Northern Ireland Office TLNT1_NI in Belfast

Business Area: Across various NIO Business Areas - we will use this competition to place individuals in roles in Corporate Operations Group, Security & Protection Group & Fiscal, Economy & Trade. In addition, a reserve list will be created which may be used for future Grade 6 roles which occur over the next 12 months across all NIO business areas.

Terms of Appointment: Permanent Grade 6

Location: Northern Ireland or London Erskine House, 20-32 Chichester St, Belfast BT1 4GF or 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ. Occasional travel between Belfast and London will be required.

Background: The Northern Ireland Office supports the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in promoting the best interests of Northern Ireland. We make sure that Northern Ireland interests are represented within the UK Government and that UK government responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Northern Ireland. We are the centre of expertise on Northern Ireland issues across Government. The Northern Ireland Office employs around 160 staff, with offices in Belfast and London. As a small Department, we adopt a flexible project-based approach to ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place to support the delivery of our key objectives.

Our key priorities are set out in our Operational Delivery plan and include:

• Supporting greater inclusion, tolerance and openness in Northern Ireland
• Contributing to a safer Northern Ireland, where terrorist and paramilitary groups are less able to cause harm to communities
• Ensuring that governance in Northern Ireland is responsive, transparent and able to deliver effective public service.
• Addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland

About The Role: The NIO has a number of vacancies it is looking to fill at Grade 6 level including the following:

• Legacy Implementation & Sponsorship
• Deputy Head of Fiscal, Economy & Trade
• Head of National Security Policy and Strategy

These are challenging, rewarding, and impactful Grade 6 roles which offer a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in managing and developing the delivery of our departmental objectives. Working alongside a Deputy Director and Director, you will manage a core policy area, ensuring a high standard of support for Ministers across a range of competing priorities and demands. These roles sit at the heart of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), requiring you to support a range of business priorities, engaging with various internal and external stakeholders, including officials across Whitehall and a variety of Northern Ireland based stakeholders. These roles will provide an unrivalled insight into the workings of the wider Department, Whitehall, and the operation of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

The successful candidates will need to deliver effectively in a fast-paced and demanding area while also driving forward the wider departmental strategy. You will be responsible for leading a team of mixed grades, including direct line management of Grade 7s, with a key focus on building team capability and culture, and supporting the Deputy Director in managing team resources. We are looking for a proven, effective, and inclusive leader who is passionate about the work of the NIO. You will champion diversity, motivate your high-performing team to be curious, innovative, and impactful, and generate a shared culture and vision.

Essential Criteria: The post holder will need to demonstrate the following in their application and at interview:

• Excellent leadership skills with experience of delivering challenging objectives under intense scrutiny whilst managing your own and teams resilience/wellbeing;
• Excellent judgement and analytical skills, the ability to make evidence based recommendations and decisions;
• Excellent communication and influencing skills to influence a wide variety of stakeholders at different levels;
• The ability to present and communicate complex information and recommendations to senior decision makers in a clearly and impactful manner, including through high-quality drafting under pressure;
• Strong partnering and collaborating skills, and the ability to build strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders to support effective delivery of strategic outcomes;

Desirable Criteria: Understanding of the political and security environment in Northern Ireland; Experience working on legislation, policy, projects or programmes in Northern Ireland or Whitehall; Existing security clearance [Some of the roles will require Developed Vetting clearance. Applicants should already hold DV clearance or be willing to acquire it]

Behaviours: We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours at the Grade 6 level during the application sift: Leadership, Making Effective Decisions. In addition, we will assess against the following behaviours at interview stage: Leadership, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace.

Experience: Please provide a CV or work history and statement of suitability no longer than 1000 words outlining how you meet the essential and desirable criteria. Both will be used in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role. Your statement of suitability needs to set out evidence of how your experience meets the essential and desirable criteria set out above.

Security Clearance: This role requires National Security Vetting given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. This role requires SC and to be eligible to apply for this role you should have been present in the UK continuously for the past 5 years.

Additional Information: The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity. Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.

Benefits: The MoJ offers a range of benefits including Annual Leave, Pension options, and extensive training and development opportunities.