AFRS Vetting Specialist

Serco Group Plc; Park Central; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working considered

Pension 6%

Chance to contribute to public service

Diversity and inclusion

Serco discounts

Health and wellbeing benefits

Career development training

Job summary

Serco Group plc in Solihull is seeking an AFRS Vetting Specialist to join our team in a hybrid role supporting recruitment into the UK Armed Forces. You will act as the first point of escalation for complex, sensitive vetting cases and maintain expert AFRS knowledge across the team.

You will coach Vetting Administrators, deputise for the Team Manager, and contribute to continuous-improvement activities while handling sensitive information with the highest levels of care and confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in vetting or security administration.
• Strong knowledge of AFRS vetting requirements.
• Ability to coach and train Vetting Administrators.
• Experience with quality checks and audits.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of escalation for complex, sensitive or non-standard vetting cases, resolving issues within delegated authority and escalating matters that require management, policy or security direction.
• Maintain expert, train-others-level knowledge of AFRS vetting processes, including BPSS, UKSV, identity, Right to Work, criminality, employment-history and gap verification checks.
• Undertake second checks, quality-control reviews and case audits, providing timely, constructive feedback and identifying recurring errors, risks or control weaknesses.
• Design, deliver and maintain training, coaching plans and refresher sessions for Vetting Administrators, supporting induction, accreditation and competency assessment.
• Coordinate work queues, priorities and resource deployment day to day, monitoring workflow and raising capacity or performance risks to the Team Manager.
• Produce, validate and explain operational MI, supporting reporting against service levels and recruitment priorities.
• Deputise for the AFRS Vetting Team Manager during periods of absence, maintaining operational oversight and acting as the point of contact for routine team matters, within delegated authority.
• Support implementation of policy, system and process changes, and contribute to continuous-improvement activity that strengthens compliance and candidate experience.
• Handle escalated candidate or stakeholder enquiries, ensuring responses are timely, professional and appropriately documented.
• Maintain audit-ready records and escalated suspected policy breaches, security concerns or data incidents immediately through the appropriate route.

Skills

Vetting knowledge

Quality assurance

Coaching

Training delivery

MI reporting

Stakeholder communication

Policy interpretation

Incident handling

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Tools

BPSS/UKSV knowledge

PEGA

Konfir

Rapid Employment Verification

UKSV portals

Excel

Job description

Here at Serco, we're looking for an AFRS Vetting Specialist to join our team supporting the recruitment of candidates into the UK Armed Forces.

This is a technical and coordination role where you'll act as the first point of escalation for complex, sensitive or non-standard vetting cases, while maintaining expert knowledge of AFRS vetting requirements across the team. You'll carry out quality assurance, coach and train Vetting Administrators, and deputise for the Team Manager during periods of absence.

Working as part of the AFRS Vetting Team, you'll play a key role in raising standards and capability across the team, while handling sensitive personal and security-related information with the highest levels of care and confidentiality.

This role is dedicated to vetting activity and does not include onboarding responsibilities.

As part of this you'll:

• Act as the first point of escalation for complex, sensitive or non-standard vetting cases, resolving issues within delegated authority and escalating matters that require management, policy or security direction.
• Maintain expert, train-others-level knowledge of AFRS vetting processes, including BPSS, UKSV, identity, Right to Work, criminality, employment-history and gap verification checks.
• Undertake second checks, quality-control reviews and case audits, providing timely, constructive feedback and identifying recurring errors, risks or control weaknesses.
• Design, deliver and maintain training, coaching plans and refresher sessions for Vetting Administrators, supporting induction, accreditation and competency assessment.
• Coordinate work queues, priorities and resource deployment day to day, monitoring workflow and raising capacity or performance risks to the Team Manager.
• Produce, validate and explain operational MI, supporting reporting against service levels and recruitment priorities.
• Deputise for the AFRS Vetting Team Manager during periods of absence, maintaining operational oversight and acting as the point of contact for routine team matters, within delegated authority.
• Support implementation of policy, system and process changes, and contribute to continuous-improvement activity that strengthens compliance and candidate experience.
• Handle escalated candidate or stakeholder enquiries, ensuring responses are timely, professional and appropriately documented.
• Maintain audit-ready records and escalated suspected policy breaches, security concerns or data incidents immediately through the appropriate route.,

Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work will directly support the recruitment of people joining the UK Armed Forces. You'll be part of a team delivering an essential service where accuracy, security and timely decision-making really matter.

You’ll gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across five vital sectors. Personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You’ll also work with great people in a supportive environment where no two days are the same.

What we offer:

• Flexible working considered
• Pension - 6%
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
• Serco discounts which include cinema, merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships.
• A range of benefits to support the health and wellbeing of you and your family such as Employee Assistance Programme, Simply Health Cash Plans, and more.
• A wealth of career development training to suit your future aspirations. These range from role specific training, leadership coaching, formal study and much more to support you to build your career with Serco.

Substantial practical experience of vetting, pre-employment screening, security administration or a closely related regulated service, with advanced knowledge of the checks required.

Detailed working knowledge of BPSS and UKSV processes, with a strong understanding of identity, criminality, employment-history and Right to Work verification requirements.

Proven ability to interpret procedures, assess evidence, resolve complex cases and make sound recommendations within defined authority.

Experience of quality checking, audit activity or assurance controls, with the ability to identify root causes and deliver corrective feedback.

Effective coaching, training and facilitation skills, including the ability to explain complex requirements clearly and assess understanding.

Strong reporting and analytical skills, with confident use of Microsoft Excel and the ability to produce and explain operational MI.

Highly organised, with the ability to coordinate workflow, prioritise competing demands and remain composed when managing escalations or service pressures.

Clear and credible communicator, able to build effective working relationships with candidates, colleagues, managers, partners and specialist stakeholders.

Ability to work effectively as part of a team, building positive working relationships and contributing to shared objectives.

Desirable:

• Experience of acting as a deputy, senior administrator, technical specialist or coordinator within an operational team.
• Experience of conducting one-to-one meetings, return-to-work discussions, team briefings or routine absence-management activity under delegated authority.
• Experience of Access Screening, PEGA, UKSV portals, Konfir or Rapid Employment Verification, shared mailboxes and operational reporting tools.
• Experience of process improvement, change implementation, complaint investigation or creation of controlled process documentation.

AFRS Vetting Specialist Hybrid - Solihull, B91 3QJ (Office based initially) Salary: £27-29k DOE Full Time, Permanent Band 6