370447 Deputy Departmental Records Officer
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Closing: 11:55pm, 2nd Oct 2024 BST
Job Description
* Please note, you will need to merge your personal statement and CV into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and personal statement. If you experience any technical issues, please contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk.
Job summary
Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives.
Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time.
We have over 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK.
MHCLG is seeking a Deputy Departmental Records Officer to work within its Knowledge and Information Management team (KIM), part of the Digital directorate. You will be responsible for managing the review and lifecycle management of information held by MHCLG to ensure compliance with the Public Records Act and section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act. To support this work, you will have line management of 2 review managers who have a team of 5 reviewers and 2 administrative support staff. You will play a pivotal role in a current project to design and implement records and lifecycle management within SharePoint. You will lead the design and implementation of both review and sensitivity review of digital records ahead of transfer to The National Archives. You will have KIM experience, excellent digital literacy and enjoy working both independently and with a range of people. You will be enthusiastic about the benefits of KIM and able to actively promote good practice. The vacancy has arisen as the current post holder is taking partial retirement. The successful candidate will work alongside the existing post holder until they take full retirement. This provides the rare opportunity for full handover and training. We are looking for a team member who will be based in the Hastings, East Sussex office. Hybrid working is currently possible, with an expectation of at least 60% of time spent in the office (this may change depending on civil service expectations).
We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work.
Job description
As a Deputy Departmental Records Officer, you'll have responsibility for:
Records Services
management of the Records Services team to ensure the delivery of high-quality Registry and Review services
preparation and analysis of monthly statistics to track progress against legislative requirements
managing the process to ensure all potentially relevant public inquiry material is identified and placed on hold and that related queries and requests are processed quickly and effectively
Digital Records – working with the Departmental Records Officer
design and implement lifecycle management and review within M365, followed by ongoing management once implemented
investigate and implement strategies to manage the digital legacy in M365, including the import of legacy data from other systems
manage the design and implementation of digital selection, sensitivity review and transfer to TNA
Physical Records
oversee review, lifecycle management and destruction processes to ensure targets are met
overall management of the preparation and transfer of records to TNA, including sensitivity reviews, the annual Information Management Return, Annual Security Reports, and applications for closures and retention instruments
lead multiple large-scale projects to address the lifecycle management, retention and long-term preservation or destruction of information
liaise with stakeholders and subject matter experts
serve as the Account Manager for the Offsite Storage Contract, responsible for daily operational account management and project work
Person specification
We will use the essential criteria below to evaluate you during the recruitment process. Make sure your CV and cover letter details how you meet the criteria.
As a Deputy Departmental Records Officer, you'll have:
knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation related to KIM, in particular the need to manage information throughout its lifecycle and apply agreed retention and disposal policies
strong self-motivation and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision
strong organisational skills, capable of managing a complex workload with competing demands and prioritising effectively whilst maintaining close attention to detail
good communication skills, able to deliver messages effectively to different audiences
strong teamworking skills, able to work effectively across the KIM Team and to build relationships with key stakeholders from across the Department and external stakeholders
experience of working in a knowledge and information management role or have a relevant knowledge and information management qualification
competent user of Excel and working within the M365 SharePoint environment
Qualifications:
The successful candidate will either hold or be willing to obtain a professional qualification or accreditation within the knowledge management profession Examples https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/centre-for-archive-studies/courses/d-cps_rim/ or https://irms.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=Accreditation Full financial support and mentoring would be provided.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £38,732, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £11,220 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 with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
MHCLG want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
CV and Cover Letter Declaration
We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.
Please remove references to your:
name/title
educational institutions
age
gender
email address
postal address
phone number
nationality/immigration status
You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors.
At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:
experience
technical
In your CV and covering letter, please include: a. why you are interested in the role; b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Experience
Technical
The Vacancy Manager has requested that candidates prepare a presentation for the interview. Details on the topic/task will be revealed in the invitations to interview.
In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Experience: Experience will be tested at sift and through interview questions which will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification
Technical: Technical will be tested at sift and through interview questions which will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the person specification
We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs:
Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.
SEO salary
The salary for this role is £38,732 - £46,199 (National).
For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.
Benefits
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to MHCLG 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.
For further information about the benefits available to MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
Geographical Location:
Hastings
There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
Sift and Interview dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place from Thursday 03/10/2024 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
SC (Security Check):
Important note
Successful candidates for roles must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete.
Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the Security Check – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years. Please refer to the MHCLG Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Security Check (SC).
Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by MHCLG Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Internal Fraud Database
The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.
For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register
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 security 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.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
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
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Removing bias from the hiring process
Removing bias from the hiring process
- Your application will be anonymously reviewed by our hiring team to ensure fairness
- You’ll need a CV/résumé, but it’ll only be considered if you score well on the anonymous review