HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack

Senior Social Researcher

Grade: G7
Salary: £52,667 (Croydon £56,694)
Closing date: 11:55pm 15 February 2021

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HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack

Thank you for your interest in this role

Follow us at GOV.UK | @HMLandRegistry | LinkedIn | Facebook #WeAreHMLR

About HM Land Registry
Land is our nation’s greatest asset. Clarity and security of land
ownership is essential to a functioning property market.
HM Land Registry maintains a land register of more than 25 million land
and property titles in England and Wales, estimated to be worth around
£7 trillion. The records are state guaranteed which supports secured
lending on more than £1 trillion of property.
Critically we also provide property information that influences the
decisions of property buyers, sellers and legal and financial institutions.
Citizens, businesses, solicitors and conveyancers come to us on behalf
of their clients to search our records to find out as much as possible
about a property before a transaction.
HM Land Registry has a proud history and rich heritage – for more than
150 years we have protected property ownership and underpinned the
modern economy. This uniqueness is what makes us so special.
We employ nearly 6000 expert people in 14 locations across England
and Wales. Together they deal with around 36 million requests for
information and updates per year.
Each colleague plays a vital role in helping HM Land Registry to become
the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open
approach to data. People are encouraged to be innovative and
continuously improve what they do and how they do it.

Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/

organisations/land-registry

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HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack

We drive innovation
Culture • We are forward thinking, embrace change and are continually
improving our processes.
We held workshops asking our people what they expect our culture to
• We encourage our people to be innovative and continuously
look like linked to our values and this is what they said:
improve what we do and how we do it. We make tackling challenges
We give assurance fun and exciting through collaborative teams, new technology and
• We guarantee our services and provide confidence to the property new ways of working.
market. • Leaders are supportive. We focus on coaching and developing
• We have a proud history and rich heritage. For more than 150 years ourselves and others to achieve our best with confidence. Positive
we have protected property ownership and underpinned the modern and energised leaders involve others to achieve better outcomes
economy. and help us grow stronger.
We have integrity
• We value honesty, trust and doing the right thing in the right way.
• People are our most valuable asset. We want to be the most
inclusive employer in government, ensuring fair and equal
opportunities for all.
• We are open, honest and treat everyone with respect. We trust each
other and celebrate our people because we are proud of who they
are.
• We have a shared sense of belonging and help each other. We
connect with each other to feel supported, comfortable and
appreciated.
• Everyone’s voice matters. We encourage respectful challenge and
value all opinions and contributions.
We are professional
• We value and grow our knowledge and professional expertise.
• We focus on being highly skilled and knowledgeable. We are
empowered; accountable and responsible for our own work.
• We provide a brilliant service to our customers. We aim for
excellence; balancing efficiency and productivity with quality and
integrity.
• We create confidence by being resilient and responsive but also
calm and relaxed. We are adaptable, flexible and able to work at
pace.

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HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack

Land Registry Leadership

Statement
We take a positive, can-do approach to leadership and change.
Challenging negativity, we focus upon meeting customers needs in
innovative ways that give value for money. We understand and
balance our roles as corporate leaders, developers of our people, and
leaders of change.
For more information about careers in the civil service click here:
https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/working-
for-hm-land-registry/

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HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack

Vacancy description Main Duties

• Lead on the setting up an Evaluation Strategy for HM Land Registry,

Job Title
setting out clear outcomes and how this will contribute to the long term
Head of Evaluation/Senior Social Researcher
strategy of the organisation;
• Set standards for Monitoring and Evaluation for the HMLR investment
Salary
portfolio, set out a clear procedure on how to report ongoing progress
£52,667 p/a (Croydon £56,694)
against goals.
• Effectively employing the ROAMEF cycle and analytical techniques to
Hours: Full Time, Part Time, Job Share, Flexible Working.
support value for money decisions in HM Land Registry.
Success in this role is not defined by the hours worked so we can consider a
• Employ innovative analytical techniques to address policy, operational
range of working hours and patterns.
and strategic issues.
• Provide analytical support on strategic projects, for example conducting
Contract Type
a deep dive review in how to improve efficiency in HM Land Registry
Permanent
• Support in developing a clear strategic narrative for HMLR, identify key
evidence gaps, and put in place a strategy to address them.
Directorate
• Build relationships with key stakeholders, including Senior Management
Finance and Business Services
within HM Land Registry and external stakeholders such as HMT, the
geospatial commission, and BEIS, as well as private sectors main
Role Purpose
representative
The post holder will be responsible for setting up a program of Monitor and
• Champion good practice in quality assurance.
Evaluation for the whole organisation, as well as setting up best practice
• Contribute to the development of the growing analytical function at HM
both in setting evaluation plans for Regulations and Investments, and
Land Registry, continually considering how analysis can be used to
influence HM Land Registry’s strategic direction and prioritisation, in light of
support HM Land Registry’s work, putting in place appropriate standards
the evidence arising from evaluation and research.
and support systems for analysts and helping to establish the scale and
structure of HMLR’s analytical community.
This is a very exciting time to be joining HM Land Registry. This is the first
• Manage junior members of staff.
analytical team in the organisation: you will become part of the people who
will shape the way evidence-base is used in the organisation, how the
analytical community will influence policy and investment decisions and how
HM Land Registry will position itself as an indispensable part of other
Departments’ evidence base.

