Operational Delivery Fast Stream 2027

Job summary

On the Operational Delivery Fast Stream, you will receive an unparalleled experience of making a real difference by leading through others to make government policies, strategies and plans a reality. In the work that you do, you will be transforming people's lives for the better in the largest profession in the Civil Service.

The specific towns and cities depend on the department you are posted to and its office locations. The Fast Stream evolves continually, so postings can vary from year to year.

As an indication, in 2026 new fast streamers were posted to government offices in the following regions: East England, East Midlands, Greater London, North East, North West, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

On occasion, some individuals may need to move location. We aim to align postings with your preferences whenever possible; however, final decisions must support our wider business needs. Please note that Fast Streamers cannot choose their department or their specific role.

Job description

As an Operational Delivery Fast Streamer, you will gain experience and skills by working in various challenging Operational Delivery roles with the opportunity to work in different environments/government departments such as the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Home Office. By the end of the scheme, you will be:

Leading and managing teams, monitoring operational performance, and continually improving services

Setting overall vision and purpose, role modelling positive leadership behaviours, managing, coaching, and developing inclusive teams

Ensuring decisions and priorities made in real-time are based on evidence and analysis so that value and best service is maximised.

We are the largest professional community within the Civil Service, with over 300,000 members. Our colleagues account for more than half of the civil service and work in vital frontline services like Job Centres, courts, tax and border control. The profession has many and varied job roles like processing, case work, telephony and enforcement.

Most interactions with the Civil Service come through operational delivery professionals. Our members are the link between the government’s policy intentions and actual improvements to the lives of everyone in the country.

The work of operational delivery professionals impacts millions of lives across the UK every day. By supporting them with skills, innovation, development and learning ODP are helping to deliver effective and high performing public services.

The ODP team supports in building the capability needed to meet the challenges the Civil Service faces. We do this by investing in people’s skills, career development and professional standards through training, mentoring, sharing knowledge and guidance.

Find out more about the Operational Delivery Profession here or follow us on LinkedIn to see the great and passionate work you could be part of.

As an Operational Delivery fast streamer, you will be fully supported to:

Develop into a confident, inspiring, and empowering leader; learning how to manage people and teams through on-the-job learning and an accredited CMI qualification.
Lead the services that make a real difference to people’s lives every day.
Experience the tangible, positive impact your work has on UK citizens

We aim to put all successful candidates through Security Clearance (SC). However, if you are ineligible for SC, please do not be deterred from applying; we have plenty of exciting roles available that only require standard Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre-employment checks. You can find more information about vetting clearance levels here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vett…

Person specification

You must be eligible to work in the UK
You need to have or be on track to receive, a 2:2 or higher in any degree subject including degree apprenticeships
Existing civil servants can apply without a degree provided you meet the criteria for the in-service route

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,554, Fast Stream and Emerging Talent contributes £9,141 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).Gaining experience in line management ranging from smaller operational teams to larger operational management roles
First-hand front-line operational experience to understand the roles of the teams you will be leading
Responsibility and autonomy in impactful roles designed to better the lives of citizens
Completion of a level 6 CMI accredited qualification, with the opportunity to apply for Chartered Management Status on completion
Completion of an executive leadership course
The opportunity to widen experience with exposure to other professions
Being a part of the largest professional community across government
Earning potential of £55,000 on graduating from the Operational Delivery Scheme
Further employment benefits include a generous annual leave offer starting at 25 days plus national holidays, access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, flexible working opportunities, season ticket loans, sports and social activities, childcare assistance and more

Things you need to know

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. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application Process

There are several phases in the Fast Stream application process. Some of these assessments are multimedia in that they present information in video, audio, graphical or visual formats, as well as text. We hope you find it an engaging process and one that gives you a real insight into the role of a fast streamer.

At the initial application stage you will be asked to complete some background information which will include some diversity questions - which are for monitoring purposes only and will have no bearing on selection outcomes - along with the opportunity to identify your preferences in terms of the different Fast Stream schemes. You can choose up to three.

When you apply please register with a personal email address, and not a work or university email address.

Assessment Phases

There are 2 online tests:

Work-based scenarios - This test measures interpersonal skills, utilising video based scenarios and you are required to assess the effectiveness of various responses.

Case Study assessment - In this test you are required to take work based scenarios on an imaginary role, learning and responding to a series of challenges and situations and adapting to the changes you are presented with.

Additional information - depending on th