HMRC Seeks Harra's Replacement (After His Promotion)

 

Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary

HM Revenue and Customs

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 5th April 2020

Reference number

41647

Salary

£150,000 - £160,000

Grade

SCS Pay Band 4

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

HMRC - CEO Group - Other

Type of role

Senior leadership

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of posts

1

Location

London

About the job

Summary

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is one of the largest government departments and one of the UK’s biggest organisations. Almost every individual and business in the UK is a customer of HMRC. We collect the taxes that pay for the UK’s public services and provide financial support for families.

Our vision is to be a trusted, modern tax and customs department, and our strategic objectives are to:

• collect the right tax and pay out the right financial support
• make it easy to get tax right and hard to break the rules
• treat everyone fairly and protect society from harm, and
• make HMRC a great place to work.

We will deliver these objectives with our values of professionalism, integrity, respect and innovation.

We collect around £628 billion a year in revenue from 45 million individual customers and 5.4 million businesses across the UK and pay £25.9bn tax credits to 3.3m families. We handle more than 50 million customer calls and answer around 15 million items of customer correspondence every year. We lose £35bn tax and around £1.5bn tax credits and Child Benefit each year through non-payment, error and fraud.

Job description

The post-holder reports to the Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary of HMRC.

The role of the Permanent Secretary is to lead the day-to-day running of the department and to head up our Executive Committee (ExCom). As Accounting Officer, the Permanent Secretary is accountable to Parliament for the department’s expenditure and performance and advise ministers on our strategy and objectives.

As Deputy Chief Executive you will have a pivotal leadership role, responsible for implementing the departmental strategy through the transformation and delivery of HMRC’s operational and compliance services. You will lead over 50,000 of our people.

You will be a pivotal leader in HMRC at a time of critical importance for our organisation and will have oversight of our major transformation portfolio, from the introduction of digital services for businesses to the department’s move to a network of Regional Centres.

As Deputy Chief Executive you will be a key member of HMRC’s Executive Committee. You will demonstrate and champion HMRC’s values and play a primary role in the collective leadership of the Civil Service as a whole, personifying inspiring, confident and empowering leadership. Together with the First Permanent Secretary you will be influential in role modelling and championing respect, inclusion and systems leadership both within HMRC and across the civil service, creating the culture and conditions where collective and problem led leadership can flourish in tackling complex challenges across organisational boundaries. You will support the development of systems focused leadership capability across HMRC and seek to build strong and diverse pipelines of talent.

Responsibilities

• Play a core leadership role across HMRC and the wider Civil Service. You will be expected to be an active and visible Deputy Chief Executive, supporting in the leadership of our Executive Committee and working with colleagues to role model and embed HMRC’s values across the organisation. You will be fundamental in building an inclusive workforce and culture to make HMRC a great place to work.
• Implement HMRC’s strategy and deliver our operational and compliance services to make tax compliance easy and fair.
• Be accountable for the operational arm of HMRC; our Customer Compliance and Customer Services Groups.
• Oversee delivery of our major transformation portfolio, driving the most ambition reform of the tax system in a generation and meeting our Spending Review commitments.

Benefits

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting.

Selection process details

Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) has been appointed to support this recruitment. Short-listing of candidates will involve the assessment of information provided in the application documentation detailed in the candidate information pack.

The closing date for applications is 23:55 Sunday 5 April 2020. All applications will be acknowledged and considered by the selection panel.

Please submit materials requested in the candidate information pack by email to Responses@RussellReynolds.com prior to advert closing at 23:55, Sunday 5 April 2020.

Please include a daytime, evening and mobile telephone contact number, and your preferred email address for correspondence, which will be used with discretion.

The provisional timetable is as follows:

Long-listing w/c 13 April 2020
RRA Interviews w/c 20 & 27 April
Short-listing w/c 4 May 2020
Assessments w/c 11 & 18 May 2020
Panel Interviews w/c 25 May 2020

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

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :
Name :		Lorcan Lennon (Russell Reynolds)
Email :		Responses@RussellReynolds.com
Recruitment team :
Email :		Responses@RussellReynolds.com

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles, which can be found at this address: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment and if you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact Carol Maye at carol.maye@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at this address: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/civilservicerecruitmentcomplaints/

www.gov.uk/hmrc

Follow link to apply

Responses@RussellReynolds.com

Attachments

Annex C and D - HMRC 2PS 2020 - Diversity Information and Guaranteed Interview Forms Opens in new window (docx, 18kB)

Candidate Information Pack - HM Revenue & Customs (Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary)

Tax does have to be taxing.

