Operational Delivery / Policy Officer

Descriptions & requirements

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 150 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.

Due to our structure and size, we are able to offer extensive exposure to Ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of policy and responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting and stimulating work environment.

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

Keeping people safe is one of the UK Government’s core strategic aims. Within the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the Security & Protection Group (SPG) delivers on this vital mission through dedicated teams specialising in Policy, Strategy, Operational Delivery, Litigation and Disclosure, and Protection.

We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, high-impact work at pace and under challenging circumstances. While every SPG colleague is anchored within a core team to build specialist expertise, we champion an agile and flexible culture. Regardless of your grade, you will have the opportunity to work across the Group and wider department, maximising your development and ensuring we remain responsive to departmental priorities.

We offer diverse, rewarding work at the very heart of public service, set within a supportive environment where individuals are encouraged to innovate, stretch their capabilities, and learn.

We are actively recruiting for an Operational Delivery / Policy Officer based in Belfast. In this role, you will focus on some of the UK Government’s highest priorities: national security, civil contingencies and resilience.

You will gain a broad range of operational delivery and policy experience, and will hone your briefing skills within a supportive and focused team.

Owing to the NIO's unique, close-knit size, you will gain significantly more exposure to Government Ministers than in larger departments. You will work on a diverse portfolio that includes but is not limited to

• The Department’s incident response and crisis management arrangements.
• Civil contingencies and policies relating to Northern Ireland’s resilience and protective security.
• National security related policy work including Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in Northern Ireland and the National Security Risk Assessment

To thrive in this role, you will need to be a proactive, analytical, and highly organised professional. We are looking for candidates who possess:

• Exceptional Communication: Articulate, discreet, and thoughtful, with a strong "political antenna" and the ability to inspire confidence when briefing verbally or in writing.
• Relationship Management: A proven track ability to build productive, collaborative partnerships, even in challenging or complex contexts.
• Pace and Resilience: An eye for detail and the ability to prioritise competing tasks seamlessly while working under pressure.
• Agility: A fast learner who is quick to grasp complex new subjects and comfortable navigating ambiguity.

Note on Working Pattern

Due to the nature of national security and incident response, applicants must be prepared to participate in an on‑call rota. Occasional out-of-hours work will be required, sometimes at short notice, for which a standard allowance will be paid.

Duties and Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities of an Operational Delivery/Policy Officer may include:

• National Security & Resilience: Develop and deliver counter‑terrorism, protective security, and civil contingencies policies.
• Crisis Management: Formulate robust incident response and crisis management processes.
• Incident Response: Manage information flows in the event of national security and civil contingency incidents alongside devolved partners, security partners and other government departments.
• Briefing & Advice: Provide high‑quality briefings and strategic advice to Ministers and senior officials.
• On‑Call Support: Participate in an out‑of‑hours on‑call duty rota.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Represent the Department at key Whitehall and Northern Ireland security and civil contingencies forums.
• Cross‑Government Collaboration: Build critical relationships with the Devolved Administration and wider Whitehall partners to safeguard strategic objectives.
• Leadership: Line‑manage and develop Band C/HEO staff.

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

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, alongside a proven track record of briefing senior leaders on complex issues.
• The ability to self‑organise, prioritise, and maintain close attention to detail in fast‑moving environments.
• The ability to work effectively and collaboratively while under pressure.
• The ability to develop and maintain responsive, effective relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders, using strong interpersonal skills to achieve results.
• A strong, foundational understanding of the political and security environment in Northern Ireland (a deep, proven understanding is highly desirable).
• SC clearance is essential and must be achieved before commencing the full duties of the post, therefore applicants will need to be prepared to go through this process.
• Prior experience working on national security or law enforcement policy within Whitehall or Northern Ireland.
• Direct experience briefing Ministers both orally and in writing.
• Operational Delivery experience.
• Existing SC clearance.

Behaviours

We will assess you against the following Success Profiles behaviours for SEO level during the application sift and interview:

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead competence)
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Please note that in the event of a large number of applications being received we may run the initial sift on the lead Behaviour “Communicating and Influencing”. More information on behaviours and success profiles can be found here .

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview In‑Person. Candidates will be assessed against the same Behaviours and Strengths at the interview stage and will be asked to provide examples of how you have demonstrated these.

It may help to use one or more examples of a piece of work you have completed or a situation you have been in and use the WHO or STAR model to explain:

• WHO: Whatit was?Howyou approached the work/situation? What theOutcomeswere, what did youachieve? or
• STAR: What was theSituation? What were theTasks? WhatActiondid you take? What were the Results of your actions?

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit. This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.

Offer

Once all interviews have been completed, you will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first. The successful candidate will be notified of a start date following successful security checks. Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.

Security Clearance

This role requires National Security Vetting of SC clearance given the access to sensitive information afforded by the job role. You can find more information by reviewing the information held in the following links:

Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The NIO 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 NIO sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). 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. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

Please note that eligibility for this vacancy is determined by the employing organisation and campaign type. As the NIO is a UK Civil Service department, Northern Ireland Civil Service employees are not eligible to apply. However, NICS staff are eligible to apply for vacancies advertised externally, subject to the advertised eligibility criteria.

The NIO offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. NIO welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the NIO’s Flexible Working policy.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• 25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after five years service
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Support

• A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
• For moves to or from another employer or moves across the Civil Service this can have implications on your eligibility to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for alternative government childcare support schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. More information can be found on GOV.UK or Childcare Choices . You can determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ .
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Additional Information

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
• 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

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

SPG SEO IR Role Jul 26 .docx(Job Description Attachment)

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

250

Communicating and Influencing

Delivering at Pace

Working Together

Making Effective Decisions

Interview stage assessments

Interview Dates

N/A

Behaviours

Communicating and Influencing

Delivering at Pace

Working Together

Making Effective Decisions

Strengths

Strengths will be assessed but these are not shared in advance. To learn more about Strengths and how they are assessed please click here .

Level of security checks required

Security Clearance (SC)

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.