AddressSalary range: £32,465 - £35,232 (This salary range includes a 12.5% shift allowance uplift)
Working pattern: These are full-time posts; working on a rotating shift basis, working day shifts, night shifts and at weekends.
Working weeks will vary in length with the shortest being 30 hours (across three consecutive days within seven days) and the longest 52.5 hours (across five consecutive days within seven days). There are three, four or five consecutive rest days between each set of shifts.
Working days consist of 10.5-hour shifts, 9-hour shifts and 7-hour training days. Start times on day shift are between 7am and 9am and shift finish times are between 7pm and 9pm.
Working nights will include three and four consecutive shifts across seven nights consisting of 10 hours starting at 7pm and finishing at 7am with four consecutive rest days on completion.
Location: Holyrood, Edinburgh
Leave: 41.5 days (including public holidays)
Pension: Civil Service pension arrangements with an employer contribution of 27.1% of basic annual salary
Clearance Required: CTC security clearance will be processed at job offer stage
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is responsible for providing the Parliament with the property, staff and services required for the Parliament’s purposes. We place a high value on excellence, and we are continually looking to improve how we can deliver the Parliament's core purpose of representing the people of Scotland by debating issues of national importance, passing legislation and holding the Scottish Government to account. We are a diverse workforce, and our embedded values shape the way we work and treat each other. We have a culture of respect and inclusion, and everyone has the ability to make a difference.
This is an excellent opportunity to join the Security Office as a Security Officer.
We’re also looking to create a pool of Security Officers within the Parliament. This is an excellent opportunity to register with us to be considered for both temporary and permanent opportunities in a key role within the Parliament. As we’re also recruiting to a pool, if you’re not available to start with us immediately, you can also apply now to be considered for future opportunities.When a role becomes available, we will be able to consider you for the role and get in touch
We’re also holding a recruitment event at the Scottish Parliament to meet the team, understand more about the role and how to apply – come along and join us between 9.30am and 12pm on Monday, 19 February 2024. You can find out more information and register here
The Security Office sits within our Resilience and Sustainability Group. To see where the office sits within the organisation, have a look at our organisation chart.
The Security Office is responsible for maintaining a safe, secure and welcoming environment for those who work in and visit the Parliament. We provide a visible and reassuring presence throughout the building 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’re also responsible for security vetting and the issue of passes, monitoring the Parliamentary estate, responding to incidents in the building, facilitating protest, and managing entry and movements around the building. The Office also provides security advice to Members and their staff.
As a Security Officer you’ll be the first point of contact in welcoming visitors to the Scottish Parliament and assisting passholders in accessing the building. You’ll be responsible for delivering a high standard of security across the estate to ensure the safety and security of all visitors and staff. You’ll also be responsible for responding quickly and effectively to any issues that may adversely impact on the smooth running of Parliamentary business or the security of the building and its occupants.
You’ll embrace change and a culture where you are empowered to deliver high quality work which will enhance the reputation of the Parliament. You’ll also support collaborative working, including with colleagues across the parliamentary service, promoting positive and open communication, as well as our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
We particularly welcome applications from women and members of ethnic minority communities who are under-represented at this level. All appointments will be made on merit. We have a values-based culture of respect and inclusion embedded in our organisation, and everyone has the ability to make a difference.
We offer a great range of benefits including: 41.5 leave days (including public holidays), flexible working, paid professional subscriptions, family-friendly policies, Season Ticket advance loans, an onsite gym, Health and Wellbeing Schemes including discounted gym membership, a confidential counselling and information service, and the Cycle to Work Scheme.
You’ll also have the opportunity to join the Alpha Civil Service pension scheme, where we’ll offer you an employer contribution of 27.1% of your basic salary.
Watch our Security colleagues talk about their role and what it’s like to work at the Parliament
For further information about the role please contact Carl.Green@Parliament.scot
Please apply before 11:59 pm on 28 February 2024. Full details of our selection process are outlined below.
About you
You’ll be passionate about and have the commitment and self-motivation to learn security and customer care skills.
You may already have some experience in customer facing or security roles, although this is not essential.