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HMRC's Staffing Brexit Boost

Civil Service World reports that HMRC is boosting the number of staff who will be based in its new regional hub in east London because of the department's increased Brexit-related workload.

HMRC signed a lease on new office space at Stratford at the end of 2017 with a view to basing 3,800 staff at the hub.

Thompson has now told staff that HMRC will take an additional three floors of the building and base 600 additional staff at Stratford, making it home to 4,400 full-time-equivalent workers.

So, if I understand this correctly, over the past few years HMRC has been making experienced staff redundant only now to start recruiting additional staff who have no experience?

Muddling its way through seems to be the HMRC modus operandi.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



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David Bunting To Become Interim HMRC General Counsel

Last week I noted that Gill Aitken, HMRC’s General Counsel and Solicitor, is to leave HMRC on 30 June, to take up a new role as Registrar at the University of Oxford.

Whilst HMRC start the "open" recruitment process an interim appointment will be made.

Step forward David Bunting, who currently works in the cross-government Border Delivery Group, as its interim general counsel and solicitor.

Civil Service World reports that Bunting trained in the Inland Revenue and has more than 20 years’ legal experience. He has led HMRC legal teams dealing with tax policy and legislation in relation to UK business and environmental taxes including Corporation Tax, VAT, Customs and Excise duties, oil and gas taxation, Landfill Tax, Climate Change Levy and betting and gaming duties. He has also led HMRC’s litigation activity.

In 2008 he became a senior civil servant, and in 2012 was appointed legal director at HMRC. In 2017 he moved to the Border Delivery Group – a cross-government team led by HMRC’s director general for border coordination Karen Wheeler, which focuses on the operational and practical impacts of Brexit on UK borders.

On 1 July, Bunting will become director general of the Solicitor’s Office and Legal Services Group and will join the department’s executive committee, reporting to chief executive Jon Thompson.

There will be an open recruitment process in the coming months to fill the role permanently, and HMRC said it would confirm any new arrangements in the Border Delivery Group in due course.
Aitken has been at the tax agency since 2014. Commenting on her departure, Thompson said: “She has helped to shape our departmental strategy and I’ll really miss her wise counsel.”

What's the betting that Bunting becomes permanent?

New arrangements in the Border Delivery Group will be announced (decided) in due course.


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Assistant Commercial Director - IT Contract Management HMRC £96K

HMRC is offering an annual salary of £96K for an assistant commercial director - IT contract management, to oversee its engagements with IT suppliers as it nears the post-Aspire era.

The IT outsourcing deal with Capgemini and Fujitsu, which was originally due to end in 2017, is now going through a phased migration, with all services due to be retendered or brought back in house by 2020.

As per the advert:

“HMRC has recently exited the Aspire contract for IT provision with commercial staff playing a leading role,” the department said. “In doing so, it has reached a negotiated position with incumbent suppliers and activity has been undertaken to source suppliers for newly defined elements of the bought-out services. New contracts will allow the department to take better advantage of digital innovations, and keep pace with digital and technology trends of the future.”

The role, which will be based in Telford or London, comes with a salary of up to £95,950.
The successful candidate will manage a team of about 10 contract managers, and will report into the head of commercial contract management. The IT contract chief will help manage a hundredfold increase in the organisation’s supply chain.

HMRC said:

“You will play a key role in managing our supply base effectively through the IT transformation as HMRC continues to move away from the single biggest IT outsource deal in Europe, Aspire, to a supply chain of over 200 suppliers. You and your team will be closely involved in managing and supporting the ongoing transition to the new supplier environment.”

Key Responsibilities:

▪ Proactively lead, manage and develop a team of contract managers, giving clear direction and support to maximise capability, quality and productivity. Ensure the appropriate level and number of staff are assigned to each eligible contract.
▪ Implement the strategic direction of HMRC contract management.
▪ Oversee production and delivery of contract management team plans, pipelines and actions for your category pillar
▪ IT to deliver effective contractual outcomes, including quality, value, delivery, innovation and continuous improvement agendas.
▪ Provide assurance that the policies, procedures, action plans and initiatives for Commercial Contract Management and Supplier Relationship Management are adhered to consistently across IT category pillar and business areas, working within the Supply Chain Assurance framework.
▪ Build and maintain key relationships across the business, promoting collaboration between business areas, and commercial teams.
▪ Ensure an effective risk management framework is in place to map, manage and mitigate supply chain risk for your category pillar.
▪ Support the delivery of a SRM programme for strategic suppliers within IT category driving additional value (service, cost and risk) beyond that originally contracted.

