to): MCSE, CCNA, SAA-C03, CompTIA, etc.
• Knowledge or experience of Cisco, ACI or NXOS, Fortigate firewalls.
• ITIL Foundation Qualification or demonstrable understanding of ITIL Lifecycle Standards.
• Exposure to, or experience working with DevOps processes and practices.
• Experience working with Gitlab or other CI/CD tools.
• Experience working with programming/IaC languages (e.g. Powershell, Python, Terraform).
• Exposure to, or experience working with project management tools (e.g. Jira, MS Project) Exposure to, or experience with version control systems.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a Further Location Preferences (optional) field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Additional Security Information

In addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. Once in post you will be required to apply for Developed Vetting (DV) clearance which has a requirement for 10 years UK residency.

If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post. This post is open to UK Nationals Only.

CODE have a support network that can offer assistance to colleagues throughout the DV process. CODE understands the experience of obtaining DV clearance affects individuals differently with the process being in depth and intrusive. The network consists of CODE DV cleared volunteers who will be able to guide you through the process and systems and look to alleviate any concerns.

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, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• 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 HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.

Things you need to knowHow to Apply

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

• A name-blind CV including your job history, previous skills and experiences.
• A 1000-word Personal Statement which should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the Essential Criteria and Person Specification as outlined in the advert.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV. At full sift your Personal Statement and your CV will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview. We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the interview, you will be asked Experience-based questions relevant to the Essential Criteria. You will also be asked to undertake a scenario-based practical test relevant to the role which will assess your skills and knowledge relevant to the job specification. Full details of the Test topic and timescale will be provided prior to interview.

You will also be asked strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

Interviews will take place face-to-face on our Stratford or Manchester Regional Centre. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you.

Sponsorship

We have assessed this role against both Home Office and HMRC criteria and we are unable to offer sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. This means the vacancy is not open to applicants who require visa sponsorship.

The HMRC app can help you with your application

The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier. If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.

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.

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).

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 as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Technical Support

If you are experiencing problems that cannot be resolved by our help section, then technical support is available. You will receive a reply in 2 working days.

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.

Terms and Conditions

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.

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.

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.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band. 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.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a standard (or equivalent) criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.