Civil Service Grades Explained: AA to SCS
Updated 13 July 2026
Civil Service grades are the common currency across departments: they set pay bands, responsibility levels — and crucially, the standard your application evidence is judged against. Departments sometimes use their own job titles, but almost all map onto this national structure.
The grade ladder
- AA/AO (Administrative) — operational delivery and administrative roles; the largest intake grades.
- EO (Executive Officer) — first line of management or specialist casework; supervising work and making day-to-day decisions.
- HEO (Higher Executive Officer) — managing teams or owning policy/delivery areas; the most commonly advertised 'step up' grade.
- SEO (Senior Executive Officer) — senior operational or policy leadership below the Grade 7 line; substantial autonomy.
- G7 (Grade 7) — leading significant areas of work, managing HEO/SEO staff, advising senior leaders; the standard 'senior specialist or team leader' grade.
- G6 (Grade 6) — deputy-director-adjacent leadership; typically leading multiple teams or major programmes.
- SCS (Senior Civil Service) — deputy director and above; corporate leadership assessed through its own processes.
Why grade matters for your evidence
Behaviour descriptors are banded by grade, so the same words in an advert demand different evidence at different levels. Making Effective Decisions at EO is about sound judgement within a framework someone else set; at G7 it's about making defensible calls amid ambiguity and owning the consequences. Applications fail when the example's scope sits a grade below the target.
Applying one grade up is normal and expected — the framework anticipates it. What matters is showing you already operate at moments of the higher grade's scope, even if your job title doesn't say so yet.
Salary and variation
Pay varies by department, profession and location within each grade, and figures date quickly — always take the range from the vacancy advert itself. As a structural rule, London postings and hard-to-fill professions sit at the top of each band.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a grade above my current one?›
Yes — external and internal candidates alike apply straight for the advertised grade. Your evidence just has to meet that grade's behaviour descriptors, which usually means showcasing the moments your current role stretched beyond its nominal level.
Do all departments use the same grades?›
The structure is common, but some departments use their own titles (for example, HMRC bands or DWP equivalents) that map onto it. Vacancy adverts almost always state the national grade equivalent.
What's the difference between HEO and SEO in practice?›
Scope and autonomy. HEO typically owns a defined workstream or team with regular oversight; SEO owns bigger or more ambiguous areas, deputises upwards, and is expected to resolve most problems without escalation.
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Upload your CVRelated guides
Official framework reference: Success Profiles on GOV.UK. Grade requirements and processes vary by campaign — always follow the specific vacancy advert.