Size and roles in the ONS Recruitment Team

Reference: FOI-2024-1782

You asked

The questions concern the size and roles within your central recruitment team.

 What is the total headcount of the recruitment of the recruitment team? 

1. Can you provide job titles and salaries?
2. Do you have an e-recruitment system? 
3. If yes to question 3, what system do you use?
4. Is your process entirely managed via your e-recruitment / ATS system?
5. How many vacancies do you advertise on an annual basis?
6. Do you advertise internally first? What is the split between internal and externally advertised vacancies?

We said

Thank you for your request.

The total headcount of the recruitment of the recruitment team is 32.

The recruitment team includes colleagues with different role titles and in different civil service grades. Their grade determines their salaries; grades are given in brackets after the role titles: Deputy Director, Strategic resourcing (SCS1), Head of Strategic Resourcing (Grade 6), Heads of Resourcing (Grade 7), Senior Resourcing Partners (SEO), Resourcing Consultants (HEO), Resourcing Support (EO), and Resourcing administrators (AO). Salary band information is linked here: Pay scales (Pay Framework) - tasks and guides (statistics.gov.uk).

ONS uses Civil Service Jobs which is a civil service-wide online application system.

Our process is not entirely managed via our e-recruitment / ATS system.

We ran 412 recruitment campaigns to fill 1079 posts in 2023. This represents the number of recruitment campaigns which closed for applications between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023.

ONS works to "external by default" for SCS roles, and the filling of delegated grade roles (AO – G6) follows a process which includes supporting surplus colleagues, and looking internally first, before advertising externally.

Of the 412 campaigns that closed for applications between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023: 3 campaigns were advertised across Government to fill 3 posts; 271 campaigns were advertised externally – to fill 889 posts; 138 campaigns were advertised internally – to fill 187 posts.