Key Criteria: To be successful, candidates will need to demonstrate capability against the following criteria:

▪ Has a strong delivery focus with the ability to operate successfully and deliver within a challenging and complex environment.
▪ Needs to be resilient – the transformation programme within IT and the structural changes in Commercial will provide challenges and opportunities.
▪ Extensive experience of managing strategic IT suppliers.
▪ Able to build and maintain effective customer and supplier relationships.
▪ Strong negotiator, with a drive to deliver value for money and achieve excellent service from our suppliers.
▪ Applicants must have achieved an A or a B* at a GCF Assessment and Development Centre (ADC) or be willing** to attend an ADC.

Applications are open until 16 April.

Once candidates have been "sifted", successful applicants will be invited to an assessment centre during the week commencing 7 May.

Final panel interviews will take place the following week.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC To Get 5,000 More Staff

A few days ago I noted that Jon Thompson was asking fro 5,000 more staff to cope with Brexit.

Well blinkey, blonkey, blimey his wish has been granted!

The 5,000 extra workers taken on next year will be employed by HMRC as it looks to implement a new border regime on leaving the EU.

The Independent reports that the Cabinet was told by David Davis many of the preparations “will be needed even in our preferred scenario of a bold and ambitious deal – for example, implementing either of our proposed customs arrangements will require investment in new systems and customs officers by HMRC.”

What could possibly go wrong?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC New and Interim Director General Appointments

My thanks to a loyal reader who sent me a wee note wrt the following that was announced within HMRC last week:

"Karen Wheeler has been appointed as Director General for Border Coordination, a new post in HMRC.

The new role will oversee the cross-government approach to coordinating work at the border, bringing together the work of 18 departments across policy, strategy, operational delivery, IT, infrastructure, legislation and security.

Karen joins HMRC from NHS England and has previously worked in the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office and as a management consultant in the private sector.

Also today, Chief Executive Jon Thompson confirmed Rachel McLean as interim Director General for Customer Services and David Richardson as interim Director General for Customer Compliance.

This follows the recent announcement that Ruth Owen and Jennie Granger will be leaving HMRC in May.

Rachel is Director of Finance and Planning in Customer Services. She joined HMRC in 2015, and before that was a director at Transport for London.

David is Director of Counter-Avoidance. He joined the Inland Revenue as a trainee inspector in 1979 and has been a director at HMRC since it was formed in 2005 in a wide range of compliance and policy roles.

Rachel and David will be in post until permanent appointments are made following a fair and open competition for the Director General roles."

All of this in spite of the fact that there is a general election and, as such, senior appointments surely ought to be kept in abeyance until a new government is formed.

#HMRC other #gov departments are now in #purdah so no news (unless absolutely essential) until after the #election. https://t.co/j72qlvBuKP

— Julia Penny (@JSPenny) April 24, 2017

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Recruiting CDIO

HMRC is in the process of recruiting a new chief digital information officer (CDIO) at director general level, following Mark Dearnley’s departure in autumn 2016.

The advert states that the role, which theoretically will make HMRC one of the “most digitally advanced tax administrations anywhere in the world”, pays up to £180K per annum.

"HMRC is looking to recruit a new Director General (DG) Chief Digital Information Officer (CDIO). This is a substantial and challenging role with significant involvement in the Government’s digital agenda as well as leading on HMRC’s digital strategy. The CDIO will shape and transform the way HMRC work - developing the capability to provide better online services to the taxpayer and customer to achieve faster and more effective models of delivery at optimal cost. The role requires the ability to engage and lead people as well as position HMRC in the cross government agenda playing a full role across Whitehall and supporting smaller government departments. The CDIO will lead the 2200 people strong department and manage an expenditure of more than £800million.

The candidate for the role will bring a proven track record of successfully leading a large-scale IT division with extensive experience and professional capabilities, including high level digital strategy expertise gained from a multi-channel business. S/he will possess Board level leadership experience of driving an extensive and challenging change programme across large, complex and multi-functional private or public sector organisations. S/he will be a successful manager of complex multi-location teams and be able to work within a rapidly evolving environment. S/he will have proven ability to challenge, influence and debate as is befitting of a Director-General level role. Experience likely to be drawn from a previous CIO role (or equivalent) in similar large, complex and multidimensional organisation."

