These dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process. If you are unable to meet these timeframes, please let us know in your application letter.
Application Process
Recruitment into the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission. We work to a strict constitutional framework (in which all civil servants work)that ensures that all of our recruitment and selection is on merit and conducted in a fair and open manner. More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions:
- Providing assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a Commissioner chairing the selection panel.
- Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty – and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer.
Recruitment Panel
- Vanessa Blake – UKHO Chief Executive (Chair)
- Amy Carrillo, UKHO Head of People division
- Tom Betts, UKHO Non-Executive Director
- Andrew Selves, MOD Nuclear Emergency Planning Policy Assistant Head
Selection Process
- The Assessment Advisory Panel (AAP) will sift and assess each application against the criteria (professional and strategic & stakeholder engagement expertise) to produce a shortlist to invite to interview.
- Subject to agreement by the MOD Chief Operating Officer (COO), the AAP will then conduct interviews to ascertain which candidates are appointable to the role.
- The decision to appoint to this role rests with the MOD COO (delegated to the MOD COO by ministers).
- Candidates considered appointable by the AAP may be invited to meet with the MOD COO before a final decision is made. As a result, there may be a delay in informing candidates of the outcome of the competition.
During the recruitment process, after the shortlist has been compiled, there will be two types of Pre-Interview Assessment that will be used during the recruitment campaign for this role;
- Psychometric tests / Leadership assessments
- Staff engagement exercise
Details of these will be shared after the shortlist meeting has taken place.
Status of application / feedback
We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.
Reasonable adjustments
Government departments are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so. Some examples of reasonable adjustments are:
- Ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats
- Making adaptations to interview locations
- Allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way.
- Giving detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves.
- Allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters
- Making provision for support animals to attend.
Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS) – guaranteed interview
UKHO embraces diversity and promotes inclusion and equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident employer, which
includes offering a guaranteed interview to candidates with disabilities, providing they meet the minimum selection criteria. If you are a disabled candidate and wish to be considered under the Disability Confident guaranteed interview scheme, please ensure you select the correct response while applying.
By ‘minimum selection criteria’ we mean that the evidence you provide in your application must demonstrate that you meet the minimum pass mark, set by the short-list panel, for each criteria listed in the ‘short-list’ section, above.
The short-list panel will not be made aware of any disability you may choose to declare; this information will be processed solely by HR, in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
Great place to work for Veterans scheme – guaranteed interview
When you apply for a role through Civil Service Jobs, you will be prompted to enter whether you are eligible for the Great Place to Work for Veterans Initiative and whether you would like to apply for the role through this route.
In order to use the Great Place to Work for Veterans Initiative, you must also meet the minimum standard for the role you would like to apply for.
The minimum standard is the combination of experience, behaviours, strengths, abilities and technical/professional skills that a candidate will need to perform effectively in the role. For more information – see here: Great Place to Work for Veterans
Redeployment Interview Scheme (RIS)
Under this scheme, the UKHO offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of civil servants who are at risk of redundancy and who meet the minimum job requirements.
For example, you may be at risk if your work area has launched a voluntary or compulsory redundancy scheme that you’re eligible for, or you are aware that your employer has begun consultation on how to reduce staff in your immediate team or work area. information will be processed solely by HR, in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
To be considered for an interview, you must:
- Have good reason to believe that you are likely to be made redundant in the near future.
- Have demonstrated in your application and testing stages that you meet the minimum job criteria detailed in the person specification.
- Be applying for a job at the same grade as, or lower than, your current job.
- The application form will ask if you want to apply under the Redeployment Interview Scheme.
What do I do if I want to make a complaint?
We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy. If you feel that you have a complaint about the way in which your application has been handled, please contact in the first instance Defence Business Service (DBS) Civilian Personnel Public Appointments Team DBSCivPers-ResPublicAppts@mod.gov.uk . If you are not completely satisfied with the response, please contact the MOD Public Appointments Team at DSOP-PublicAppointments@mod.gov.uk.
We will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and aim to provide a response within 15 working days.
