Bristol, Portsmouth
Job Summary
Are you looking for a new opportunity?
Do you have the skills to lead and motivate teams?
The Office for National Statistics is the UK’s national statistical institute and the largest producer of official statistics. We are the only government department dedicated solely to statistics, operating independently of ministers and reporting to Parliament and the devolved administrations through the UK Statistics Authority.
Part of the wider Surveys Directorate, covering business and social surveys, Social Survey Operations (SSO) consists of Social Surveys Collection (SSC) and Social Surveys Delivery (SSD). SSO have approximately 1,400 members of staff - 300 are located at the Newport and Titchfield headquarter sites and the rest are spread across the UK as SSO is home to the ONS Field Force who are on the front-line of data collection in ONS. SSO are responsible for some of the largest social surveys run in the United Kingdom and produce a series of high profile research and statistical outputs for policy and research purposes.
This International Passenger Survey Site Manager role will see you being part of a continuous survey that started in 1961 and is based at all major sea, air and international rail terminals within the United Kingdom.
As a International Passenger Survey Site Manager you’ll become a member of the Operational Delivery Profession—the largest profession in the Civil Service with over 200,000 members.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a modern, inclusive, and innovative Civil Service profession at the heart of public service delivery. You’ll be part of a community delivering essential public services. ODP offers learning and development opportunities, career pathways, and resources to help you grow and succeed in your role.
Attendance at the Base Site is required 2-3 days per week. Attendance at residual sites (where applicable) as agreed with line manager. Some weekend and evening work will be required as a result of the shift working pattern of your team.
Travel cost between base and residual sites is covered by ONS.
Job Description
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey that started in 1961 and is based at all major sea, air and international rail terminals within the United Kingdom. The main sponsor of the survey is ONS. Within ONS, the data provided by the IPS is used for several purposes. It is used to calculate the effect of the tourist industry on the UK balance of payments and calculate consumer expenditure on air fares. Migration unit also use the data to make population projections and forecasts.
Responsibilities:
- Manage a team of interviewers, with a regular on-site presence, coaching, mentoring, advising, and supporting to ensure high quality data collection and maximum response rate for the IPS survey.
- Supporting the Central Allocation process by providing interviewer leave notifications, sick absence etc.
- Manage and monitor the performance of your team ensuring polices are followed and any issues are dealt with at pace. Maintain a regular presence at sites, carry out observations and check-ins, utilise MI information to help identify training needs and put in place a plan for ongoing support.
- Build an effective partnership with Site Manager colleagues where jointly responsible for the IPS site.
- Working together to ensure a cohesive and effective management team, demonstrating the right behaviours to contribute to a high performing team.
- Build a network of trust with stakeholders to support management and change effectively.
- Role model positive behaviour which demonstrates empathy and adapt management style to behavioral and emotional responses. Ensure effective and ongoing communication, critical to maintaining morale and reducing uncertainty.
- Identify and develop skills within the team and offer additional learning, coaching and mentoring to reach full potential. Empower others to make decisions where appropriate by ensuring clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.
- Maintain relationships with stakeholders at my sites, working collaboratively with them, sharing information, resources and support. Maintain relationships with colleagues and internal stakeholders which support and promote a clear business message by investing time developing a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respected.
- Support management initiatives with positivity, delivering clear messages with enthusiasm, inviting constructive input and feedback, ensuring staff feel valued and involved.
- Monitor costs and identify opportunities to provide cost effective delivery of service.
- Report to IPS Area Manager, on staffing and operational matters, escalating issues, identifying risks and reviewing performance
This role covers both Bristol and Portsmouth areas.
The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey that started in 1961 and is based at all major sea, air and international rail terminals within the United Kingdom. The main sponsor of the survey is ONS. Within ONS, the data provided by the IPS is used for several purposes. It is used to calculate the effect of the tourist industry on the UK balance of payments and calculate consumer expenditure on air fares. Migration unit also use the data to make population projections and forecasts.
Responsibilities:
- Manage a team of interviewers, with a regular on-site presence, coaching, mentoring, advising, and supporting to ensure high quality data collection and maximum response rate for the IPS survey.
- Supporting the Central Allocation process by providing interviewer leave notifications, sick absence etc.
- Manage and monitor the performance of your team ensuring polices are followed and any issues are dealt with at pace. Maintain a regular presence at sites, carry out observations and check-ins, utilise MI information to help identify training needs and put in place a plan for ongoing support.
- Build an effective partnership with Site Manager colleagues where jointly responsible for the IPS site.
- Working together to ensure a cohesive and effective management team, demonstrating the right behaviours to contribute to a high performing team.
- Build a network of trust with stakeholders to support management and change effectively.
- Role model positive behaviour which demonstrates empathy and adapt management style to behavioral and emotional responses. Ensure effective and ongoing communication, critical to maintaining morale and reducing uncertainty.
- Identify and develop skills within the team and offer additional learning, coaching and mentoring to reach full potential. Empower others to make decisions where appropriate by ensuring clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.
- Maintain relationships with stakeholders at my sites, working collaboratively with them, sharing information, resources and support. Maintain relationships with colleagues and internal stakeholders which support and promote a clear business message by investing time developing a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respected.
- Support management initiatives with positivity, delivering clear messages with enthusiasm, inviting constructive input and feedback, ensuring staff feel valued and involved.
- Monitor costs and identify opportunities to provide cost effective delivery of service.
- Report to IPS Area Manager, on staffing and operational matters, escalating issues, identifying risks and reviewing performance
This role covers both Bristol and Portsmouth areas.
Person specification
Essential Criteria:
- Ability to lead and motivate teams of remote staff.
- A strong personal commitment to people engagement empowering people to deliver a professional, quality service and building a fully inclusive workforce.
- Confident to engage and influence stakeholders both within and outside the organisation.
- Ability to work on own initiative with support from remote management.
Desirable Criteria:
- Past experience of line management.
- Proven team player.
Licences
Full UK Driving Licence
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
Alongside your salary of £27,252, Office for National Statistics contributes £7,894 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.
Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.
Inclusion & Accessibility
At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.
As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.
If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Important Information
This Role Requires Access To Restricted Areas Within UK Airports. As Such, Successful Candidates Must Pass An Airside Enhanced Background Check. This Includes:
- You will be required to provide a full, continuous 5-year employment history, including:
- Details of all previous roles.
- Explanations for any gaps of 28 days or more.
- Referee contact details to verify each period of employment or inactivity.
- If you have lived outside of the UK for a period of over 6 months during the last 5 years, you will need to provide a certificate of good conduct from the country/ countries you have lived in.
You will be given clear information on the above details if you are successful at interview.
If we are unable to obtain the necessary airport ID pass for you, we will be unable to proceed with your employment, and any job offer may be withdrawn.
Artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini are powerful tools that can create and review text in ways that mimic what people can do. These tools can help you enhance your application and prepare for the process, but it is essential you use them appropriately.
They must also not be used to provide misleading or false information at any stage of the application journey.
It is also important to understand that while AI can help you prepare for an interview, you must not use it to produce responses during an interview.
For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please click here.
Application Process
Number of Stages: 2 stage process
Stage 1: Application
Stage 2: Interview
Stage 1 – Application
The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.
If a personal statement is required at application stage, it will state the maximum wordcount allowed, which should not be exceeded. Where it is a requirement to make a personal statement, you should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.
In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.
Stage 2 – Interview
If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.
Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams.
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.
The Sift will be conducted from: Wednesday 27th August 2025
Interviews will be conducted from: Wednesday 10th September 2025
For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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.
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).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission
