Immigration and Compliance Officer

The Immigration & Compliance Officer role is part of the wider People Services Delivery Team.  The position will provide first class operational support to employees and the business on immigration matters in recruitment and on-going obligations of those with time limited right to work. 

The responsibility of the role is to manage all sponsorship processes and corresponding legal and regulatory duties. Also to ensure Thames Water continues to meet its legal obligations under the Immigration Act 2016 and remains compliant with the Government’s Right to Work Employer’s Guide.

 What you’ll be doing as an Immigration and Compliance Officer

• Act as a subject matter expert for employees, hiring managers, and the people team members on sponsorship processes and right to work, escalating to our employment legal partners for advice where appropriate.
• Identifying any new governance or regulatory compliance requirements that need to be supported/implemented by Thames Water.
• Provides regular training on right to work and sponsorship – ensuring Thames Water remains compliant with government guidance, and legislative changes.
• Accountable for all sponsorship processes (for new and existing employees) ensuring compliance with internal documentation and government guidance.
• Accountable for the maintenance of up-to-date documentation on right to work and sponsorship processes including process maps, notes, hiring manager guides, checklists.
• Accountable for the management of any change in circumstance or changing terms and conditions for sponsored workers to ensure all reporting requirements are fulfilled and the change is permissible.
• Manage the immigration aspects of all employees with time limited right to work., to ensure all employees maintain continued right to work in the UK.
• Maintain accurate trackers and management information that can be distributed when required.
• Fulfil the duties of a ‘Level 1 User’ and responsible for the details held in the Sponsorship Management System, both in respect of the licence itself and sponsored workers.
• Carry out monthly audits on right to work documentation accepted for new joiners, keep evidence of these checks and feedback any anomalies.
• Manage those on SC and CTC clearance by ensuring the HR System reflects the additional clearance and then by tracking and highlighting to Security when clearance is due to expire, and contacting managers of those with clearance to advise of their duties.
• Any other duties as assigned by your manager

Base Location – Hybrid – Clear Water Court Reading
Working Pattern – 36 hours

What you should bring to the role

• Knowledge of right to work and sponsorship processes
• Highly organised and responsive, with an ability to deal with a high volume of queries each day whilst prioritising work to meet tight deadlines
• Confident and tenacious, taking ownership of issues, escalating where applicable to ensure resolution in a timely manner
• Experience of managing challenging stakeholders
• Trustworthy, with ability to maintain confidentiality
• Excellent communication skills, able to adapt and build rapport/provide advice to all levels
• Experience of SAP HCM, ServiceNow and the Sponsorship Management System
• CIPD qualification is desirable

 What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £33,000 up to £40,000 per annum depending on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing

Who are we?
At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.

Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.

But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?

Working at Thames Water
At Thames Water we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business.

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, background, and differences that each individual brings.

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process.

Find out more about working at Thames Water.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.