In a new blog, the Commission’s interim Chief Executive, Kate Owen, talks about the skills, qualities and background of the Commission team and how a diverse team helps the work of the three regulatory bodies that the team supports.

Recent reports have made the assumption that the Civil Service Commission staff - unlike the 14
independent Commissioners we support - are all life long civil servants, seconded to the Commission
with limited experience of other walks of life. It’s an easy mistake to make. The Commission’s
annual report broadly sets out the way in which the statutory independent Commission is staffed
and resourced. But - as is so often the case with statistics - the story can be quite different when you
take a more granular look.

As the Interim CEO, I want to share more about the Commission team,what it is like to work
supporting three small arms-length bodies and how we foster the diversity of thought integral to the
work we do.

The Commission secretariat supports the Commission and two other independent bodies - the
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Our staff are recruited externally, but become civil servants on entry. As you would expect, we are
strong advocates of external by default and advertise our roles externally to ensure we have access
to the widest possible talent pool. Of our 22 staff, 86% have spent part of their career outside of
Government in professions as diverse as finance, banking, teaching, law and academia. Those with
greater experience in the Civil Service bring valuable skills from regulatory bodies. Working in the
Commission requires the ability to gather information, analyse it and exercise judgement allied with
high levels of emotional intelligence in engagement with those bringing cases to us, sometimes in
relation to some of the higher profile integrity questions of the day. The diversity of our team’s
professional and personal backgrounds brings the ability to understand issues from a variety of
perspectives. This is a real strength for the three offices the secretariat supports.

Our staff regularly find themselves balancing competing priorities - for example, the right of anyone
to earn a living post government with the risks to government of taking up a particular role. Or at
OCPA, whether a candidate has been treated fairly in an appointment process. Or for the Civil
Service Commission, dealing with departments’ recruitment queries, making sure the statutory
principles of fair, open and on merit have been met for the 90,000 candidates who apply for roles in
the Civil Service each year.

These are unusual roles requiring an exceptional range of skills but we have found that the necessary
skills can be acquired from many different walks of life. We invest considerable time in training new
members of staff to exercise judgement within a logical framework and work hard to create a
culture in which everyone feels that they can bring their view. A key part of this has been fostering a
flatter organisational structure in which everyone can contribute their thinking to shape the overall
strength of the judgements reached. The team’s diversity of thought and background are hugely
beneficial in reaching robust and rounded judgements on the often sensitive issues at hand.

Our recruitment focuses strongly on the skills a candidate might bring rather than where they have
acquired them. This year we have recruited 16 new staff - and our recent People Survey results put
My Manager at 88% and Inclusion and Fair Treatment at 97%. We are also exceptionally proud of
what staff who have left us have gone on to achieve - either within or outside the Civil Service. The
Commission is a big fan of interchange - and the need to refresh and bring in new skills and talent.
Our team is proud of the contribution it makes to integrity in Government and is an excellent
example of what can be achieved by actively recruiting for a diverse mix of people and skills and
being inclusive in its approach to staff development.

Elizabeth Hambley, Tony Poulter OBE, and Dr Neil Wooding CBE have been appointed as Commissioners as part of the Civil Service Commission.

Three new Civil Service Commissioners have been appointed to the Civil Service Commission, which regulates recruitment into the Civil Service.

Elizabeth Hambley, Tony Poulter OBE, and Dr Neil Wooding CBE have been appointed based on their valuable skills and experience from both public and private sector backgrounds.

The Civil Service Commission is an independent statutory body, which oversees appointments to the Civil Service, ensuring that they are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Commissioners also promote and hear appeals brought under the Civil Service Code.

Following an open competition, the new Civil Service Commissioners have been recommended by the Prime Minister and subsequently approved by HM The King.

Baroness Gisela Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, said:

"I am delighted that Tony, Elizabeth and Neil will be joining the Commission. Their extensive experience and expertise from leadership roles in both the public and private sector, will enrich the Commission’s work as an independent regulator of recruitment into the Civil Service, and in hearing complaints under the Civil Service Code."

"I look forward to working with them as Commissioners, helping to ensure we have an effective Civil Service, appointed on merit, to develop and deliver government services across the country."

The new Commissioners announced today have joined the Commission for a 5 year, non-renewable term. Commissioners work part-time, typically between 4 and 8 days a month.

