Financial Investigator - Economic Crime Operations - Croydon

Financial Investigator - Economic Crime Operations - Croydon About the job

Job summary

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HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department's civil and criminal investigations. FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to tackling the most serious tax evasion and fraud.

FIS is home to a wide range of people with a variety of skills and professional backgrounds - including accountants, cybercrime specialists, criminal justice professionals, tax professionals and operational delivery teams to name but a few. We use a range of powers and approaches to protect funding for UK public services, investigating the most harmful tax cheats and ensuring none are beyond our reach. We target a variety of threats, including complex offshore evasion, international smuggling of illicit excise goods, exports of controlled weapons and technology, labour market abuses, money laundering, VAT and Self-Assessment repayment frauds and a host of other fraudulent attacks.

The Economic Crime (EC) deputy directorate brings together our Supervision, Proceeds of Crime Operations and Illicit Finance teams and forms an integral part of the HMRC Serious Fraud Strategy. Working closely across the department and the wider Law Enforcement community, using specialist expertise and modern technology we put illicit finance at the centre of operations. Our operational teams tackle the financial aspects of cases that will ultimately deter, disrupt, and remove assets from tax fraudsters to level the playing field for the honest majority. EC has several specialist teams who perform unique functions within HMRC, but which are common to other areas of the public sector.

Job description

You will be responsible for delivering a wide variety of complex and exciting Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) Part 5 Chapter 2 Investigations which are civil recovery of the proceeds of crime at the High Court.

POCA Part 5 Chapter 2 is primarily non-conviction based asset recovery and the proceedings are aimed at the assets which are derived from the proceeds of crime.

You will take the lead in proactively managing and investigating financial investigations in all recovery areas by working closely with tax professionals, insolvency professionals, forensic accountants and the wider Fraud Investigation Service to identify alternative methods of recovery.

The role may also include HR line management responsibilities for Financial Investigator and Financial Intelligence Officers and management of those officers' financial investigations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Court Applications: Attend court and make court applications and respond to questions from Judiciary and Court officials. Act as an Assurance Officer in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002, other relevant legislation, case law, and Codes of Practice.

• Material Analysis: Analyse financial and case-related material to improve recovery opportunities.

• Case Preparation: Prepare cases for court and attend court to give evidence when necessary.

• Continuous Learning: Keep your knowledge and relevant accreditations up to date with changes in the law and technical and professional developments.

• Stakeholder Relationships: Build and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external, to ensure Illicit Finance is at the heart of all FIS investigation work.

• Mentor and support colleagues to lead and direct casework.

• Potential line management responsibilities for Financial Investigators, Financial Intelligence Officers and other Economic Crime Operations staff.

• Case Management: Maintain and update case management systems accurately on an ongoing basis.

Additional Responsibilities for Authorised Officers:

• Operational Planning: Plan, lead, and deploy operationally to maximize cash and listed assets interdiction opportunities.

• Wider Activities: Deploy operationally on broader activities to enhance Financial Investigations in other areas of Fraud Investigation Service.

Person specification

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate strong decision-making and problem-solving skills. You should have a proven ability to think laterally and drive forward investigations. Excellent communication skills are essential, with the ability to effectively communicate and negotiate with both internal and external stakeholders.

Essential Criteria

• Experience of undertaking POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act 2002) civil investigations or criminal investigations or managing a team undertaking this work.

Desirable Criteria

• National Crime Agency Financial Investigation Accreditation / Financial Investigation training.
• National Crime Agency Restraint and Confiscation Accreditation or
• POC Authorised Officer Training.
• BTEC Level 3 Advanced Diploma Enforcement Investigation or
• CFPAB Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist or
• Policing Professionalising Investigative Practice (Level 2) (PIP2)
• Good knowledge of tax regimes administered by HMRC and Civil Recovery Options to maximise Asset Recovery.

Other Information

Flexibility Payment

This post attracts a Level 1a 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. Additionally, you will be expected to work longer hours from time to time, 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.

Note: Payment of FP is dependent on successful completion of role specific training. You are not eligible for FP until that stage is reached (see the attached document for details). 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:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,289, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £11,961 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 and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV, 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.
• A 250-word Personal Statement describing how your skills and experience meet the Person Specification and Essential Criteria.
• Separate 250-word statements addressing the specified behaviours.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at 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

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your Personal Statement.

At full sift all behaviour statements, your CV and your 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 asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of.

We will assess you against the following behaviour during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

You will be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

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:

[email protected] - 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 appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled. If successful, you will be informed when we reach your position on the merit list.

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 [email protected] 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 (opens in a new window).

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).