Working for the Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation's Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG)
This guidance explains how to apply to join the FCDO’s Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation (OCSM) Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG).
The Office for Conflict, Stabilisation and Mediation (OCSM) is part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The OCSM works in partnership with teams across the FCDO and wider UK government to minimise the frequency and intensity of conflicts abroad. This includes reducing people’s suffering, promoting international security, and protecting UK interests. The OCSM brings together conflict expertise and applies it to where the UK can make the most difference.
Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG)
As part of this mission, the OCSM provides specialist conflict expertise and support to the UK government’s work around the world through its Civilian Stabilisation Group (CSG). CSG includes experienced consultants who can be sent to conflict-affected regions worldwide to support UK government and partners’ interventions, aiming to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts, and reduce their impacts.
Assignments with CSG can last from a few days to several months. Most assignments support UK programming and policy work, with consultants working alongside UK government teams in the UK or abroad.
The OCSM periodically recruits people with relevant skills and experience to join the CSG roster. If you are successful in applying to join the roster, you can then apply for fixed-term conflict, stabilisation, and mediation consultancy roles which are advertised exclusively to CSG members.
Being a member of the CSG does not guarantee employment, international deployment or training. CSG members are not UK government employees.
Structure of the Civilian Stabilisation Group
The CSG is made up of different thematic categories. To join it, you must apply to 1 of these categories, demonstrating relevant skills and experience:
- conflict prevention
- conflict, instability and atrocity risk analysis
- counter terrorism and counter violent extremism
- gender, children, conflict and stability
- governance reform
- justice
- mediation, negotiations and peace processes
- monitoring, evaluation & learning
- multilaterals
- operations
- policing
- Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI)
- security institutions
- security sector reform
- serious organised crime and illicit finance
- stabilisation
- strategic communications
For the latest category summaries and applicant requirements, email CSG@fcdo.gov.uk.
How to join the Civilian Stabilisation Group
At any particular time, a number of the CSG categories may be open to new members. The portal shows which categories are currently open.
If the category you consider to be the best fit for you is not currently open, email CSG@fcdo.gov.uk to register your interest and receive updates when categories are opened.
Your application will be assessed against the following criteria:
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general and technical requirements of the category that you are applying to. For the latest outline of the category profiles and applicant requirements, email: CSG@fcdo.gov.uk
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Civil Service behaviours at level 4 (Grades 6 and 7) in line with the Success Profiles recruitment framework. The specific behaviours that you need to provide examples for will be given when you apply
You can apply to only 1 CSG category at a time. But you can apply to tasks from another category in future.
If your application is unsuccessful, you will not be eligible to re-apply for the CSG for 12 months from the date you submitted your application, regardless of which category you applied for initially.
Eligibility to join the Civilian Stabilisation Group
We encourage applications from all eligible people with relevant skills and experience. However, there are eligibility restrictions for full-time crown servants and those employed by non-UK governmental and multilateral agencies.
You are not eligible to join the CSG if you are a full-time crown servant, including full-time members of the armed forces or police service.
You can apply to the CSG if you are:
- a full-time crown servant with a confirmed leaving date in the next 6 months from the date of your application
- a crown servant on a sabbatical of more than 6 months
- a military reservist
- a member of the special constabulary
These eligibility rules apply to people in similar roles working for other countries or international organisations, including the United Nations, European Union or Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Fee rate restrictions for ex-civil servants
On joining the CSG, former civil servants are subject to Civil Service rules. These state that the maximum daily fee rate ‘will be based strictly on departure salary, assuming 200 days work annually, multiplied by 1.25’ if you have been:
- a permanent and pensionable civil servant within the past 1 year (grade below SCS1) or
- a senior civil servant within the past 2 years (grade SCS1 or higher)
The fee rate will be that figure, or the advertised figure, whichever is lower.
Government departments have discretion to apply the rules for up to 2 years for specific roles below SCS1 level in exceptional cases.
Diversity and equality
The FCDO is committed to diversity and equality. The Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy states that all eligible people shall have equality of opportunity for employment and advancement on the basis of their suitability for the work whatever your gender, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or sexual orientation.
Recruitment process
If your initial application is successful, you will be invited to an interview, either at the FCDO in London, or online using Microsoft Teams. For interviews at the FCDO, you will need to arrange and pay for your travel and accommodation arrangements.
You should be available for an interview within 3 months after the date of your application. In exceptional circumstances, the OCSM will consider applicants for interview after this 3-month period.
At interview, you will be tested on the general and technical requirements of the category that you have applied for. You will also be asked questions in line with Civil Service Behaviours at level 4 (Grades 6 and 7). The specific behaviours that you will be asked to provide examples for will be communicated to you before your interview. Before the interview, you should prepare behaviour examples using the STAR method.
After the interview, we aim to contact you with a decision in 2 to 4 weeks.
Providing employment or academic references
If you are successful at interview you will need to provide details of employment or academic referees to cover the previous 3 years.
You must provide details of suitable referees within 1 month of being asked. We will contact these referees before we invite you to join the CSG.
The OCSM reserves the right to request additional references before final acceptance of membership. We reserve the right to withdraw any offer to, or membership of, the CSG if there are any discrepancies or concerns raised during the reference-checking process.
Security clearance
If you are successful at interview, your membership of the CSG will be on the condition of being granted a minimum of Baseline Personal Security Standard (BPSS) clearance or proof of current UK vetting clearance.
Certain CSG tasks may require you to undergo higher levels of security vetting.
The highest level of security clearance you will be able to get depends on how long you have lived in the UK. Your clearance level may limit your eligibility for some CSG tasks.
CSG Expected Standards of Behaviour
CSG members must comply with the CSG Expected Standards of Behaviour. These will be shared with you as a CSG member.
Recruitment policy
We regularly review our recruitment process to ensure that it meets Civil Service Commission standards. We reserve the right to update the application process at any time to ensure that it meets required standards.
Membership to the CSG is at the discretion of the OCSM. The OCSM will conduct regular reviews of individual CSG membership. The OCSM reserves the right to remove, or not deploy, any member of the CSG at its discretion without warning or notification.
Contact
If you have queries email: CSG@fcdo.gov.uk.
Last updated 19 September 2023 + show all updates
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The thematic categories for the Civilian Stabilisation Group have been revised.
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First published.