Find the biographies of the new Commissioners here

Are you a hiring manager looking to broaden the pool of applicants for Civil Service roles? 

Come to our event on 18 March at 2pm to hear from the teams who won the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence for innovation and commitment in recruiting external candidates.

The core function of the Civil Service Commission is to provide assurance that appointments are made on merit, in a fair and open manner. Our 2023 Mark of Excellence focused on rewarding innovative recruitment initiatives that aimed to open up more Civil Service roles to external applicants, and bring in, induct and retain outstanding external candidates for public sector positions.

Our aim is to encourage departments to attract a wide and diverse field of applicants who have skills and experience to do their roles effectively, many of whom might not have previously considered a role in the Civil Service. 

At this event you will hear about how the Ministry of Justice, winners of the 2023 Mark of Excellence, sought to attract more veterans and prison leavers into Civil Service roles, as well as other initiatives to attract external candidates. 

The event will be hosted by the First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Stuwart who will be joined by the Government Chief People Office, Fiona Ryland. 

You will also hear short presentations from other Highly Commended entries, Government Legal Department, Office for National Statistics, Scottish Government and the Home Office. 

There will be an opportunity to ask questions via Slido. 

A recording of the event will be available on our website after the event for those unable to make it.

You can sign up here

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PRESS NOTICE

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has today been awarded the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence for innovation and commitment in recruiting external candidates who may not have previously considered a career in the Civil Service. 

The judging panel were impressed by the Ministry of Justice’s commitment and consistency in externally advertising roles – most notably at Senior Civil Service level - as well as the range of initiatives in place to support candidates who are new to the Civil Service and schemes to encourage greater interchange for existing staff.

First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart said:

“The purpose of the Mark of Excellence is to showcase some of the great work we see going on across government, highlighting innovative and thoughtful initiatives that attract strong and diverse fields of candidates for Civil Service Jobs.

“MoJ’s entry was truly excellent. For a broad range of roles right across the country they have focused hard on how to attract, encourage, and retain applicants who may never have thought of becoming a civil servant. The team have tried different and new ways of doing things within the Commission’s principles ensuring appointment on merit after fair and open competition.

“People will have seen the MoJ’s prison service TV campaign, depicting human stories of prisoners and staff to address common misconceptions of working in these extraordinary roles. MoJ has put together a range of materials to help turn people ‘thinking about it’ into applicants and to help retain successful applicants within the civil service. Their entry also highlighted a strong programme for interchange, supporting the government’s ‘porosity’ and skills agenda. 

“MoJ were highly commended last year so becoming this year’s overall winner is a credit to their consistent work leading the way in government on external recruitment.” 

Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice said:

‘It’s fantastic news that the MoJ has been recognised for our continued commitment to best practice in recruiting highly talented people and developing their capability. Winning the Mark of Excellence highlights the efforts MoJ colleagues have made in designing innovative recruitment initiatives aligned to our ambitious agenda, and ensuring a career in the MoJ is one of the most rewarding in government.”

Five further entries were ‘highly commended by the judging panel this year:

  • Government Legal Department – for their ‘Leeds prototype’ campaign, recruiting and supporting 18 specialist external legal experts.
  • Intellectual Property Office – for consistent removal of barriers for external candidates and targeted outreach work to attract Science, Technology and Maths candidates to Civil Service roles.
  • The Scottish Government – for their strategic approach, facilitating faster and more open recruitment and their strong support for secondments and skills transfer.
  • Office for National Statistics – for their use of new platforms for open advertising of civil service roles, dispelling myths and providing high quality, tailored information to new pools of candidates.
  • Home Office – for their ‘Senior Leaders’ initiative providing information on equivalence with private sector management positions and partnership recruitment work for the Stoke government hub.

The 2023 judging panel included Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, Atul Devani, Entrepreneur and Civil Service Commissioner, and Fiona Ryland, the Civil Service Chief People Officer.

19 departments and agencies submitted entries for the Commissioners’  ‘Mark of Excellence’ .

Winning organisations are able to display the Mark of Excellence logo on all their recruitment advertisements for one year and will be taking part in an online event to share their approaches with recruitment teams across the Civil Service in the Spring.

