Deputy Director, Small Business Evasion and Enforcement

Job summary

As the Deputy Director (SCS1) for the newly established Small Business Evasion and Enforcement (SBEE) directorate, you will play a pivotal role in delivering the government’s investment into HMRC. You will be responsible for leading a mission to recruit 900 new staff and contribute to FIS’s overall £4bn performance. Reporting directly to the Director of the Fraud Investigation Service (FIS), you will balance high-level operational enforcement with a major workforce transformation programme.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Enforcement

• Lead Investigations: Direct FIS operations targeting fraud within small businesses, specifically focusing on high-street tax evasion, excise offences, and money laundering regulatory breaches.
• Deliver Strategic Outcomes: Meet rigorous departmental targets for positive charging decisions and tax yield to support the closure of the Tax Gap.
• Build Partnerships: Develop and maintain critical relationships with external agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to enhance prosecution casework.

Workforce Transformation & Talent

• Scale Recruitment: Oversee the successful induction and deployment of 900 additional compliance staff over a five-year period.
• Modernise Training: Design and implement a flexible, structured training model that establishes clear career pathways and ensures trainees contribute effectively and early.
• Shape Culture: Foster a positive, supportive, and high-performance workplace culture that inspires confidence across the new directorate.

Strategic Accountability

• Directorate Design: Lead the design and implementation of the SBEE business model, ensuring it becomes a permanent and world-class component of HMRC.
• Financial Management: Hold full accountability for a £47m pay bill and a £1.4m non-pay budget.

Management & Interactions

• People Management: Direct leadership of two Grade 6 regional leaders and one Grade 6 Design and Delivery team; countersigning manager for six Grade 7s across the UK.
• Internal Stakeholders: Collaborate closely with HR Organisational Design, Solicitors Office (SOLS), and various compliance centres (RIS, WMBC, ISBC).
• External Stakeholders: Engage with the College of Policing, OFSTED, NCA and other relevant UK Law Enforcement Agencies.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

Candidates must demonstrate the following:

• Operational Leadership: Extensive experience leading large-scale commands and delivering complex, transformational change.
• Investigative Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of criminal or civil investigations and a working understanding of CPIA Disclosure.
• Partnership Management: A proven ability to collaborate with external agencies, such as the Crown Prosecution Service, to drive strategic outcomes.
• Strategic Delivery: The capacity to design new business models and embed change while meeting rigorous yield and performance targets.
• Resource Management: Experience managing significant budgets and overseeing large-scale recruitment and training programmes.
• Inspiring Leadership: The ability to lead diverse teams, foster a positive culture, and manage professional standards with confidence.

Desirable Criteria:

• Professional Standing: Accreditation within the Counter Fraud, Criminal Justice, or Tax professions.
• Government Briefing: Experience providing direct assurance and briefings to Ministers or Senior Responsible Officers (SROs).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, HM Revenue and Customs 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.

Pension

Your Civil Service pension is a valuable part of your total reward and is one of your biggest benefits.

When you join the Civil Service, you get access to the alpha pension with a generous employer contribution of 28.97% and some of the lowest member contributions in the public sector.

Please visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more information.

Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance pro-rata for part-time colleagues).

This is complemented by one days paid privilege leave to mark the King’s Birthday and is in addition to your public holidays.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees. At HMRC we want to create great places to work that are welcoming to all – where there is a strong sense of belonging and community.

We embed inclusion in everything we do. Senior Civil Servants play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining inclusive behaviours, addressing disparities and reporting progress.

Our HMRC equality objectives 2024-2028 describe how we are working to become a more inclusive and representative organisation reflective of our values.

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

Application

This campaign is being managed by HMRC’s Executive Resourcing team. All applications should be submitted via Civil Service Jobs no later than 23:55 on Monday 9th March March 2026 and must include:

• A CV detailing your career history, key responsibilities and achievements accounting for any employment gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 2 pages) demonstrating how your experience meets the essential criteria.

Your CV and suitability statement will be assessed against the criteria set out in the person specification. Please include your full name on both documents.

Shortlist

The panel will assess the evidence provided in your CV and statement. Candidates whose applications best meet the essential criteria will be selected for interview.

Interview

You will attend a panel interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. This will include a 5-minute verbal presentation (further information will be issued in advance).

Interviews are expected to take place in person in Stratford.

All Criminal Record Checks applications are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

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 : Callum Lawn
• Email : Callum.lawn@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scs.resourcing@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 a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned. 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 web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

Deputy Director Small Business Evasion and Enforcement Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1007kB)