Careers and opportunities

Last updated - 23rd July 2009

There are approximately 9200 HR professionals currently working in the Civil Service. They are employed in a hugely varied range of organisations both in size and in business. You could be involved in enabling your organisation to help people back to work, allocate lottery grants, issue passports, improve public transport, tackle illegal drugs, or manage the UK 's forests amongst a host of other things. We can offer you the chance to make a difference.

HR professionals are increasingly being recognised for the expertise and value they can bring to the organisation to improve delivery. We are supporting their development against the PSG HR professional standards through clearer career paths, development programmes to build expertise, and support for professional recognition.

Where do I look for jobs?

Government departments recruit their own staff. You will find details of vacancies in the jobs section of the Civil Service website.

What are you looking for in HR professionals?

The Civil Service HR Professional Standards[PDF, 281KB] set out our expectations of HR professionals working in the Civil Service. The standards provide clarity and consistency for what is expected of individuals and a clear framework for career development.

You can find details of the other professional standards for the Civil Service on the Professional Skills for Government pages.

They complement the standards described in the CIPD HR profession map which can help HR professionals to deepen their expertise. Successful application of that expertise is then the key to demonstrating your competence.

What if I'm already working in HR in the Civil Service?

You can access more career information in the HR Professional Community area of the website.

You can access more Civil Service vacancies through the jobs section.