Applications Operations Engineer

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This is an exciting opportunity to become a Batch System Operations Team Lead working on the NPS (National PAYE System) Service as part of HMRC’s Critical National Infrastructure.

The NPS Batch Execution team is part of the wider Contact Engagement Platform (CEP) function. This, in turn, sits within HMRC’s CDIO Chief Engineering and Platform Office (CEPO) business area.

We are accountable for the end-to-end service for HMRC’s IT Systems & Services, and our focus is on ensuring a consistent and excellent Customer Experience. We work closely with hardworking, upbeat people who grow with the challenge of delivering world class Services on behalf of the UK Taxpayer, HMRC and their partners., As part of CEP, the main functions of the NPS (National PAYE System) Batch Operations Team are the scheduling, processing, monitoring and recording of actions on the NPS System and the support of the on-line NPS service sitting on the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS). NIRS is the computer system for DWP and HMRC which contains all the information needed in the administration of National Insurance, Pay as You Earn (PAYE), benefits and pensions.

The NPS (National Insurance Pay as You Earn Service) Batch Processing Team provides a shift based 247365 batch processing operational and technical support service for all planned and periodical exercises on the agreed NPS annual schedule.

Key daily tasks and responsibilities include:

• Process Scheduling and Request Fulfilment
• Process Execution
• Process Monitoring
• Event Management
• Process Recording
• Incident Logging and Escalation
• Incident Management
• Problem Management
• Performance Reporting
• Service Monitoring
• Back-Up and Restore
• Continual Improvement Environment

The role is shift-based and that is a non-negotiable pre-requisite for working as part of the NPS Batch Execution team.

The shift pattern is broadly (but there may be some small variances):

Week 1: Monday: 1855 – 0700 Tuesday: 1900 – 0700 Wednesday: 1900 – 0700 Thursday: 1900 – 0700 Friday: Rest Day Saturday: Rest Day Sunday: Rest Day

Week 2: Monday: Rest Day Tuesday: 0645 – 1900 Wednesday: 0700 – 1900 Thursday Rest Day Friday: 1900 – 0700 Saturday: 1900 – 0700 Sunday: 1900 – 0700

Week 3: Monday: Rest Day Tuesday: Rest Day Wednesday: Rest Day Thursday: 0645 – 1900 Friday: 0700 – 1900 Saturday: 0700 – 1900 Sunday: 0700 – 1900, * Managing/Processing (scheduling, inputting, monitoring, escalating and problem resolving) - The NPS standard daily batch, business-critical NPS periodical exercises and HMRC key business events such as the NPS Annual (Tax) Coding run and End of Year (Employer) returns.

• Processing, monitoring and escalating for PEGA Work Management.
• The Shift leader will have primary responsibility for their NPS shift service delivery, key escalations and overall batch management of their NPS shift. They will act as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for NPS Batch and on-line issues.
• The Shift Leader also has team leader responsibilities not limited to but including quarterly staff 1-2-1s, assistance with and encouragement of SMART goal setting and promote a culture of continual improvement.

Key Deliverables are:

The timely update of taxpayer records on the NPS database and the availability of the NPS/NIRS (National Insurance Recording System) on-live service that meets HMRC, effectively allowing up to 2,900 users to access the system concurrently., The interview will be 1 hour in duration and will be held by a 3-person panel. During the panel interview, you will be assessed against the behaviours outlined below and your experience. You will be asked one question per behaviour and one experience based question which will reflect the key responsibilities and essential criteria outlined in the job description.

Behaviours

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

When answering you will be required to provide a specific instance from your career which demonstrates the technical skill, experience or behaviour in question. You would be advised to prepare specific examples from you career in advance.

You will be advised to apply the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique when delivering examples. You would be encouraged to prepare demonstratable examples of your experience ahead of the interview to ensure meaningfulness and completeness.

Interviews will take place via video link.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

Exceptionally, candidates who are not successful at this grade may be considered for appointment to similar roles at a lower grade where the eligibility criteria are met. If this applies, we will contact you directly.

Sponsorship

We have assessed this role against both Home Office and HMRC criteria and we are unable to offer sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. This means the vacancy is not open to applicants who require visa sponsorship., If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.

You’ll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.

You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate., HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations .

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK. 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 .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Do you have experience in UNIX?, * Knowledge and experience of supporting complex IT systems from a technical and operational perspective.

• Working understanding of key support applications such as Tivoli Workload Scheduler, Unix, Berlin Job Scheduler and Service Now.
• Experience of managing a technical team to achieve key deliverables.
• Methodical approach to problem solving and analytical skills.
• Completion of ITIL v4 (overview or full course).

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of HMRC Services in particular National Pay As You Earn Service (NPS).
• Experience of working with complex batch systems.
• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment.
• Security awareness, incident & problem management methodologies.
• Advocate of best practices.

Working Pattern

Due to operational needs, these posts are full-time; however, applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. We cannot guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly as any agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate. Any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer., Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

Pulled from the full job description

• Company pension
• Work from home, £37,682 - £40,705 External applicants will join on the pay band minimum. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Monday: 0700 – 1900 Tuesday: Rest Day Wednesday: Rest Day Thursday: Rest Day Friday: Rest Day Saturday: Rest Day Sunday: Rest Day

To re-iterate, this role attracts an Annual Attendance Allowance (AAA) payment. This is at least 20% and up to a maximum 26.11% monthly payment on top of your basic salary.

Note: Bank Holidays are normal working days, but you will get a 7.4-hour credit for each Bank Holiday in the working year. Usually 8 Bank holidays per annum, so a total of 59.2 hours., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions, Alongside your salary of £37,682, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,916 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk . Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.