You’ll have great communication skills and the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships. You’ll also have the ability to listen and actively participate in teamwork, adapting your working style to work inclusively with a diverse range of people and groups.
For full information about the role, have a look at the job description and recruitment pack.
You’ll be able to meet the requirements of working on a rotating shift pattern, including working regular weekends and nights.
Stage 1
How to apply and our selection process
We are a values-based organisation. Our values are a central part of our working culture and our people management processes. We use these to recruit, manage and develop our staff. For more information on our values and behaviours framework, please visit our values pages in our Staff Handbook .
To apply for our roles, click 'apply' and this will allow you to upload your CV in order to register with us (if you’ve not done so already).
You’ll be asked to write a values-based supporting statement based on the job description of the role you’re applying for. The job description will detail the main recruitment selection criteria under each value, in the sections titled “And in delivering these, you will have”.
Your application will be assessed solely on your statement.
You’ll need to provide one or more examples to cover all bullet points, in each of the four value sections entitled “And in delivering these you will have”
Please provide details from your background or career, of where and how you have demonstrated that value.
When completing and submitting the values-based statement to apply for this role:
- Please provide evidence against each of our four values, a maximum of 400 words is allowed per value
- Please use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to address the key delivery requirements under each value in the Job Description
- Each value should be clearly formatted, and your examples may include specific skills, experience, abilities, knowledge and strengths you have
- We have a separate box on our system for you to input each value
- Please do not input anything into the values boxes until you’re ready to submit your application
- Please complete your answers to the questions offline, perhaps in Word, and then copy and paste your answers into the system when you're ready to submit your application
- We recommend that you check your answers, by reading the inputted information in the box, when you've copied and pasted the information into the system, just to ensure it's all there
- Please only click 'Next' to submit your application when you're content it’s complete. When you click “Next”, you don't have the option to go back
- If you 'cancel' then your work won't be saved
- The system will time out after an hour and your work will be lost if you don’t complete it in that time. You don't have the option to save your application and return to it later
- If the system times out, you can go into your ‘candidate profile’ to access and complete your statement
- If you mistakenly submit your statement prior to completing this on the system, please email careers@parliament.scot with full details of the role you’re applying for, what has happened, and your completed statement
Please note that only your supporting statement will be submitted to Hiring Managers, without any personal details, and they will then select candidates for further assessment or interview.
Stage 2
At the final stage, you’ll be invited to attend an in-person panel interview. If attending in person may be difficult for you, we can offer a remote interview instead. Interviews will be held on 21, 22, 25, 26 & 27 March 2024, although these dates may be subject to change.
Successful candidates will have to undertake a fitness standard assessment. Due to the job requirement of operating x-ray scanners, we also conduct a check for colour blindness.
Feedback will only be provided on request to those who attend interview.
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please email careers@parliament.scot.
After the interview
We’ll aim to let you know the outcome of your interview as soon as we can. This will normally be within 10 working days. If you’re unsuccessful at interview stage, you can ask us for feedback. We want to ensure a positive candidate experience, so we’ll also contact you to ask for your feedback on the whole recruitment process.
Assessment scoring for this process will be:
20% - application
80% - interview
Onboarding Process
If you’re successful at interview, you’ll be asked to complete our onboarding process. This includes security clearance and you’ll also be asked to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.
We will provide you with details of our security vetting policy and you will be required to complete a security questionnaire. Some of our roles will require membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. For further information, please see our Policy on the employment of ex-offenders and use of disclosure.
Referees
If you’re successful, we’ll approach previous and/or current employers for a reference. If you have no employment history we may approach any school, college or university you have attended.
We can only make a formal offer of employment once we have received your security clearance, eligibility to work in the UK and references. Your health assessment will be used to inform us of any adjustments you require before you start with us.
Our commitment to an inclusive workforce
We are a Disability Confident Leader Employer and guarantee to interview any disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role. If you have a disability and would like to talk to us about any aspects of this job, please contact us. More details can be found here.
Closing date: 11:59pm on 28 February 2024.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £32,465.00-£35,232.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
Work Location: In person
