Vetting Specialist

Help shape and lead CITB's vetting and safer recruitment framework to protect our learners, colleagues and organisation.

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Vetting Specialist to take ownership of CITB's end-to-end vetting, safeguarding and safer recruitment processes. This newly created role offers a unique opportunity to influence how pre-employment screening, compliance and risk management are delivered across the organisation.

As the subject matter expert for vetting and safer recruitment, you will oversee all pre-employment checks including right to work, DBS, PVG, sponsorship and role-specific screening requirements. You will ensure that recruitment and onboarding processes reflect safeguarding best practice, meet legislative and regulatory requirements, and support a safe learning and working environment for our learners and employees.

Working closely with Talent Acquisition, HR, Safeguarding, Legal and senior stakeholders, you will provide expert advice on complex cases, assess and manage recruitment-related risks, support audits and inspections, and drive continuous improvement across our vetting and compliance framework.

This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about safer recruitment, thrives on making balanced evidence-based decisions, and is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safer recruitment and compliance. In return, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in an organisation that develops the skills and workforce needed for the future of the construction industry.

Hours of Work: Full-time (35 hours per week)

Working Pattern: Hybrid, at least 2 days a week onsite

Contract: Permanent

Grade: SC2

Target Salary: £42,642 per annum

Location: Peterborough

Provisional Interview Dates: w/c 9th November 2026

The Vetting Specialist will provide day-to-day ownership of CITB's vetting framework and ensure that safer recruitment, legal and policy requirements are understood, applied consistently and recorded correctly. The role will oversee right-to-work checks, including sponsored workers and people with limited or time bound permission to work, alongside DBS, PVG, BPSS and other role-based checks.

The postholder will set clear CITB standards, provide specialist advice on complex cases and maintain assurance over the Single Central Record (SCR). Working closely with Talent Acquisition, HR, Safeguarding, Legal, Information Security, the sponsor office and third-party providers, the role will protect CITB, its colleagues and learners by ensuring vetting decisions are timely, proportionate, evidence based and auditable.

What you’ll be doing:

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Own and maintain CITB's end-to-end vetting framework, setting consistent standards and translating legislation, statutory guidance and internal policy into clear, practical and proportionate requirements for each role.

• Determine and assure the correct vetting package for roles and individuals, including identity, right to work, sponsorship status, employment history, qualifications, overseas checks, DBS, PVG, BPSS and any additional information-security or sponsor-office requirements. Confirm the conditions attached to limited or time-bound permission to work and the follow-up checks required.

• Provide specialist advice on complex or higher-risk cases, including positive disclosures, self declarations, adverse references, employment gaps, overseas histories and sponsorship; coordinate risk assessments and suitability-panel referrals with HR, Safeguarding and Legal as required.

• Maintain assurance over the Single Central Record and associated vetting records, ensuring evidence is complete, accurate, secure, current and inspection ready; reconcile information across the HR and vetting systems until integration is fully implemented.

• Manage sponsorship and limited right-to-work controls, including evidence standards, expiry dates, repeat-check requirements and timely escalation. Plan and monitor all renewals and time-limited checks, and provide clear management information on compliance, exceptions, service performance and emerging risks to senior stakeholders.

• Manage quality and assurance arrangements with Reed and any other third-party providers, recognising that providers carry out checks but CITB remains accountable for defining requirements and making the final vetting decision.

• Support organisational capability by maintaining guidance, controls and training for administrators and hiring managers, and lead continuous improvement arising from audits, regulatory change, organisational change, potential merger activity and evolving DWP or information-security requirements.

Line Management/Leadership

This role has one direct report. The role will provide professional direction, coaching and quality assurance to colleagues involved in vetting activity and may lead cross-functional improvement work through matrix arrangements.

The postholder will role model CITB's values by working collaboratively, applying standards consistently, taking accountability for advice and decisions, and ensuring the process is inclusive, fair and proportionate.

Key contacts and relationships:

Internal

• Talent Acquisition and recruitment administration • Hiring managers and senior leaders

• HR, Safeguarding, Legal, Information Security and Data Protection

• Procurement, including support with supplier standards, contracts and assurance

• Colleagues responsible for the HR system, system integration and reporting

External

• External vetting and screening providers

• Disclosure and Barring Service and Disclosure Scotland

• Home Office, CITB's sponsor-licence contacts and other relevant government or regulatory bodies

• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), including sponsor-office and function-specific vetting contacts

• External auditors, inspectors and specialist advisers

Essential

• Significant practical experience of vetting, safer recruitment, pre-employment screening or a comparable regulated compliance environment.

• Strong working knowledge of right-to-work requirements, including sponsored workers, limited or time-bound permission, repeat checks and employer responsibilities, alongside DBS eligibility and disclosure levels, regulated activity and barred-list considerations, and PVG or Disclosure Scotland requirements.

• Experience of interpreting legislation, statutory guidance and policy and turning these into clear operational rules, controls and guidance.

• Experience of reviewing complex cases, completing proportionate risk assessments and providing clear, evidence-based advice to decision makers.

• Experience of maintaining accurate, sensitive and auditable records, including an SCR or comparable compliance register, with a sound understanding of data protection and confidentiality.

• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with experience of managing renewals, exceptions, management information, audit evidence and competing priorities.

• Ability to build effective relationships, challenge appropriately and explain complex requirements clearly to managers, colleagues, senior stakeholders and suppliers. Role Profile

• Confident user of HR, recruitment or case-management systems and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Desirable

• Experience in education, apprenticeships, the public sector, a charity or another safeguarding focused organisation.

• Experience of BPSS, information-security or national-security vetting requirements.

• Experience of supporting a sponsor licence, sponsored-worker compliance or immigration-status tracking.

• Experience of supplier assurance, system implementation or integration, audit or organisational change.

• A relevant HR, recruitment, safeguarding, compliance or data-protection qualification.

Why join CITB?

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays

• 3 additional days Christmas shutdown

• Generous pension scheme (up to 9% employer contribution)

• Life assurance (4x salary)

• 2 paid volunteering days per year

• Professional development & funded training qualifications

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Be part of a respected organisation shaping the future of UK construction

Behavioural Competencies

• Fairness, inclusion & respect - Level 3

• Effective decision making - Level 3

• Communicating with impact - Level 3

• Works collaboratively - Level 3

• Drives for results - Level 3

• Customer focus - Level 3

• Innovation, change and agility- Level 3

Closing Date

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the stated closing date. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, therefore early applications are encouraged to avoid disappointment.

Special Conditions / Other requirements e.g. enhanced DBS, travel requirements, working arrangements

The postholder must maintain the level of vetting and clearance required for the role. Occasional UK travel may be required to support audits, inspections, stakeholder meetings or operational sites. The role handles sensitive personal and criminal-record information and requires the highest standards of confidentiality, judgement and data security. Some flexibility may be required to respond to urgent safeguarding, compliance or candidate-start issues.

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.

We are committed to equal opportunities and recruit based on merit, skills and experience.