Good luck to those who apply!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Accenture Renews Contract With HMRC

The Chronicle Live reports that at least 30 new technology jobs will be created at Accenture’s Newcastle Delivery Centre after Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs renewed a major contract with the company.

Accenture has been tasked with helping HMRC increase its use of digital technologies on the personal tax platform.

Under the terms of the agreement, which runs through to June 2020, it will develop, implement and maintain a secure cloud-hosted tax-management system for individual taxpayers.

Some of the new roles created for the HMRC work will likely be dedicated to maintenance of the platform.
Others may centre on the transition to the cloud and it is possible that further mobile services will also need to be developed.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC IT Delivery Programme Director

It's all go at HMRC these days, not only are they looking for a deputy IT director for cloud services but they are also looking to hire an IT Delivery Programme Director:

"HMRC is in the midst of what is probably its biggest transformation. By 2020 it will be one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations anywhere in the world, changing from legacy systems and a one supplier approach to a cloud and open source environment, with Agile working. 

This cutting edge technical evolution and business model will increase self-service through digital channels. HMRC is looking for a motivational IT Delivery Programme Director to lead a diverse portfolio of IT projects and programmes, shape the strategy of future IT delivery based around Agile methodology, supplier management and lead and shape the Project Delivery profession."

The post pays £120K, and the closing date is 22 July.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Has Its Head In The Clouds

In September 2015 I wrote that HMRC was seeking to recruit a "cloud transformation director":

"HMRC is looking for a cloud transformation director, and will pay up to £162,500 for the right person.

According to HMRC's advert, HMRC had a "vision" (how very messianic of it) for the provision of online, real-time services to be accessible from any device, any time using the latest cloud technology.

Hence HMRC is looking for an IT leader who is "up for the challenge of delivering transformation on a massive scale". 

Here we are in July 2016 (older but probably not any wiser) and, "oddly" enough, it seems that HMRC are now seeking a "deputy IT director for cloud services".

Isn't this overkill I hear you cry?

Errrm..... no it's not, for you see dear readers, the more senior role was never filled!

The new position is paying a "mere" £100,000 and the recruit will be responsible for migration onto the HMRC cloud platforms.

I wonder why HMRC thinks that cutting the salary by £63K will somehow ensure that a previously unfilled role will now be filled?

Anyhoo, the successful candidate (if one ever emerges) will report to the director of development, testing and operations and will line manage a team of around 50 staff.

The closing date for the HMRC role is 11 July, further details here.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Shows Signs of Desperation

A loyal reader advises me that HMRC staff were "out and about" in the Livingston shopping centre the other day, handing out job application forms to shoppers for vacancies in their call centres.

Seemingly a 68 year old friend of the loyal reader was handed one, and asked if he would consider working for them.

Whilst it is admirable that HMRC is not ageist, this scatter gun approach does indicate that HMRC is a tad desperate.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Customer Service Consultant Job Advert

My thanks to a loyal reader, who sent me a link to an HMRC job advert for a customer service consultant in Stockton-on-Tees.

According to the advert it pays £20K per month!

I have posted the full job advert at the end of this article. However, aside from the fact taxpayers are not customers, there is something else that is a little flaky about the advert.

My loyal reader points out that a jobholder would expect to work no more than their contracted hours for the year, and expect to balance any peak working periods and/or long working days with corresponding time off.

The jobs advertised are full-time and will be on a five out of seven day contract including Saturdays and Sundays. The customer service centres are open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. The working pattern will fall within these times. The work will be a combination of daytime and evening shifts; this may include three late shifts per week. In addition work on Saturdays and Sundays will be on a rotational basis.

What is left unsaid in the advert, in the opinion of my loyal reader, is that the candidates must jump through hoops to even get an interview for a call centre job that is not called a call centre job because it is based in a "normal" office.

• The hours worked will be those that current HMRC staff won't work, hence HMRC is trying to get rid of these "non flexible" staff without the cost of redundancy. 
• Tax knowledge is not essential, 5 weeks training will just about get the applicants through the many, many software programmes they will be required to use simultaneously over two monitors when on the phones.
• The priority is to keep the phone waiting times out of the media.
• Calls will be monitored and "customer service" is not required.
• Never ask the taxpayer ‘if there is anything else you can do for them’.

In the event that this sounds like the job of your dreams, then here are the details in full:

Job ID

30137870

Posting Date

19/05/2016

Company

HMRC

Location

UK-Yorkshire-Stockton-on-Tees

Industries

Government and public sector

Job type

Full time

Career level

None

Salary

18,415.00 - 20,074.00  per month
Pension schemes are available and more information will be provided to successful candidates.

