Civil Service Grades
The civil service of the Velocity Interoperability Network has seven grades. The structure below was published by the Civil Service Commission of the Velocity Interoperability Network on 6 September 2026 and replaces the separate arrangements each member organisation kept before that date. It applies to every department and service of the Network.
Grades attach to posts, not to the officials who hold them. A post is assigned to a grade by reference to the responsibility it carries, the decisions its holder may take without reference upwards and the resources for which its holder answers. The grade determines the panel that appoints to the post, the length of probation and the conduct requirements that apply to its holder; it does not by itself determine the work of the post, which is set out in the record of duties the department keeps.
Posts transferred at establishment
| Grade | Title | Responsibility | Appointed by | Probation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Assistant Officer | Routine casework, records and administrative support under supervision | Department | Six months |
| Grade 2 | Officer | Casework decided within published guidance, correspondence and first-line advice to the public | Department | Six months |
| Grade 3 | Senior Officer | Supervision of a team, decisions on cases outside guidance, drafting of departmental guidance | Department | Six months |
| Grade 4 | Principal Officer | Management of a branch, advice to directors, accountability for a defined budget | Department, reported to the Commission | Nine months |
| Grade 5 | Assistant Director | Management of a division, accountability for a programme of work and for its published commitments | Panel chaired by a Commissioner | Nine months |
| Grade 6 | Director | Direction of one of a department's functions, membership of the departmental board | Panel convened by the Commission | Twelve months |
| Grade 7 | Director General | Headship of a department or service and accountability for all it does | Panel convened by the Commission | Twelve months |
Delegated authority. Authority to appoint is delegated to departments for Grades 1 to 4, subject to the recruitment principles and to audit. Appointments at Grade 5 are made by a panel chaired by a Commissioner. Appointments at Grades 6 and 7 are made by a panel convened by the Commission, which reports the outcome and the reasons for it in its quarterly return. Delegated authority may be withdrawn from a department where an audit finds a serious or repeated departure from the principles; it is restored when the Commission is satisfied that the arrangements have been corrected.
| Grade | Panel chaired by | Panel members | Minimum advertising period | Outcome approved by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 1 to 3 | Grade 4 or above in the department | Three, one from outside the branch | Ten working days | Panel chair |
| Grade 4 | Grade 5 or above in the department | Three, one from another department | Ten working days | Departmental board |
| Grade 5 | A Commissioner | Four, two from other departments | Fifteen working days | The Commission |
| Grade 6 | A Commissioner | Four, two from outside the department | Fifteen working days | The Commission |
| Grade 7 | The First Commissioner | Five, three from outside the department | Twenty working days | The Commission |
Moving between grades. There are five routes by which an official may move from one post to another. Only the first confers a higher grade.
- Promotion by competition
- The ordinary route to a higher grade. The post is advertised and the official applies and is assessed alongside every other candidate. No official is promoted without a competition, and length of service is not by itself a qualification for a higher grade.
- Transfer at level
- A move to another post at the same grade, on the same terms, agreed between the two departments. A transfer is not an appointment and does not require a competition, but the receiving department records the requirements of the post and satisfies itself that the official meets them.
- Temporary responsibility
- An official may be asked to carry the responsibilities of a post one grade above their own while a competition is run, for no more than twelve months. Temporary responsibility does not confer the higher grade and gives no advantage in the competition that follows.
- Regrading of a post
- Where the duties of a post have changed materially, the department may apply to the Commission for the post to be regraded. Regrading follows the duties, not the official: a post regraded upwards is advertised unless the Commission is satisfied that the duties of the existing post already fell within the higher grade.
- Return to a lower grade
- An official may ask to move to a post at a lower grade, and the department may agree where a suitable post is vacant. The move is recorded with the reason, and does not prevent the official from applying for a post at their former grade.
Probation. Every appointment from outside the service is subject to probation of the length shown in the table above. During probation the official is assessed against the requirements published for the post, and is told at the halfway point whether progress is satisfactory. Probation may be extended once, by no more than half its original length, and the reason is recorded. An official whose probation is not confirmed is written to with the reasons and may complain to the Commission if the assessment departed from the published requirements.
Applying to regrade a post. The application is made by the department, not by the official who holds the post.
Step 1: Record the change in duties
Set out what the post did when it was last graded, what it does now and when the change took effect. A change that is expected to be temporary is not a ground for regrading.
Step 2: Compare the post with the grade descriptions
Identify the grade whose description best fits the duties as they now stand, having regard to the decisions the holder may take without reference upwards and the resources for which the holder answers.
Step 3: Obtain the departmental board's agreement
The board considers the application, records whether it agrees and states what it will do with the post if the application is refused.
Step 4: Apply to the Commission
Send the application, the record of duties and the board's decision to the Commission. Applications are decided within twenty working days, and the decision states the grade assigned and the reasons for it.
Step 5: Fill the post under the grade assigned
A post regraded upwards is advertised, unless the Commission is satisfied that the existing duties already fell within the higher grade. A post regraded downwards is not filled at the lower grade until it becomes vacant.
For the principles under which posts at every grade are filled, see Recruitment Standards; for the conduct requirements that vary by grade, see Conduct and Codes; for the number of posts established and filled in each grade, see Statistics. Questions about the structure, and applications to regrade a post, may be sent to contact@civil-service.gov.vin.