Notes to Editors

  1. More information about the work of the Commission is available on its website www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
  2. Media enquiries about the work of the Commission should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740 627. 
  3. For more information about the MoJ’s recruitment work please contact MoJ Press Office 0203 334 3536
  4. The Civil Service Commission was established as a statutory body in November 2010 under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Commission is independent of Ministers and the Civil Service. It is responsible for upholding the requirement that recruitment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The Commission comprises senior figures from the private, public and third sectors who oversee recruitment into the Civil Service. Commissioners are appointed by the Crown for five-year non-renewable terms of office. 
  5. You can also follow the Commission on Linkedin and  X @CivServComm

The Civil Service Commission works to ensure that recruitment into the Civil Service is based on merit, and made in a fair and open manner. Over the past year, the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence has focused on rewarding innovative recruitment efforts by Government departments and organisations to bring in, induct and retain outstanding external candidates for public sector positions. This is in line with wider efforts to make all senior vacancies in the Civil Service advertised externally, known as 'external by default' policies, and broaden the skills and experiences available within the Civil Service.

The overall winner - Ministry of Justice

The judging panel were impressed by the Ministry of Justice’s commitment and consistency in externally advertising all roles, as well as the range of initiatives in place to support candidates who are new to the Civil Service and schemes to encourage greater interchange for existing staff.

Five further entries were ‘highly commended by the judging panel this year:

  1. Government Legal Department – for their ‘Leeds prototype’ campaign, recruiting and supporting specialist external legal experts from outside of London.
  2. Intellectual Property Office – for removing barriers for external candidates and targeted outreach work to attract Science, Technology and Maths candidates to Civil Service roles.
  3. The Scottish Government – for their strategic approach, facilitating faster and more open recruitment and their strong support for secondments and skills transfer.
  4. Office for National Statistics – for their use of new platforms for open advertising of civil service roles, providing high quality, tailored information to new pools of candidates.
  5. Home Office – for their ‘Senior Leaders’ initiative providing information on equivalence with private sector management positions and partnership recruitment work for the Stoke government hub.

The 2023 judging panel included Baroness Gisela Stuart, First Civil Service Commissioner, Atul Devani, Entrepreneur and Civil Service Commissioner, and Fiona Ryland, the Civil Service Chief People Officer. 19 departments and agencies submitted entries for the Commissioners’  ‘Mark of Excellence’.

Winning organisations are able to display the Mark of Excellence logo on all their recruitment advertisements for one year and will be taking part in an online event to share their approaches with recruitment teams across the Civil Service in the Spring.

Here are some of the case studies and examples of their work:

Ministry of Justice - Winner 2023 

  • Amongst the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) ongoing work to attract external talent, they launched an Initiative to improve recruitment of Armed Forces veterans to provide opportunities for veteran candidates to fill critical frontline roles in the prison and probation services in those locations most in need.
  • MoJ also set targets to increase the recruitment of prison leavers in the Civil Service, bringing  valuable lived experience and insight to the delivery of the justice system and  significantly contributing towards the cross government targets for the recruitment of prison leavers.
  • They are improving the geographical diversity in the workforce at all levels by expanding capacity in their current estate to recruit into 37 locations across the country, including locations in Scotland, Wales and many regions in England.
  • They  improved engagement and outreach with college and school leavers in areas with greater social mobility challenges; and set up a dedicated development scheme to attract a location specific talent cohort in the North of England. 
  • They  showed commitment to  upskill current staff - giving  current staff access to a wider selection of development options for existing staff, ranging from project leadership skills to dedicated commercial, digital, HR, communications, analytical and finance apprenticeships. 
  • And finally they  improved transparency around  Civil Service recruitment to bring in  more external expertise. This  included  hosting a large-scale careers showcase; designing and delivering a national advertising campaign; developing bespoke tools to support vacancy managers to engage local communities; introducing processes and guidance to ensure mandatory external advertising of senior roles; and rolling out candidate webinars across functions and business areas to engage and inform  candidates on what to expect from  Civil Service interviews and application processes.

