Head of Culture

Job summary

The Head of Culture is a high-impact Grade 6 role at the heart of the SFO's work to continue to develop and build an inclusive, engaged and high-performing organisation.

Working with the Chief People Officer, Head of People and senior leaders, the post holder will shape the culture, learning, engagement and inclusion agenda, supporting colleagues to deliver complex, sensitive and significant work in the SFO's mission to fight fraud, corruption and bribery.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence how the SFO delivers our strategic objectives. Delivering through people in defining the way that the SFO operates, learns and leads, while navigating the governance, scrutiny, security and operational sensitivity expected of a Civil Service law enforcement agency.

The post holder will deputise, alongside the Head of People, in the absence of the Chief People Officer.

Job description

As a Head of Culture you will be responsible for:

• Leadership and Management: Lead and develop the learning, engagement and inclusion team, setting direction and championing a professional, inclusive and values-led culture.
• Strategy, Cultural Reviews and Development: Translate the People Strategy into clear delivery plans, undertaking cultural reviews and designing targeted development programmes that strengthen culture, engagement, inclusion and performance.
• Build capability: Develop learning programmes to build the capability of leaders and managers across the organisation, working closely with stakeholders and external partners to create programmes which transform the capability of our people.
• Develop talent: Design and create career and learning pathways for key roles in the organisation, developing talent and building successional candidates. Lead the performance management process across the organisation, providing support, guidance and assurance.
• Stakeholder Management: Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, People Business Partners, Finance, Commercial, trade unions and external partners, influencing with credibility and sensitivity
• Executive Advice and Coaching: Advise, coach and support Executive Team members to integrate cultural development with performance management, ensuring leadership expectations, behaviours and accountability are embedded across the organisation.
• Commercial and Financial Management: Oversee learning, engagement and inclusion budgets, ensuring effective prioritisation, procurement, value for money and measurable outcomes.
• Learning Systems and Digital Solutions: Develop learning systems and digital solutions that improve access, compliance reporting and the quality of support for colleagues.
• Evaluation and Engagement: Analyse training, employee survey and engagement data to identify priorities, track progress and improve employee experience and organisational performance.
• Subject Expertise: Represent the portfolio across Civil Service and external networks, bringing insight into the SFO while ensuring approaches suit a secure, highly governed environment.

For more information about the role and for a full list of key responsibilities, please click on the link below.

Person specification

As above and attached Job Description.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,365, Serious Fraud Office contributes

£21,253 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).

Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme. For further details, click here http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years’ service plus an additional day in recognition of the King’s Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days’ leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.

Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.

Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.

Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.

Opportunities for learning and development.

Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.

Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.

Access to a range of discounts through membership of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club, CSSC Sports and Leisure. http://www.cssc.co.uk/

Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.

Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:

• Discounts with high street retailers
• Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
• Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
• Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
• Instant vouchers

Any move to the Serious Fraud Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

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.

Application Stage

As part of the application process, you will be required to provide:

A personal statement of no more than 1000 words attached to your CV that explains how your skills & experience meet each of the essential & desirable experience criteria as listed in the job pack.

Please note, desirable experience will only be taken into account if there is a large volume of applications & there is a need for further shortlisting for interview.

A supporting CV outlining your job history & qualifications, (including how you meet the essential technical criteria for the role)It will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.

Interview stage

Behaviours & experience as outlined in the job pack will be tested at interview.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates in the invite to interview.

Closing date is 12pm (midday) on the 14th September 2026

Interviews are expected to take place in person on the 23rd September 2026 at the SFO Offices

All dates are indicative & subject to change. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. To be eligible you must meet the following residency requirements dependent of the level of security vetting required:

• SC: 5 years residency in the United Kingdom preceding this application.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) .

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

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

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the

Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window)

and the

Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available.

You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Bradley Glen
• Email : bradleyglen@michaelpage.co.uk
• Telephone : +44 20 7269 2273

Recruitment team

• Email : bradleyglen@michaelpage.co.uk

Further information

For external competitions there is no appeal against the selection decision. However, individuals have a right to appeal if they feel that the principle of appointment on merit through fair and open competition and the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles have not been met. Individuals who want to appeal should do this by setting out their grounds for appeal in an email for the attention of Head of People to People@sfo.gov.uk. If, after an internal appeal, you still believe that the Civil Service Commissioners’ Principles have not been met, then you can contact the Commission directly: Complaints should be sent in writing to: Civil Service Commission, Room G08 ,1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Email info@csc.gov.uk

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