Criminal Investigator Officer

Job summary

Discover what it’s like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) provides HMRC with an effective investigation arm to enforce the Department’s compliance policies. This enables the Department to deliver against the strategic responsibilities across all the taxes and duties it administers. This includes complex offshore evasion, international smuggling of illicit excise goods, exports of controlled weapons and technology, labour market abuses, VAT and Self-Assessment repayment frauds and a host of other fraud attacks targeted at the tax system.

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 support 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 nobody is beyond our reach.

HMRC are hosting information sessions on Tuesday 5th May 12 noon – 1pm and Wednesday 6th May 4 – 5pm to accompany the application process where you will be able to hear more about the vacancy . To join the session you will need to register by completing the following:

Candidate Information Session - Criminal Investigator - 5th May 12:00 – Fill in form

Candidate Information Session - Criminal Investigator - 6th May 16:00 – Fill in form

Job description

In this role, no two days will be the same. You could be helping to search premises one day and supporting interviews with suspects the next. You will receive full, high‑quality training to help you build the skills needed to investigate tax fraud and protect public money.

This is a Band O role eligible for a Flexibility Payment (FP) at Level 2 (National), worth £12,400 per year, paid in addition to basic salary. In return, you’ll work your hours flexibly (including out-of-hours, at weekends and on public holidays) and change your work pattern at short notice. You’ll also undertake periods of on-call and work additional hours. Payment of FP is dependent on successful completion of training – you can find more detail about this and other FP requirements in the document attached.

We are looking for people who can be fair, open‑minded and professional at all times. You will work as part of a team, alongside colleagues from across HMRC, supporting others with different ways of working while focusing on shared goals. The role can sometimes involve difficult or challenging situations, so you will need to stay calm, make balanced decisions and work well under pressure.

As a Criminal Investigation Officer, you will be expected to follow clear rules and guidance and take responsibility for your actions. This may include giving evidence in court, so you will need to be able to communicate clearly, both when speaking and in writing. There are strong opportunities to develop your career, with structured training designed to help you grow your investigation skills and confidence.

Job Duties will include:

• Undertake operational activities such as searches of premises, seizure of goods and detention of goods
• Apply laws, always adhering to legislation and policy
• Undertake arrests, conduct searches of person and interview under caution, diffusing potentially confrontational situations
• Use powers granted to HMRC to investigate and gather evidence
• Develop and maintain knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations
• Use own judgement to assess evidence
• Take ownership and be accountable for planning, decisions and activities regarding investigations
• Utilise forensic evidence and understand how and when to use forensic services
• Interact and collaborate with a wide range of internal and external people including other parts of HMRC, the Police, Border Force, National Crime Agency, Solicitors, Crown Prosecutors and colleagues from other government departments
• Take witness statements from a variety of people, both internal and external
• Attend court to give evidence in criminal prosecutions and / or financial recovery hearings
• Undertake the role of Disclosure Officer / Reviewing Officer in relation to reviewing and revealing material, created or obtained in the course of an investigation to the prosecutor in line with legislation
• Analysis of evidence, preparation of written material and official documents, including Search Warrants and Production Order applications, case files and detailed reports
• Identify, classify and handle information connected to an investigation and ensure legal obligations are discharged effectively
• Conduct briefing and de-briefing activities to identify improvements and best practice, sharing that knowledge appropriately

Person specification

• Communicate effectively and confidently with colleagues and senior stakeholders, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrate a strong ability to quickly grasp new concepts, adapt to change, and take initiative in learning and task execution.
• Accurately and efficiently interpret and analyse data using Microsoft Excel and the broader Microsoft 365 suite.
• Exhibit strong organisational and time management capabilities.
• Ability to organise and prioritise to complete multiple tasks at once.
• Resilience and ability to deal with challenge and/or confrontation.
• Ability to carefully analyse large sets of data to spot patterns and draw conclusions.
• Demonstrate balanced judgement under pressure; follow rules and guidelines.
• Work respectfully with others to achieve common goals while appreciating different working styles.
• Work with integrity, impartiality, professionalism and objectivity.
• Take accountability for decisions made and be prepared and able to give evidence in court.
• Committed to developing specialist investigation skills and building a career at HMRC.
• Flexibility to meet business needs, including working ‘on-call’, whether that be at night-time, weekends, public holidays, and at short notice.