Highly Commended Entries

The Government Legal Department’s  ‘Leeds Prototype’ Campaign case study: engaging external applicants for a  regional office 

  • The Government Legal Department (GLD) are working to build a critical mass in their national offices outside of London, meeting their Places for Growth aspirations, with a focus on Leeds. 
  • For this initiative, they used a specialist supplier to headhunt and engage candidates. The supplier proactively approached passive candidates with specialist legal skills outside of London. They ensured the supplier was educated on the Commission’s principles, regarding complying with fair and open competition, so that headhunted candidates and those who applied were treated in the same way and  applications treated fairly.
  • They worked to ensure that all candidates (external and internal) were personally briefed and given the opportunity to speak to someone within our Leeds legal team, a tool usually reserved for Senior Civil Service Recruitment. These informal chats prior to sift helped to engage and retain candidates. Candidates were also provided with reference weblinks, specifically linked to the field, for further research such as, “The Judge Over Your Shoulder” guidance document alongside Government Legal Department’s Business Plan and Annual Reports.
  • This was all done in conjunction with senior stakeholders in Leeds and the specialist supplier  built a microsite to aid attraction, whilst remaining compliant – e.g. salaries clearly stated and start and end dates for campaign adhered to.
  • As a result, GLD  appointed 18 Grade 6 specialist lawyers, 17 of whom were external, across four of our specialisms over 5 months, dramatically reducing their time to hire and gaining excellent feedback from candidates and stakeholders alike.

Intellectual Property Office case study

  • The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) have a strong secondments and loans policy in place and offer support to IPO staff going to other organisations to develop their skills and experience. Roles cannot always be kept open if secondments or loans last over a year, so IPO try and accommodate them in the directorate they leave on their return, otherwise they will be found a role within the wider IPO. Having recently sent staff overseas to European Patent Office, IPO are excited to have three more joining them in the New Year.
  • IPO have also launched external pages to help guide external candidates with their applications to make the process easier. They launched a Civil Service Careers site inclusive of a 'Recruitment Support' page covering structuring and submitting a CV, writing a personal statement, understanding ‘Success Profiles’, inclusive recruitment initiatives, Vetting and Security Clearance.
  • Bespoke webinars are also run for large scale or niche roles to provide applicants with scheme specific information, as well as detailing the benefits of joining the IPO, the company culture, and the opportunity to dive deeper into questions. These webinars set applicants up for success by presenting information in innovative ways.
  • IPO have a number of Outreach programmes including;
    • Code First Girls (a collaborative scheme with a not-for-profit social enterprise that trains women and non-binary individuals in IT skills)
    • Returning to STEM (an opportunity for STEM professionals looking for a chance to return to work following a career break) 
    • Graduate Opportunities in Digital, Data and Technology (2-year placement developing graduates’ technical and personal skills via an in-house training programme)
    • Patent Degree Apprenticeships (5-year programme offering a route into a technical based role with a fully funded degree qualification and work experience with the interest of ‘growing our own’.)

Scottish Government case study

  • This year the Scottish Government has taken extra steps to promote a career in the Civil Service to external candidates.
  • They have demonstrated how they support candidates through interviews, showing   success with a recent Graduate Development Programme campaign and  a more transparent assessment approach.
  • Using a dedicated website, online candidate packs and interactive webinars they have been able to bring in a number of high calibre graduates into the Scottish Government. As a result of their new attraction strategy and assessment process, they have also been able to make a significant increase in offers to disabled candidates in comparison to the last Graduate Programme. This has led to  extending the same level of detail, candidate-centric information, and transparency to all future vacancies and schemes.
  • In the last year, they introduced a dedicated ‘Attraction’ team to provide a streamlined and professional approach to Scottish Government  campaign strategies. To ensure broad outreach, the team make use of  UK-wide channels to advertise and attract candidates for various roles. 
  • At a more local level, there is regular engagement with staff networks and Local Authority Employability Services who can  offer support and information to candidates with their applications.

Home Office case study

  • The Home Office demonstrated how they are committed to building a stronger and more inclusive workforce, encouraging applications from candidates across the UK.  Their advertising strategy, alongside focus on their brand and website to improve the user’s experience and attract talent, has been key.
  • Home Office has developed targeted advertising approaches, tailored to specific roles and locations. As well as advertising on Indeed, LinkedIn and Spotify, potential candidates  encounter  adverts and the Home Office  brand on their local bus, on local radio or on local posters and billboards.
  • Coupled with this was the launch of the new Home Office Careers Website  providing comprehensive information on the  types of roles and careers available in the Home Office and clarity on our application processes. Feedback from users has been really positive.
  • To help candidates understand the application/assessment stages, they have a range of channels which has led to greater engagement and  role-specific support through chatbots, Live Chat, email and telephone as well as online events for significant campaigns
  • A positive outcome is that  candidates navigate selection processes with greater success, making vacancies easier to fill. The strategy has proved successful, generating a rise in applications and a rise in the proportion of candidates who are new to the Civil Service. 

Over 20 entries have been submitted for the 2023 Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence

The Mark of Excellence will be given to the department/s or organisation/s that have demonstrated consistent excellent practice in promoting a career in the Civil Service and widening opportunities to external candidates.

The judging panel is made up of First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, Civil Service Commissioner and entrepreneur, Atul Devani, and Civil Service Chief People Officer, Fiona Ryland. 

The entries will be shortlisted by the panel, with an overall winner and runners up announced by the end of the year.

Civil Service Commissioner and panel member, Atul Devani said:

‘As independent Commissioners, we get to see some excellent and innovative HR practice in departments. The Mark of Excellence is a way of sharing ideas and celebrating those hiring teams who go the extra mile, using the flexibility of the Recruitment Principles to attract and bring in talented people. 

This year we are focusing on the innovative ways departments are making external by default a reality; how they widen the pool of candidates available to work in the Civil Service at all levels and how they induct and retain those external recruits.

We’d like to thank all those who have submitted entries and wish them good luck. We’ll be alerting shortlisted departments next month and announcing the winners at the end of the year.’ 

Winners of the Commissioners’ Mark of Excellence can use the logo on all their recruitment activity for one year. 

The Commissioner’s mark of excellence aims to showcase innovation and commitment to recruit outstanding candidates across all grades into the Civil Service. 

The core function of the Commission is to ensure that recruitment is based on merit in a fair and open manner. 

This year the award will focus on rewarding innovative recruitment efforts by departments and organisations to bring in, induct and retain outstanding external candidates for public sector positions. This is in line with efforts to make all senior vacancies in the civil service, external by default, and broaden the skills and experiences available within the Civil Service.

The Commission - working with the Chief People Officer -  will also look to commend efforts to help civil servants get external experience in the private sector; move between local and national authorities; and move between the four nations of the civil service. 

How to Apply

If you are working in a department and organisations that are audited by the Civil Service Commission, you can apply using the form here

The award will be judged by a panel, led by Baroness (Gisela) Stuart , made up of  an independent Commissioner and the Chief People Officer of the Civil Service. 

Criteria

This year, we will look to commend work that attempts to fulfil the Commission’s objective of competitions based on merit, advertising vacancies that are ‘External by Default’ to widen the pool of applicants, and finding outstanding candidates for recruitment competitions. 

The Mark of Excellence will be given to the department/s or organisation/s that have demonstrated consistent excellent practice in promoting a career in the Civil Service and widening opportunities to external candidates: 

External by default and accessibility : The department or organisation has started new initiatives/or additional effort to bring in exceptional talent from outside the current pool of the Civil Service, by:

  • Advertising vacancies externally by default and supporting candidates to make strong applications and prepare for Civil Service interviews
  • Tailoring induction processes for external candidates
  • Making efforts to retain excellent external candidates
  • Creating an advertising strategy to encourage external applications and other initiatives, improving wording of job descriptions, or new outreach programmes

or/and

Encourage porosity and upskilling members of the civil service by allowing and encouraging them to do external secondments and then return to the Civil Service, to reduce reliance on external consultants. Particular recognition will be given to efforts made to:

  • Transfer talent between national and local positions in the Civil Service
  • Transfer of talent between the four nations of the United Kingdom. 

Please note that you do not have to fulfil all criteria, but provide examples of where some of the criteria is met.

We are looking for new independent Commissioners to regulate appointments into Civil Service roles across the UK. We are particularly keen to hear from you if you have senior experience in local government or have interest and expertise in Wales.

Find out more and apply here: https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/7653#about-the-role

Watch: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A2ya69apHZ6htebCkEcQIZ1vlyGji3bE/view?usp=drive_link

Civil Service World article 

Independent Article

First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, gave evidence to the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee about the work of the Commission on 18th April 2023.

You can watch the First Commissioner’s evidence session here: https://committees.parliament.uk/event/17824/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

“People wanting to come into government at a fairly senior level know they may have to take a considerable cut in salary. But they’ve reached a stage in their professional career where they relish the complex and complicated issues they can get involved in. Government is a challenge. But they regard that challenge as a privilege.”

First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Gisela Stuart, was interviewed by Civil Service World about her first year leading the Commission and her priorities as a regulator. 

Read the interview 

Download the Commission’s annual report

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