The post holder will be part of HM Land Registry’s growing analytical

function, sitting within the Finance and Business Services directorate,
working across the organisation to support evidence based decisions. The
post holder will report to the Deputy Chief Analyst.

Location: All offices as listed on the job advert

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Technical Skills and qualifications (Desirable):

Vacancy description • Post Implementation Review experience
• Research Project management

(continued) Essential Experience Criteria

• Presenting complex information to a range of audiences
• Ability to set up an evaluation framework
Key role benefits
• Experience collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders.
You will have a lot of development opportunities available. The
• Strong Evaluation skills
Government Social Research community across Whitehall offers a
• Understanding how to set up Cost/Benefit monitoring
dynamic environment for its members to grow professionally. HMLR is
• Quality assurance on evaluation and research input
committed to provide you the possibility and opportunities to develop as
a Social Researcher, as an Analyst and as part the HM Land Registry, a
Desirable Experience Criteria
vibrant community based on evidence-based decision and the
• Experience/knowledge of the housing market
commitment to provide a brilliant service.
• Line Management of staff
HM Land Registry is a vibrant place to work with sport and social events
Behaviours
and a variety of clubs. We offer flexible working to help you achieve a
• Seeing the Bigger Picture
work-life balance that works for you and us.
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
Annual leave
HM Land Registry offers a very generous leave allowance, starting from
Additional requirements
28.5 days, with an additional 5 days after 10 years’ service, up to 33.5
The post holder will occasionally be expected to travel within the UK. This
days.
will be in line with government advice.
Person Specification
Vacancy Closing Date
Technical Skills and qualifications (Essential): Monday 15 February 2021 at 23:55
You need, or should expect, to achieve a minimum of 2:1 in your
undergraduate degree; or a 2:2 with a postgraduate degree. Contact
The qualifying degree must contain a minimum of 30% in social research GianPaolo.Ansaloni@landregistry.gov.uk
methods

Government Social Research (GSR) Skills:

• Knowledge of research methods, techniques & application of these
• Identifying research needs, designing & specifying research

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Indicative Timeline
Process and timeline Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could
be subject to change.
Success Profiles
During the various stages of the recruitment campaign, applicants will be
Go Live 29 January 2021
assessed against Success Profiles.
Closing Date 15 February 2021
What are the Success Profiles? Shortlist W/C 15 February 2021
The Success Profile Framework was introduced to attract and retain
people of talent and experience from a range of sectors and all walks of Interview W/C 22 February 2021
life, in line with the commitment in the Civil Service Workforce Plan.
For more information about Success Profiles, please follow the link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles Application Process
Please review your application form before clicking ‘submit’ – once you
have submitted, you will not be able to amend your application. Ensure
your application form is received by the closing date for receipt of
applications – this is 11:55pm on the advertised date.

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We will give you scores after the shortlist meeting from the following Interview
matrix: If successful at sift you will be invited to attend a blended interview via
video link, week commencing 22 February 2021.

Score Label Definition The blended interview will test the behaviours listed in the job description,
as well as the strengths associated with the role. We want to hear your
1 Not Demonstrated No positive evidence of the criteria first, unrehearsed, natural response to strength questions, and so we
don’t advertise which strengths are being tested. The best way to prepare
2 Minimal Demonstration Limited positive evidence of the for strengths questions is to reflect on what you identify as your own
criteria personal strengths, and your preferred ways of working.
3 Moderate Moderate positive evidence of the Disability Confident Scheme
Demonstration criteria We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. We are
accredited to the government’s Disability Confident Scheme, which
4 Acceptable Adequate positive evidence of the
denotes organisations which have a positive attitude towards disabled
Demonstration criteria
people. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria in the job
5 Good Demonstration Substantial positive evidence of the specification at the shortlisting stage are guaranteed an invitation to
criteria interview. We encourage you to share any disabilities with us during the
process to ensure we put the right support in place for you.
6 Strong Demonstration Substantial, positive evidence of the
criteria and includes some evidence of We encourage open conversations about mental and physical health and
exceeding expectations will support you during all stages of the recruitment process. We
encourage applications from neurodivergent candidates, and we will
7 Outstanding Evidence provided wholly exceeds make adjustments to the conventional interview process where required.
Demonstration expectation at this level For example; if you are dyslexic, we may give you additional time for
online tests, a longer interview or we may give you interview questions
written down. The HR Resourcing team recognise that everyone is unique
You will receive a score out of 7 for your CV, Statement of Suitability and and we will work with you to make the right adjustments to ensure you
any Technical and/or Behavioural criteria assessed. These will be added feel supported and confident all the way through the process.
up to show a total overall score in your application centre on CS Jobs. If Please notify us at application stage where possible or during the process
you score a 3 or below on any one criteria then you will not progress to as soon as it becomes a requirement. This can be done using the ‘Help
the next stage. All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as Required’ button on the online application form or you can email in
possible after the sift has been completed. confidence to:
HRresourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk
If you wanted to read more about how our staff are supported then please
read our employee blogs
https://hmlandregistry.blog.gov.uk/category/working-at-hm-land-
registry/

