Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Vetting Officer
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Job Summary
The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a shared corporate service. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
Our team of over 400 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field.
We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
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Job Description
This role is based within the Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) Departmental Security Unit (DSU), which delivers protective security and business continuity support and assurance to our departmental customers through a shared service approach.
This role is within the Personnel Security team, run by a Grade 6 Security Adviser for Physical and Personnel Security, manages vetting administration, including sponsoring, assessing and confirming clearances. The team also manages the Overseas service, and insider risk programme activities.
The team has a positive, welcoming, and inclusive culture, and we are looking for pro-active and engaged team members to join us and help to deliver a high-quality security service to our department customers and partner organisations.
You will be a part of the Government Security Profession. There are a wide variety of roles, specialisms and career paths for Government Security Professionals who work throughout the Civil Service helping to protect the UK Government and our citizens both at home and overseas.
Please contact the vacancy holder if you would like to discuss this role in further detail.
Person Specification
The Key Responsibilities Of This Role Are
- Initiate security clearance applications for all new vetting applications and renewal requests.
- Initiate transfers of existing security clearances with UKSV for new joiners.
- Receive security clearance correspondence from UKSV, including the clearance certificates, and disseminate to applicants and line managers.
- Maintain vetting trackers to appropriately supervise vetting requests.
- Identify service issues and trends and raise to line manager and seniors as required.
- Actively manage and triage the ICS Vetting Enquiries shared mailbox.
- Assure departmental vetting data, particularly following, and in anticipation of, any Machinery of Government changes or onboarding to ICS Vetting services.
- Provide administrative support and resilience to the EO Vetting Officers and other teams within the department’s security unit as required.
- As part of the Department Security Unit, demonstrate leadership by modelling best security practices and promoting a strong security culture.
- As a member of the regional Personnel Security Team, you may be required to travel to other offices to participate in training sessions and team engagement activities.
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Essential Criteria
We would love to hear from you if you have a genuine interest in security and improving departmental security culture.
Our Ideal Candidate Will
- Be an excellent communicator with a customer-focused approach, able to work within a small team
- Proven ability to work with high accuracy and attention to detail
- Experience in using MS Office
- Have a flexible, team player attitude, encouraging collaborative team and cross department working
- Experience in supporting colleagues in a team environment to achieve set objectives
- Experience of working under pressure handling multiple tasks and prioritising your own workload
- A willingness to undergo National Security Vetting in order to achieve SC, including ongoing adherence to the standards and behaviours expected of a clearance holder.
Successful candidates must pass disclosure and barring security checks. If successful, you must also hold or be willing and able to obtain security clearance to SC level. You do not need to already hold SC to apply. We will sponsor you through the process but any offer will be conditional until SC is obtained.
Individuals Applying For Security Clearance Should Usually Have Been Continuously Resident In The UK For The Following Periods Immediately Before The Clearance Is Launched
- SC – 5 years
- DV – 10 years
If you have spent more than six months resident outside the UK within these timeframes then you are still encouraged to apply. Eligibility for security clearances will be assessed on a case by case basis but in some instances, it may not be possible to take forward applications from those who do not meet residency requirements.
Note: If a large number of applications meet the minimum standard, an interview wait list may be created for this position. This means that if you have met the minimum requirements at sift you may be placed at a ‘Hold’ status for up to 12 months and if we are able to invite you to an interview we will be in touch.
Desirable Criteria
Security experience and knowledge of vetting or supporting a vetting service would be useful, but not crucial, as we can offer the training you need. If you have not worked in a vetting role before but have strong administrative, organisational and other transferrable skills, you should still apply.
Additional Criteria
- A history of working in a customer-focussed environment
- A proven ability to deliver an ‘at volume’ service consistently and at pace
- An understanding of the principles of data protection and a strong commitment to confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive personal or organisational data
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Working Together
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
Managing a Quality Service
Alongside your salary of £27,430, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £7,946 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).
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
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Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
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, Strengths and Experience.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test, Civil Service Judgement Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 12th October 2026. If you fail to complete the online test 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.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, a behaviour statement and a personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 250 words) to tell us how you would be a good fit for this role by addressing the essential criteria.
Applications will be sifted on a behavioural statement, CV, and personal statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour and strength-based questions.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DESNZ Candidate Guidance. A DESNZ Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
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