Deputy Director, Counter Fraud & Recoveries

Job summary

Candidates will have an opportunity to speak to the hiring manager Steven Greenwood and should reach out to director.gdcf@businessandtrade.gov.uk to arrange the conversation. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

DBT’s Grant Delivery Directorate is at the heart of our department’s mission to drive economic growth. We bring together expertise in funding, programme delivery and counter-fraud; partnering with the department to deliver maximum impact for people and business.​

This is an opportunity to push forward an important and interesting agenda. You will be responsible for DBTs counter fraud function and leading our work to tackle fraud under the Covid 19 loan schemes. As the senior counter fraud Functional Lead I will be looking to you and your team to continue building our organisational capability and maturity. On Covid 19 loans, we have a comprehensive programme of detection, recovery and enforcement to recover as much public money as possible and you will need to drive forward this agenda with purpose.​

You will need to lead your team with clarity and enthusiasm and work confidently and collaboratively with our key partners including the Public Sector Fraud Authority, The Insolvency Service and the British Business Bank.​

Our people are central to the work of this Directorate and therefore I’m looking for candidates who will be proactive members of my wider Senior Leadership Team and who will work with me to create an environment where our people can thrive.​

If you are excited by the sound of this opportunity and have the skills and experience to lead this critical area I’d love to hear from you.​

Job description

Set strategic direction​

• Set and lead DBT’s overall strategy for Counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption, driving innovative and forward‑looking approaches to prevention, recovery, enforcement and long‑term resilience, including the strategic use of data analytics.​
• Drive delivery of a complex and evolving programme of work, continuing to embed the new departmental counter fraud operating model, piloting new investigation routes, and embedding lessons from the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner’s recommendations.​

Deliver operational impact​

• Drive counter fraud support on major projects and grants, influencing design and fraud mitigations.​
• Oversee recovery and enforcement of suspected fraudulent Covid 19 loans, working with specialist partners such as the Insolvency Service, British Business Bank and Public Sector Fraud Authority. ​
• Ensure strong governance, audit readiness, and clear decision making frameworks across a high stakes operational landscape. ​

Represent DBT at the highest levels​

• Advise ministers directly, prepare high quality submissions, and lead DBT input into cross government commissions and parliamentary scrutiny, including the Public Accounts Committee. ​

Lead high performing teams​

• Lead multidisciplinary teams covering counter fraud policy, investigations, and Covid Loans, ensuring clarity of roles, excellent delivery, and a strong, supportive culture. ​
• Support capability growth across the counter fraud profession within the department—championing training, workforce development and skills pathways.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Senior leadership experience in high risk operational or policy environments. ​
• Experience in counter fraud and risk management (or similar field).​
• Proven ability to lead large, high performing teams and deliver complex portfolios of work​
• Ability to lead complex relationships across government and with external partners to enable effective delivery. ​
• Strong judgment under uncertainty, especially in enforcement, litigation, and audit scenarios. ​
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with credibility at senior official and/or board level. ​

Desirable criteria​

• Background in fraud investigation, regulatory enforcement, audit, financial crime or similar.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Business and Trade contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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

Please follow the online instructions on the Civil Service Jobs website to apply for this role. Applications must be submitted no later than 23:55 on 22/02/2026. ​

You will be asked to upload the two documents outlined below. It is essential you add your full name to both documents:​​

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years.​​​
2. A Supporting Statement of around two pages of A4, providing examples of how your experience meets the essential criteria.​​​

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. ​​​

Candidates will have an opportunity to speak to the hiring manager Steven Greenwood and should reach out to director.gdcf@businessandtrade.gov.uk to arrange the conversation. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

If you encounter any issues or are unable to apply online please contact SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk in the first instance​.​

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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 theCivil 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 : SCS Recruitement Team
• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scsrecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email at SCSRecruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Civil Service Commission Complaints

Attachments

Deputy Director, Counter Fraud - Domestic Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 2780kB)Deputy Director Counter Fraud and Recoveries Accessible Candidate Pack Opens in new window (docx, 146kB)