Working Arrangements

The nature of criminal investigation work and your role duties mean you must be willing and able to:

• Work your hours flexibly to meet business needs, including at night-time, weekends and public holidays, and change your work pattern at short notice.

If required, you must also be able to:

• Be “on-call” throughout the day and night for 1 week out of every 4.
• Work a specified number of additional hours

Candidates are asked to provide 1 location preference only. Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Business areas

Successful applicants will be placed within the FIS business area of Small Business Evasion and Enforcement for approximately 2 years before opportunities may be available to move to other areas, including Organised Crime, Offshore Corporate and Wealthy and Individuals and Business.

Training Requirement

A comprehensive training programme is provided. There will be a requirement for you to attend residential training which may take you away from home for up to eight weeks. Throughout this training period you will be required to be available full-time. Furthermore, applicants that are eligible, will join as an apprentice under the ‘Counter Fraud Investigation Apprenticeship’ programme. Further information about the training programme and Counter Fraud Investigator Apprenticeship can be found HMRC-Criminal Investigator , Civil Service Careers

Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST) is a crucial element of becoming a criminal investigator. This is a PASS/FAIL event. The event includes digital and face-to-face training where you will learn practical techniques to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues, as well as how to apprehend and physically restrain suspects and apply handcuffs. The event is mainly physical and includes scenario based exercises where you will require an appropriate level of fitness and mobility such as being able to carry equipment up and down stairs and get up and down from the floor unaided.All officers undertaking this training must obtain a valid occupational health certificate (acquired from HMRC’s healthcare provider) stating they are fit to undertake regular physical training. Once this training is complete, you will have to have a one-day refresher training event at least every six months after this to ensure you are able to carry out operational duties.

Other Information

To recognise these additional attendance requirements, the Criminal Investigator role is eligible for an annual attendance allowance called the “Flexibility Payment”.

In return, you’ll gain immense satisfaction knowing your work makes a direct impact keeping the nation safe. Plus, access to unparalleled opportunities for career development and progression within the organisation. We offer a competitive salary with a Flexibility Payment (once training has been completed), and a great career average pension.

To find out more about this role please visit the Website below for more information. HMRC-Criminal Investigator , Civil Service Careers

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. 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).

For example, you may be required to undertake periods of On Call at a frequency of 1 week in 4. You may also be expected to work additional hours.
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 to receive FP Level 2 until that stage is reached. Where additional FP eligibility applies, you will move to that in stages. (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:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,096, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £9,008 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 HMRChear from our insiders or visitThinking of joining the Civil Service

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

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

How to Apply

After submission of the first stage of your application, you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

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

• A 500-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the Person Specification outlined in the advert.

Sift

A sift on 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 scenario/behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of.

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

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 via video link. 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. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, 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.

The HMRC app can help you with your application

The HMRC app can provide you with your past 5 years' employment history, making the process of filling in your application quicker and easier.

If successful in your application, you will need your National Insurance number for the onboarding process.

Download the HMRC app now and save your National Insurance number to your digital phone wallet.

How to download the HMRC app and sign up for an account

Download the free HMRC app from the App Store or Google Play store.

If you have an HMRC online account already, sign straight in using your ID and password. If not, you can prove your identity by answering some questions or providing your photo ID.

You’ll then be able to access the app quickly and easily by signing in using a 6-digit PIN, your fingerprint, or facial recognition.

You can find guidance for technical issues on GOV.UK: Technical support with HMRC online services.

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, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.

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.

Hybrid working at HMRC

HMRC is an office-based organisation, and colleagues are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office. Our offices provide opportunity for interaction, collaboration which aids learning and development and a sense of community. Where the role allows it, and where the home environment is suitable, colleagues can work from home for up to 2 days a week, averaged over a calendar month (or a proportionate amount of time for colleagues who work less than full time).

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.

Technical Support

If you are experiencing problems that cannot be resolved by our ‘help’ section, then technical support is available. You will receive a reply in 2 working days.

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.

From 1 April 2026, applicants will be required to meet updated nationality and residency requirements so that National Security Vetting (NSV) checks can be conducted. If this affects you, we will give you more information at the appropriate time.

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.

For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants - GOV.UK.

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, Icelan