Hours of Work

Flexitime

Annual hours

HMRC

Customer Service Consultant

Job description

Must Read:
Please ensure that you read The Candidate Pack attached to this vacancy before you apply.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax authority. We do much more than just collect tax as we administer benefit payments, pay out tax credits as well as collecting tax.

As a Customer Service Consultant you will:
• Handle incoming calls from customers effectively and efficiently;
• Identify, record and resolve customer complaints or issues professionally;
• Use various computer systems to update/maintain and create customer records accurately;
• Handling some more complex queries and issues, making sure they are all resolved quickly and efficiently;
• Provide accurate information in a professional and helpful manner by collecting and assessing relevant data and information from various sources such as departmental guidance, customer records/systems, managers and other relevant business units;
• Process electronic work & digital information;
• Reply to internal messages;
• Be responsible for identifying your own learning needs;
• Help with general administrative duties.

To do this we will require you to have good
• IT skills – you will need proficient basic skills in using a range of computer systems including Microsoft Windows & Office and be able to navigate comfortably around internet based programmes.
• Communication skills – You will need good communication skills both verbal and written.

Full training is provided so that you have an in depth knowledge of the services, which you will be providing, to enable you to positively contribute to the customer experience.

Successful candidates must be able to commit fully to their initial training. Training will last up to 5 weeks and requires full time commitment between 8.30am and 5pm.

Operational Delivery Apprenticeships:
Within this recruitment campaign we also hope to be able to offer a number of apprenticeships to successful applicants. There will be opportunities in each of the location(s) listed above.

If you accept an offer of an apprenticeship you will be on the same pay and terms and conditions of employment as Customer Service Consultants, and will enjoy the same benefits whilst also benefiting from being able to study for an internationally recognised qualification.

Competencies

You will be asked to supply evidence of meeting these competencies when you apply.

1.    Delivering at pace

Benefits

Pensions

may be available for successful candidates.

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must pass .

Nationality statement

Candidates will be subject to requirements as well as .

If you're applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.

Selection process details

Selection will be by Test, Sift and Interview.

After submission of your application you will be invited to complete an online test that takes up to 25 minutes to complete. Example questions are available once logged in. Please complete the online test at your earliest convenience as you will have until midnight on 02/06/2016 to submit your completed test. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

We do not require any formal qualification for this role, however you will be asked to take standardised tests in both English and Maths

If there are more candidates than roles available a sifting exercise will be undertaken based on the Delivering at Pace competency that forms part of the application.

During your application you will be invited to take an online Civil Service Initial Sift Test (CSIST) as part of your application – please see the candidate pack for more information.

If you are successful at the CSIST Test you will be invited to complete a standardised online test in English and Maths. Should you be successful at this you will be invited to attend an interview.

At interview candidates will be asked situational questions that test the competences Delivering at Pace and Managing a Quality Service with the competence leading and communication assessed through consideration of candidate's performance at interview

The following competencies will be tested at interview. Please see candidate pack for more information:

Delivering at pace
Managing a quality service
Leading and communicating
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, and and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available .

Eligibility

Candidates in their probationary period are eligible to apply for vacancies within this department.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's . There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

For further information about these roles please contact:
info.ptrecruitment@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Online Test Deadline Instructions

Please complete the online test at your earliest convenience as you will have until midnight on 02/06/2016 to submit your completed test. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

Online Test Deadline

2 Jun 2016

Sift/interview dates and location

Sift dates to be Confirmed

The interviews will be held in a Government office and will take place from 27th June onwards. If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check maybe carried out.

Working pattern

These posts are full-time and will be on a five out of seven day contract including Saturdays and Sundays. Our customer service centres are open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. Your working pattern will fall within these times.

You will work a combination of daytime and evening shifts; this may include three late shifts per week. In addition you will work Saturdays and Sundays on a rotational basis.

The working patterns will be flexible and subject to change in line with business needs; we will ask you to work a variety of shift patterns between the office opening hours detailed above, but we will not make any changes without giving you a suitable notice period. We would normally tell you two or more weeks in advance.

A jobholder would expect to work no more than their contracted hours for the year and expect to balance any peak working periods and/or long working days by corresponding time off.

Further information

Over the next 10 years HMRC will be reducing the number of its offices and will be located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Croydon and Stratford. There will also be a small number of offices where we will retain some specialist roles in Dover, Worthing, Gartcosh (near Glasgow) and Telford, as well as our headquarters in central London. If you are recruited into an office that is not one of these locations, you will be expected to move to one in the future.