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HM Land Registry Candidate Information Pack
A Great Place to Work
#WeAreHMLR
HM Land Registry is a vibrant place to work with sport and social events
and a variety of clubs. We offer flexible working to help you achieve a
work-life balance that works for you and us. You could be protecting
property ownership by making updates to the Land Register, or working
in our digital, data and technology teams, designing the property market
of the future.
Where difference is celebrated
We’re committed to fairness and equality for all, so you feel valued for
who you are and what you do. Diversity fuels our innovation. Our shared
values help us work together, to benefit the communities we serve.
Our employee diversity networks support our culture of inclusion and
contribute to our diversity action plan. Our current focus is to encourage
people from under-represented groups into management and leadership
roles, especially people with disabilities, women and ethnic minority
colleagues.
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and
want to enable you to build a really successful career within HMLR. It is
crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers
and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular
performance and development reviews to ensure this development is on-
going. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of
benefits.
Please see them here :
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-
registry/about/recruitment
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Hours of work
Normal full-time weekly hours are 37 a week.
A flexi-time scheme is available for some roles across all grades except
Grade 6, Grade 7 and Senior Civil Service. The ability to work flexibly and
no core times enables you to vary your start, finish and break times to
suit both operational requirements and your individual needs.
You may be at work at any time during normal building opening hours
(usually Monday to Friday 07:00 – 18:30). The standard working day is 7
hours 24 minutes (excluding lunch) leading to a working week of 37
hours for a full-time employee.
You can build up flexi-credit which enables you to take off up to up to 24
days a year in addition to your annual leave.
If the role was advertised on a part time basis then we have a number of
working patterns available that you can choose from that you can
discuss and agree with your manager.
Annual Leave
We offer you 28.5 days’ paid holiday during each holiday year (Pro-rata
for part time staff). In addition you are entitled to take the usual public
holidays in England and Wales, which is currently 8 days, so 36.5 days in
total a year.
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Learning and Development
We offer an extensive range of learning and development opportunities
on both our own internal learning system and also via the Civil Service
Learning platform. Both of these have online and classroom learning
sessions that you can sign up to. We will fund qualifications that are
directly relevant to your role and we are developing career progression
paths and schemes that can help you fulfil your potential. We also offer
temporary internal development opportunities to all eligible employees
when they arise. There are many opportunities to network and work
across government and we have numerous apprentice schemes across
all the different professions in the organisation.
Pension
HM Land Registry pension arrangements fall under the Civil Service
Pension Scheme. Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward
package. HMLR makes a significant contribution to the cost of your
pension and your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is
taken.
HMLR offer the pension scheme called ‘alpha’. It is an occupational
pension scheme that you can join because HMLR is covered by the Civil
Service pension arrangements. This scheme provides a defined benefit
worked out on a Career Average basis. A defined benefit pension scheme
provides a pension based on set criteria, usually related to the members’
pensionable earnings and/or length of service (including any transferred
in pension benefits). A Career Average pension scheme means you build
up a pension based on a percentage of how much you earned each year.
Civil Service pension schemes are extremely competitive, and you can
find out more information here
If you wanted to choose another option then there is also the partnership
pension account which is a defined contribution scheme, and more
information can be found here
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Staff Wellbeing
Flexible working: We have a range of family-friendly policies, such as
part-time working, job sharing, parental leave and career breaks and a
range of leave options for parents. These depend on business needs, but
our aim is to help you achieve a positive work-life balance.
Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than
the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
Childcare benefits: The government has introduced the Tax-Free
Childcare scheme.
Onsite facilities: Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness
centres and staff canteens.
We have a social and sports club in every office that you can join and you
will have the opportunity to compete in national Civil Service competitions
for a wide variety of sports if you want to. We have an annual festival and
an annual employee awards ceremony; and also offer long-service
awards as we have some really long serving employees that we like to
celebrate. There is access to our employee assistance programme for
counselling and support on a wide range of issues. We offer an interest-
free loan for season tickets and bicycles if you cycle to work and we offer
a cycle to work scheme (salary sacrifice).
Complaints process
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the
Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in
the first instance contact the recruitment team at
HRResourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from HMLR, you
may bring your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.
http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint/
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We wish you the best of luck with your application

and if you have any questions then please do not
hesitate to contact the Recruitment Team
HRResourcingteam2@landregistry.gov.uk

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