Recruitment and Onboarding Officer - Department for Science, Innovation & Technology - HEO

Full-time (Permanent) National: £36,728 - £40,670 London: £39,684 - £43,834 Published on 27 January 2026 Deadline 5 February 2026 Location Bristol, London, Manchester

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• Joining up public sector services.
• Harnessing the power of AI for the public good.
• Strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure.
• Elevating leadership and investing in talent.
• Funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation.
• Committing to transparency and driving accountability.

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government. We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol. The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale. Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You will solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

About the role

Are you ready to make a real difference in how government attracts and welcomes top talent? We are on the lookout for an energetic and forward-thinking Recruitment and Onboarding Officer to join our dynamic Talent Team within CustomerFirst. In this pivotal role, you will be at the heart of transforming the recruitment and onboarding journey, ensuring every candidate and new starter feels valued, informed, and inspired from day one. You will work in close partnership with DSIT HR and IC S, taking ownership of operational processes, pinpointing challenges, and driving meaningful improvements. Your expertise will help make joining CustomerFirst an effortless and exciting experience.

We are seeking someone who is:

• Proactive and organised: always two steps ahead and eager to streamline how things are done.
• Collaborative by nature: you thrive in team settings and genuinely enjoy working with others to achieve common goals.
• Data-driven: you will lead on developing and maintaining weekly dashboards, using data to celebrate successes and spotlight opportunities for improvement.
• Passionate about people: you believe that a fantastic candidate experience is fundamental to our success and are committed to making everyone’s introduction to CustomerFirst memorable.

This is your chance to help shape a fresh, bold approach to public sector recruitment, making sure each new team member feels part of something bigger from the outset. You will play a vital role in building a workplace where innovation, inclusion, and satisfaction are at the core of everything we do. If you are excited to champion change and help us set a new standard for government recruitment and onboarding, we would love to hear from you.

Person specification

• Recruitment Support: Coordinate day-to-day recruitment activities for CustomerFirst roles, ensuring compliance and timely progression. Liaise with DSIT HR and IC S to support recruitment campaigns and logistics.
• Onboarding and Induction: Manage onboarding tasks, ensuring new starters have the right information and support. Provide an expert service to onboarding, acting as the point of contact for the new starter and line manager ensuring they are set up for success from day one. Maintain and update induction materials to reflect CustomerFirst’s unique culture and ways of working.
• Process Monitoring and Improvement: Identify delays or pain points in recruitment and onboarding workflows. Provide recommendations to improve efficiency and candidate experience (escalating to Strategic Resourcing Lead as needed). Create and share weekly reports to CustomerFirst SLT on our recruitment operations and onboarding.
• Candidate Experience: Act as a point of contact for candidates, ensuring clear communication and a positive experience throughout the process. Gather feedback from new starters and candidates to inform continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with hiring managers and CustomerFirst leadership to ensure recruitment needs are met. Support recruitment drives by coordinating interviews, documentation, and onboarding logistics.

Recruitment & onboarding: Demonstrable experience in recruitment and onboarding within a large or complex organisation, ideally for digital or tech roles.

Organisation: Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks.

MI dashboards: Proven ability to develop and use recruitment and onboarding dashboards.

Candidate experience: Track record of providing excellent candidate support through the recruitment process and into onboarding.

High-volume campaigns: Experience running large-scale recruitment campaigns.

Process improvement: Ability to identify and implement improvements in recruitment/onboarding processes.

Communication: Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Quality focus: Commitment to delivering a high-quality candidate experience throughout.