As a Senior Financial Investigator at HMRC, you'll lead a team of Economic Crime Operations Recovery Officers, overseeing complex and high-profile financial investigations including restraint and confiscation orders, detained cash, listed assets and civil recovery action under Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

You'll motivate the team to deliver quality results and continuous improvement by setting clear guidance for managing performance, promoting diversity, inclusion and equality and supporting the team to deliver their objectives, while ensuring compliance with the appropriate legal and governance frameworks.

We're looking for a leader who ensures full compliance with FIS and HMRC management standards while handling data collection, forecasting, and senior management requests.

You'll stay up to date with legal, technical, and professional developments, manage key Economic Crime operations, and build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to keep Illicit Finance at the core of all FIS investigations.

You'll be a creative problem-solver who thinks strategically and innovatively to tackle complex investigations. With a performance-driven mindset and a proven ability to enhance team efficiency, you'll inspire and lead through strong communication, leadership, and negotiation skills, driving collaboration across departments.

The role will also include leading proactive operational deployments and supporting other teams' operational deployments dependent on your level of experience, skill set and training.

This is a unique opportunity to take on a leadership role in a critical area of economic crime investigation, handling large-scale cases and collaborating with a variety of civil and criminal teams.

The successful applicant would be expected to travel as part of their leadership and management responsibilities. This will involve some nights away from home.

Person specification

This role presents an excellent opportunity for a skilled investigator to make a significant impact in tackling economic crime while leading a high-performing team.

We're looking for candidates who can demonstrate:
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a structured approach to investigations.
• Proven track record of driving performance improvements and strategic thinking.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and leadership skills to engage multi-functional teams.
• Effective decision-making and innovative problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to apply creative investigative approaches to financial crime cases.
• Ability to inspire, manage, and motivate a team to drive proactive asset recovery using all available FIS Economic Crime tools and powers.

Essential Criteria :

The successful applicants must hold one of the following or equivalent:
• Level 4 Diploma Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist/Officer.
• BTEC 3 Advanced Diploma in Enforcement (Investigation).
• Recent Professionalising Investigations Programme (PIP2) 2.

In addition to the above, candidates must also have:
• Current National Crime Agency Restraint and Confiscation accreditation, and have extensive and recent experience of conducting restraint and confiscation investigations as a case manager, along with practical knowledge and understanding of Criminal Justice Procedures, including PACE, CPIA, RIPA, CEMA, HRA and other relevant legislation.
• The ability to oversee complex and high-profile financial investigations including restraint and confiscation orders, detained cash, listed assets and civil recovery action under Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
• Applicants must have a working knowledge of Criminal Finances and Financial training/NCA/Home Office requirements and knowledge of other capabilities within Economic Crime Operations and how these can be brought together to achieve a more powerful operational outcome for FIS and support of the wider Government agenda.

Desirable Criteria :

• Knowledge of Criminal Finances and HMRC's response to related risks.
• Good working knowledge of one or more of the regimes administered by HMRC.

Flexibility Payment

This post attracts a Level 2 Flexibility Payment (FP) that is paid monthly with salary. This FP allows HMRC flexibility to change your work pattern, at short notice, to meet business needs. You will be expected to undertake periods of On Call. You will also be expected to work additional hours, at weekends and outside your normal working hours/days (including bank holidays). In applying for a position and accepting the FP you agree that you can and will meet those attendance requirements. FP levels are reviewed annually - on a business need and personal basis - and may be subject to change. If you currently receive the Flexibility Payment, which may include Transition Protection and/or a Maintained Pension Value, moving to a new role may affect your payments.

Details of the Flexibility Payment can be found in the attached document.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge-based scenario question at interview to test your knowledge and experience.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,091, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £14,221 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
• A name-blind CV of no more than 500 words, to include your job history and experience for up to your last 3 jobs/roles. Please use no more than 100-words per role to provide a summary of your key achievements and main responsibilities. Please also provide qualifications you have gained with dates achieved.
• A 1000-word personal statement. Your personal statement should clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the role, including the Essential Criteria, Person Specification, and the Civil Service Behaviours: Leadership, Making Effective Decisions, and Delivering at Pace. The statement should not exceed 1,000 words.

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at sift or interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Sift

At sift, your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be assessed using:
• Behaviour-based questions on Leadership, Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at Pace.
• Strength based questions.
• Technical Question - This will consist of a knowledge based scenario to test your knowledge and experience.

This is an example of a strengths-based question:

"It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?"

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

Interviews will take place face to face in Croydon Regional Centre.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via:

unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]'.

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application .

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles - if this applies to you, we'll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.

Merit List

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

Criminal Record Check

Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Reasonable Adjustments

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the "Assistance required" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Additional Security Information

Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers

Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.

Terms and Conditions

Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.

HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations .

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.

Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.

Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window) .

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Nicol Sheppard
• Email : nicol.sheppard@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.

In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. Please note that we do not accept complaints or appeals regarding scoring of outcomes of campaigns, unless candidates can provide clear evidence that the campaign did not follow the Recruitment Principles.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.

Attachments
Combined TC and OGD Pay - English Opens in new window (docx, 128kB) Flexibility Payment Attachment FINAL JUNE 2024 1 1 (3) Opens in new window (docx, 58kB)