Corporate & Financial Investigations Officer

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking a Corporate & Financial Investigations Officer to join its Corporate Anti-Fraud Team (CAFT), in a dynamic and high-impact role dedicated to protecting public funds and combating financial crime across the Council and its partner organisations. Supporting the CAFT Manager, you will deliver a robust investigation service into fraud, irregularity, and malpractice, while leading complex financial investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act and other relevant legislation. As an Accredited Financial Investigator, you will be instrumental in identifying and recovering criminal assets, advising on fraud risks, and assisting enforcement teams across services such as Planning, Trading Standards, and Housing. You will also contribute to proactive anti-fraud reviews, training initiatives, and strategic counter-fraud exercises. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in criminal investigations, financial analysis, and multi-agency collaboration, with a thorough understanding of the legislative framework surrounding fraud and financial crime. This is a compelling opportunity to make a meaningful impact in safeguarding public resources and strengthening Harrow’s anti-fraud culture.

Join us in shaping this dynamic new role at the Council, where you'll have the opportunity to enhance and evolve our financial investigation processes. If you're a confident communicator with a keen investigative mindset and a passion for serving the public, we’d be excited to hear from you.

The successful candidate will have:

• Extensive experience conducting complex fraud investigations to criminal prosecution standards, ideally within a public sector environment.
• Current accreditation as a Financial Investigator, along with a recognised counter-fraud qualification (e.g. PINS, BTEC, ACFS).
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to interrogate financial data using specialist software such as Altia.
• A thorough understanding of legislation relevant to financial investigations, including POCA, PACE, CPIA, Fraud Act, Bribery Act, and RIPA.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to identify fraud risks and implement proactive counter-fraud initiatives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality reports and present evidence in formal settings.
• A collaborative approach, with experience working across multi-disciplinary teams and external enforcement agencies.
• The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and deliver results under pressure.
• A strong commitment to confidentiality, data protection, and ethical investigative practices.
• A minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C or above (or equivalent), including English and Maths.

For more information, please refer to Role Profile/ Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn