Warrantry Caseworker

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

Homeland Security Group (HSG)’s mission is to reduce homeland security risks to the UK’s people, prosperity and freedoms. This includes risks from terrorism, state threats, economic crime and cyber-crime. We provide systems leadership across government and deliver strategic initiatives, working closely with operational partners, the Intelligence Agencies and other external organisations to protect the UK.

This is an opportunity to join the Home Office’s Warrantry team as a Caseworker, carrying out one of the most critical national security functions in government. You will consider applications from the Security Service and law enforcement agencies for warrants authorising intrusive investigative techniques, assess intelligence and evidential material, and prepare advice for the Home Secretary on matters of necessity, proportionality and operational impact.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the heart of national security, intelligence and law enforcement. You will contribute directly to protecting the UK, work on high-profile and sensitive cases, and gain unparalleled insight into some of the Government’s most important operational priorities.

Job description

As a Caseworker in the Warrantry team, you will be responsible for considering applications from the Security Service and law enforcement agencies for warrants authorising intrusive investigative techniques. You will assess complex intelligence and operational material, scrutinise applications to ensure legal and policy requirements are met, and prepare advice for the Home Secretary on necessity, proportionality and operational justification.

This is a unique opportunity to work at the centre of national security, intelligence and law enforcement. The role involves handling some of the most sensitive and operationally significant casework in Government, with a direct impact on the security of the UK. You will regularly work on matters of national importance that may be subject to scrutiny by the courts, Parliament and the public. Working within a fast-paced, operational environment, you will collaborate closely with government partners, senior officials and operational agencies to support the effective delivery of the Warrantry function.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess sensitive warrant applications and provide appropriate challenge where required.
• Draft advice for the Secretary of State on complex warrant applications.
• Work with senior officials, Private Office and operational partners to support Warrantry processes.
• Build effective relationships with operational agencies and the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO).
• Handle highly sensitive information with professionalism, integrity and discretion.
• Participate in the team's shift system and out-of-hours on-call function.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working . This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work [4 days / 28 hours] per week due to business requirements.

The successful candidate will be required to work on-site five days a week. No remote, compressed hours or hybrid working is available due to location and nature of the role.

The team is operational between 07:00 and 19:00 , Monday to Thursday, 09:00 - 17:00 on Fridays, and works a rotating shift pattern to provide coverage during these hours.

You will be expected to participate in a shift rota. Shifts are typically 07:00 to 15:00 (early) and 11:00 to 19:00 (late), with colleagues generally working shifts for approximately two weeks in every four, subject to operational requirements and staffing levels.

Once establish in the role, you will also be required to take part in an on call rota for urgent out of hours matters. Participation in shift and on call rotas will commence once you have completed training and are confident in carrying out the role independently. Some flexibility may be required to meet periods of increased operational demand.

Travel

Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate may be subject to personal travel restrictions.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

You must be able to demonstrate:

• Hold, or be willing to undergo and successfully obtain, Developed Vetting (DV) clearance before commencing in the role.
• Experience of making evidence-based decisions on complex issues, using sound judgement, critical thinking and attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly and concisely to a range of audiences, including senior stakeholders.
• Effective organisational, prioritisation and time management skills, with the ability to deliver accurate outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with a range of stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in an operational environment.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• This role currently attracts Shift Disturbance (SDA) of £3547 per annum.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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• Things you need to know
• 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 Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.

After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Verbal test.

• Online Test – by 28th September 2026

If you successfully pass the Civil Service Verbal test, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online test or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Guidance for the Civil Service test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.

You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.

You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent – Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4pm and Midnight on 27th September 2026 you will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

Following successful completion of your test/s, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.

2. Application – by 28th September 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Personal Statement (maximum 500 words).
• Evidence of the Making Effective Decisions (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history, and skills/experience , including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job description.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

3. Sift – 30th September 2026

The sift will be held on the Personal Statement, CV, and Behaviour Making Effective Decisions , as listed in the advert.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of all the remaining elements submitted (CV and Lead Behaviour). Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted elements scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

4. Interview – 21st October 2026

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert). All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place on Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers .

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website .

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code , and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance , candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Further Information

In order to proce