Some of HMRC Terms and Conditions of employment changed on 1st May 2013, these will apply to people who are new recruits to HMRC or who take a new job in HMRC on promotion. The document attached to this advertisement provides more information on the changes we made, please note this is not a full list of HMRC's terms and conditions. If you need to discuss how these changes might affect you, please contact the vacancy holder. For further information on terms and conditions please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/about/recruitment#annual-leave

If you are currently working for an OGD and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Pay on Transfer from OGD" for further information.

Working for HMRC
If you would like to learn more about HMRC, please visit our YouTube page HMRC.gov.uk and search Tax Facts: About HMRC

Please ensure that you read The Candidate Pack attached to this vacancy before you apply.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 3 months from which further appointments may be made.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Recruiting Customer Service Consultants

WalesOnline reports that HMRC is recruiting 480 people for posts in the HMRC office in Cardiff. The full-time posts are for customer service consultants, and starting salaries are up to £20,000.

Meanwhile HMRC is preparing to close it existing office at Ty Glas, Llanishen and move to another site in the city. The Ty Glas tax office currently employs around 2,100 and is mainly a processing centre with some technical jobs. Those recruited for the new roles will be expected to handle incoming customer calls and where necessary resolve customer complaints.

The HMRC "strategy" is one of getting rid of experienced tax professionals, and replacing them with call centre operatives with little or no experience/understanding of tax.

Yes, that will work!

Oh and by the way, will HMRC please stop calling taxpayers "customers"!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC's Surge and Rapid Response Team Vacancies

My thanks to a loyal reader, who sent me a link to a job advert for HMRC's Surge and Rapid Response Team.

What's that for?

Basically when HMRC get too many phone calls, it sends its surge team to man the phones, and when HMRC gets too many letters it sends its surge team to the post room.

All very well and dandy, except that HMRC is inundated with both phone calls and letters!

Anyhoo, here is an extract of the job description (which can be access in full via this link):

"We are offering an exciting opportunity to become an apprentice in the profession, and become part of the Surge & Rapid Response Team working across government departments. You will be dealing with different types of customers and delivering a range of public services, in a variety of locations. This expanding team has already enjoyed exciting and productive deployments in DWP, HMRC, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and Defra.

Your duties will vary and may change frequently; they will include: managing cases and resolving customer enquiries, using multiple government databases, using the telephone, writing letters/emails, using social media to communicate to customers and dealing with citizens face to face in a range of environments."

I understand that there are also similar openings in Croydon, on a higher salary (£22K-£24K).

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC's £165K Role for a Head in The Cloud

HMRC is looking for a cloud transformation director, and will pay up to £162,500 for the right person.

According to HMRC's advert, HMRC had a "vision" (how very messianic of it) for the provision of online, real-time services to be accessible from any device, any time using the latest cloud technology.

Hence HMRC is looking for an IT leader who is "up for the challenge of delivering transformation on a massive scale". 

"HMRC currently has a hugely complex IT estate, ranging from ‘state of the art' data analytics platforms to 40-year-old systems. The breadth, variety and complexity of these systems and the business processes they support are on a scale rarely seen in other global organisations." 

HMRC wants to "take back control of its IT architecture".

The successful candidate will have to already be a "politically astute leader" (that is for sure true!) with experience of delivering £50m+ infrastructure transformation projects across complex IT systems.

The person tasked with the job will report to Mark Dearnley, and will be given a three-year, fixed-term full-time role.

Those interested can apply here.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC Recruiting By Stealth

In irony of ironies, despite sacking numerous experienced staff, HMRC is now recruiting again.

Albeit on a stealthy basis.

As per AccountingWEB

"One AccountingWEB member, who is a tax manager, recently received an email from a recruitment department for the civil service (called Civil Service Resourcing), asking if he was in "tax professional" roles across the UK in HMRC's "large business" unit.

The pay offered was £47,218 nationally, or £53,196 in London.

"I hope you don't mind the direct approach but I thought your profile was a potential fit for our currently advertised Tax Professional roles," the email said. "I'm not a agency recruiter - but part of a new official Government team which helps identify external talent to help us bring the right people into the most important jobs. This campaign is seeking to recruit a large number of Tax Professionals as part of an exciting and dynamic team that works with the UK's largest businesses."

HMRC's large business team is responsible for more than 2,000 high profile businesses, the email said."

What do people make of this then, has anyone received a stealthy job offer?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"