24/7 Major Incident Manager - Newcastle-upon-Tyne

24/7 Major Incident Manager - Newcastle-upon-Tyne About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

Are you passionate about ensuring seamless IT operations and ready to take on a pivotal role in a dynamic environment?

Do you thrive in constantly evolving situations and are great at taking control, assessing and managing the situation?

If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join HMRC - one of the largest and most dynamic IT infrastructures in Europe, and we are now one of the most digitally advanced tax authorities in the world.

For those who are up to the challenge, we offer unique and unparalleled opportunities to work with some of the newest technologies and make a real, lasting difference.

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

The Team

Our role sits within Enterprise Live Services (ELS) which forms part of the Chief Digital & Information Group (CDIO).

ELS are accountable end to end for HMRC's IT Systems & Services, and our focus is ensuring a consistent, excellent Customer Experience. We work closely with the other product and platform groups and their partners to bring IT Systems and Services together.

Job description

HMRC is looking for a dynamic and proactive Major Incident Manager to join our team, playing a pivotal role in safeguarding the reliability and resilience of our IT estate.

As a Major Incident Manager, you will be at the heart of our response to major IT incidents and escalations, working collaboratively across the organisation 365 days a year. You will champion rapid and effective incident management to restore services swiftly, minimising disruption to business operations and ensuring our colleagues and customers experience the highest standards of service quality and availability.

In this exciting role, you will:

• Assess complex situations and make decisive interventions to resolve major incidents.
• Rapidly coordinate resolution activities and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including 3rd parties.
• Manage stakeholder expectations and act as a trusted point of contact for business areas, translating technical information into clear, accessible language.
• Provide visible leadership, taking ownership of issues and inspiring teams to deliver outstanding incident management.
• Go beyond technical expertise, demonstrating initiative, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Respond to IT incidents and flex to support higher organisational priorities as needed.

This post is not a highly technical role, and the ability to provide visible leadership, rapidly take ownership of emerging issues and proactively direct activities is critical to this role.

The Role

Due to operational needs, this post is full-time ; however, applicants who need to work a more flexible arrangement are welcome to apply. We can't guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly as any agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate. Any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

This role can offer hybrid working, but 60% of your time must be spent within our Newcastle bridge operations room. You must therefore be able to commute to the Newcastle location and initial training will be entirely office based in Newcastle.

You will be joining a team that provides round the clock cover and service, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

This role attracts an Annual Attendance Allowance (AAA) payment which is typically a 26.11% monthly payment on top of your basic salary. This payment could vary to reflect the specific type and number of unsocial hours you are rostered to work.

You will perform your contracted hours on an annualised hours basis, working fixed shift patterns over a 4 week rostering period consisting of days, nights, weekends and public holidays.

The total number of hours worked over the 4 week rostering period is 148 hours. This is not inclusive of breaks which are unpaid.

If the rostered shift falls on a Bank Holiday, colleagues are expected to work this.

Typically, in 2 out of the 4 weeks, there is a requirement to work 52.75 hours per week, and in the other 2 weeks, a requirement to work 21.25 hours per week. This is subject to change in accordance with business needs.

Current (typical) shift patterns are as follows:

Week 1:
Monday 6:45am - 7pm
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7am - 7pm

Week 2:
Wednesday 6:45am - 7pm
Thursday 7am to 7pm

Week 3:
Monday 6:45pm - 7am
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7pm - 7am

Week 4:
Wednesday 6:45pm - 7am
Thursday 7pm - 7am

Please note that allowances paid within HMRC are subject to change in accordance with respective policy changes, the Annual Attendance Allowance is currently under review.

The team also operate a further out of hours on call rota which colleagues are expected to join once fully trained. Colleagues joining the rota will be reimbursed as per HMRC policy.

Person specification

We are seeking a dynamic individual with extensive experience in handling Major Incidents within a large, multi-functional organisation. You should possess a deep understanding of both business and service impacts.

A strong and effective leader, you are self-motivated, resilient, and confident in working both proactively and reactively. You are comfortable delivering reports and briefings to senior leaders.

As an excellent communicator, you can set the right tone for both business and technical audiences. You thrive in a team environment and quickly build strong working relationships across multiple locations. Additionally, you are open minded, ready to consider the ideas of others, and readily accept feedback on your work.

Responsibilities:

• Facilitating and directing Major Incident resolution activity.
• Producing high quality communications for business and technical audiences within tight timescales.
• Challenging others to facilitate service restoration, while constantly reprioritising tasks and workload.
• Understand IT issues from a customer perspective, draw logical conclusions and make sensible suggestions whilst negotiating with suppliers.
• Proactively participating in post incident reviews and any residual recovery activity.
• Making critical decisions in relation to incidents/changes required out of hours.
• Working closely with partners to provide assurance of delivery to support Key Business Events.

Please note: Security Check (SC) clearance level, either already held or willing to obtain, is a requirement of this role. Please see Additional Security Information and Security sections below.

Essential Criteria:

We are looking for an experienced Major Incident Manager who clearly demonstrates the below:

• Proven experience in managing major IT incidents, including triage, escalation and resolution within a complex organisational environment.
• Capable of managing multiple incidents simultaneously, prioritising tasks effectively and maintaining focus in a constantly evolving environment to deliver rapid results.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences ensuring everyone is aligned.
• Demonstrates a positive influence on teams and excels at building strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation.
• Strong and effective leadership.

Desirable Criteria:

• Existing knowledge of how a business service is supported by the IT.
• Service Management experience within a large organisation and meaningful experience in IT Operational Management.
• Proven dedication to IT Service Management standard methodologies, along with a track record of delivering continuous improvement in a customer centric environment.
• ITIL Foundation V3 or V4 and a fundamental understanding of the Major Incident Management function and how to apply it.

Additional Location information - Transitional sites:

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

It's important to note that this is not a long-term site for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time:

• Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle.

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV, to include your Job History, with a short description of your jobs/roles, duties and any key achievements.
• A 500-word Personal Statement, describing how your skills and experience would make you suitable for the role, referring to the Person Specification, and how you meet the Essential Criteria.

Please also provide a statement (max 250-words) for the Desirable Criteria, if applicable to you, on your application form. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on the Personal Statement.

At full sift your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be asked Experience-based questions to explore your skills, abilities and relevant experience.

There will also be a technical written task involved, with details to be shared with candidates during the interview. There is no need to prepare for this task.

Interviews will take place via video link (Microsoft Teams).

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: [email protected] - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]'

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

The HMRC app can help you with your application

The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years' employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier.

If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.

Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet.

How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account:

Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store.

If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.

You'll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint or facial recognition.

You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment Team via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

From 1 April 2026, applicants will be required to meet updated nationality and residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. If this affects you, we will give you more information at the appropriate time.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).