Health and Safety Executive
Operational Support Officer (Band 6/AO)
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Plymouth
Job Summary
Operational Support team members provide high-quality operational, administrative and technical support within office-based environments for Inspection, Investigation, and Specialist Divisions, delivering key functions that contribute to regulatory operations across these divisions. Cross-divisional support is also provided to Chemical, Explosives and Microbiological Hazards Division (CEMHD) and Energy Division (ED) on an ad hoc basis, making Operational Support colleagues the backbone and integral part of a host of regulatory support work.
They work as part of a collective team within specific office locations, whilst aligned to and supporting delivery via a functional operating model. Every colleague is assigned to up to three of the division’s six priority workstreams.
Work Pattern
Part-time working hours are available for this role. We can accept part-time applicants who can commit to working a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities
You will contribute to the delivery of HSE’s strategy and plan of work by undertaking a range of business support tasks and processes, against stringent service level agreements, in direct support of both front line and other HSE staff, including providing support to other parts of HSE, on both a local and national basis. You will do this by:
- Targeting & Intelligence (T&I): Workstream activities relate to the provision of inspection premises as part of the annual inspection programme. This consists of actioning visit requests in a timely manner through triage of potential sites and creation of visit packs in support of Inspectors, ahead of visits. Cases must be created and accurately recorded on the correct corporate system for inspection recording.
Additionally, and irrespective of workstream, team members take on additional responsibilities as set out in the Support Service Guide and within local offices. These include but are not limited to:
- Point of contact for inspectors at location in relation to operational support tasks.
- Handling priority calls from the emergency services, and members of the public, via Customer Services.
- Effectively manage evidence at local HSE sites, for all Divisions, ensuring continuity, accurate tracking, and timely safe destruction for sensitivity, security, and capacity purposes.
- Supporting local estates activity, including PPE provision, incoming/outgoing post, and general office resilience tasks.
Please note this list is not exhaustive.
Person Specification
Essential Skills & Criteria
- The ability to organise effectively, manage tasks, and meet deadlines
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Ability to adapt within a working environment when priorities change and stay focused when working on multiple tasks
- Attention to detail and ability to complete tasks accurately
At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.
There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.
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Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Working Together
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £28,499, Health and Safety Executive contributes £8,256 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
We invest in our people with:
- Competitive rates of pay
- Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97% far more than in the private sector.
- Family-friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
- Carer-friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
- 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
- Parental leave benefits
- As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.
Artificial Intelligence
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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Strengths.
Application Information
Test Information: Please note that the test is NOT timed. Upon submitting your short application form, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service verbal test. Please complete the online test as soon as possible, within 24-48 hours is recommended, to allow time to complete your full application.
You must complete the online tests and your full application form by 12:00 Midday on 26th October 2026. If you fail to complete the online test and full application form before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.
Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
If you pass the test stage you will then be asked to provide two 250-word statements on the two Behaviours listed within the job advert. Please note that your examples do not need to be work-related - you can tailor your answer to projects, education or life examples you feel best reflect your experience.
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Application Guidance
It is recommended that candidates use the STAR approach in your answers - Situation, Task, Action, Result (see below for more information) to structure your example and to refer to the Success Profiles Behaviours (Level 1 AA/AO) guide which can be found on gov.uk
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to apply https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/
Please access the following link for guidance and further information on the Civil Service Tests, including practice tests: Civil Service online tests - GOV.UK
Sift Information
The sift will take place from 26th October 2026 where you will be assessed on the Behaviours detailed within the job advert.
In the event of a high number of applications, at sift we will assess on the lead behaviour Delivering at Pace only and you will not receive a score for Working Together.
The lead behaviour will also be used in the event of a tie breaker following interview.
Interview Information
Interviews will take place from 16th November 2026 when you will be assessed against the behaviours detailed within the job advert as well as strengths.
Please note that these dates could be subject to change due to panel availability.
Sponsorship
This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.
Further Information
Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply. Offers will be made in merit order, by location.
HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.
From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice GOV.UK
Furthermore, existing Civil Servants must gain written approval from their Line Manager prior to applying for this campaign. At the point of offer, you will be asked to provide this evidence. Offers will be revoked if the appropriate approvals cannot be produced when requested.
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application.
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