Application
To apply, you will need to complete a Verbal Reasoning test online. You will also need to submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Personal Statement of no more than 750 words.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 17th August 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.
Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 3pm and Midnight on Sunday 2nd August 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.
If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.
Your CV should set out your education, your employment history, and previous skills and experience.
Your personal statement needs to set out how you meet the person specification and essential experience requirements set out above. It should provide specific examples that demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the requirement for the role. If you do not have work-based examples then please give examples from university/college, clubs, volunteering or other activities you have been involved in.
Sift
Sift will begin shortly after the advert closes.
An initial sift will be completed based on CVs. Please ensure that your CV communicates your ability to meet the essential criteria for this role.
Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift or invited to interview.
Candidates must score at least a 4 to pass the sift (a 4 requires an acceptable demonstration of the essential criteria), and if there are high number of candidates who score a 4 or higher the sift pass mark may increase.
Interview
The interview assessment will be in person and consist of the following parts:
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Excel analytical assessment This assessment will test your use of Microsoft Excel and your data analysis skills. You will not have internet access during this assessment.
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Behaviour based interview questions These questions will assess the essential skills and behaviours required for the role. The behaviours you will be assessed against are Making effective decisions, Communicating and influencing, Delivering at pace, and Working together. Guidance on HEO behaviour questions can be found on Gov.uk
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Technical questions These questions will assess your situational judgement. The questions will be hypothetical, and you will be asked to answer how you would handle those scenarios.
All parts of the interview must be passed to be considered for a role.
Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interviews.
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 rejected. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Interviews will take place in person at our office in Reading, which is located at:
Premier House
60 Caversham Road
Reading
RG1 7EB
Please note, we are unable to cover travel expenses for attending the interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Offer
Once all interviews have been completed and moderated, candidates will be notified of the outcome by email. Offers will be made in strict merit order to the highest scoring candidate first.
The successful candidates will be notified of a start date following successful security checks.
Reserve list
Please note that a reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months. This means that if you have passed the interview, but we could not offer you a position initially, you may be considered for similar positions. However, there is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists.
Near miss
Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions at the TRA which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.
We are Inclusive
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible and recognise how important inclusivity is to achieve the best outcomes. We hope to attract applications from all underrepresented groups.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments if required to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request adjustments.
Near Miss
Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised.
Further Information
This position is available either as a fixed term appointment, or on secondment/loan for existing civil/public servants. If you would like your application to be considered only on a secondment basis please indicate this in your application, you must have the support of your current employer. The secondment/loan would be for an agreed fixed term of up to one year, with terms and conditions to be confirmed between the home and host organisation. The successful candidate will be the candidate who obtains the highest score at interview.
Any move to TRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service 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 youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
