Katie, Vetting
After 22 years working with HMRC as an Executive Officer (EO) in a variety of tax roles, I decided it was time for a new challenge. I wanted to broaden my skillset and set out to explore the opportunities available to me. I attended an information session promoting security roles within HMRC Security which opened my eyes to the number of opportunities available, I hadn’t realised how much HMRC had to offer. National Security Vetting was something I had never really considered before as an option, however through the session I learnt about the importance of this role within HMRC Security. National Security Vetting is a process that staff working in government departments go through if their role requires them to have access to sensitive material. It provides a level of assurance to HMRC of its of employees and contractors, while protecting HMRC’s most sensitive information and valuable assets.Â
The role appealed to me on many levels not only being able to take my career in a new direction but also to use my passion and strengths for helping people and providing excellent customer service.
And so, one successful application later I become a Vetting Officer.
Getting the hang of things
On joining the vetting team my training was delivered by my new colleagues who were very welcoming and supportive. Over the following months I gradually learnt the various activities carried out by the vetting team from new clearance applications, transferring clearances into and out of HMRC and making decisions on whether clearances should be granted.
The role I enjoyed the most and quickly settled into was covering the vetting enquiries mailbox, responding to enquiries from HMRC and across other government departments. The questions ranged from simple confirmation of clearance requests and application updates to more complex questions about whether clearance would be appropriate due to a particular set of circumstances. I soon found that I was quickly able to expand my vetting knowledge while also building up strong working relationships with the team, across HMRC and other Departments.
I also got the opportunity to get involved in other areas of vetting work and taking advantage of the note-taking skills and experience I had gained over the years in my previous tax roles, I became the lead note taker at appeal hearings. This gave me the opportunity to travel across the country to other HMRC offices and get to know a variety of different people. The pandemic also gave me the chance to further strengthen these skills and to learn new ones when the appeal hearings became virtual rather than face-to-face.
My managers encouraged me to get involved with non-vetting activities to help with my development. I became the vetting team representative for the People Engagement Group, working with colleagues from across HMRC Security to improve staff engagement matters such as health and wellbeing. This activity helped me to strengthen my skills in communication and people engagement where I participated in forums, engaging my peers and senior leaders to support the vetting team across the wider community.
Onwards and Upwards
My confidence grew as I gained more experience which led to a temporary promotion on the team to a Higher Vetting Officer. This role involved managing the enquiries mailbox and two members of staff.
I was now dealing with more complex queries, helping my team to answer any queries they had difficulty with and working with colleagues across departments to resolve issues and manage expectations.
As I was new to managing staff, I was able to take advantage of HMRC’s Management Development Programme which gave me the skills and confidence to become an effective manager, supporting my team members with their daily activities and own career development.
Today
Having successfully gained a permanent promotion to HEO (Higher Executive Officer), I now manage a small team who deal with new applications for vetting clearance and support applicants through the application process, resolving any issues that they might encounter completing the relevant security forms.
A typical day for me includes reviewing the priority work areas and advise my team on the priorities for the day ensuring variety in their work to keep it interesting and to keep them motivated. I also support my team to respond to any queries and to deal with any complex issues they are working on. My role also involves reviewing vetting applications as they arrive into the mailbox to ensure they contain all the expected information needed for them to be processed as well as many other ad hoc duties. Depending on the priorities across the wider team I may also jump across to other areas of work to lend a hand if required to do so, enabling me to keep my knowledge base up to date.
Since joining HMRC Security I have faced new challenges and developed new skills which have boosted my confidence to go for promotion. I have developed my leadership and management skills, which I am not sure I would have done in previous roles. This has meant I have been able to support my team with their own development and look forward to seeing them grow.
The ever-changing landscape of HMRC Security often opens up the possibility of new areas of work and development opportunities both in vetting, and the wider security directorate so if you have an interest in security or just fancy a change of direction, come join us.
