Financial Investigator

Job summary

Serious and Organised Crime is one of the gravest threats to our national security - blighting communities, ruining lives and costing the UK well over £20 billion every year. Investigations is the core crime fighting capability of the NCA.

We protect the public from the most serious threats by disrupting and bringing to justice those serious and organised criminals who present the highest risk to the UK. We take an intelligence-led approach and concentrate on tackling the criminals and risks to the public which are beyond the capability or capacity of other law enforcement bodies.

Our work is largely focused on investigating Organised Immigration Crime, Human Trafficking, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Economic Crime, Firearms, Drugs, Kidnap and Extortion and Money Laundering - to name a few.

The Investigations Command provides a flexible, shared operational capability, designed to maximise the impact of the UK's collective resources against serious and organised crime. Our teams respond to a broad range of threats, many of which also remain a responsibility for police forces and other agencies as well as private industry.

We have current vacancies in Calder, Chelmsford, Crawley, Dover, Slough, Stevenage and Warrington. We are also creating a reserve list for these locations Belfast, Birmingham, Heathrow and Tolworth.

Please note the following locations require on call working: Chelmsford, Dover and Heathrow.

Part time, job share and flexible working patterns are available, dependent on experience and business/branch need at the time of posting

Job description

At locations across the UK NCA teams undertake criminal investigations against a range of threats including Organised Immigration Crime, Human Trafficking, Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Economic Crime, Firearms, Drugs, Kidnap and Extortion and Money Laundering.

The role of the Financial Investigator is to utilise an array of powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) in conjunction with other legislation to undertake financial enquiries gathering intelligence and evidence to progress criminal investigations.

In support of the NCA ‘s objective of eroding the profit motive from serious and organised crime Financial Investigators, working alongside Courts, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Prosecutors and NCA Lawyers also use additional powers within the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to seize, detain, forfeit, restrain and confiscate criminal assets.

We are looking to recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds as Financial Investigators. Therefore we encourage applications from: Candidates who are or can evidence the aptitude and ability to attain financial investigator accreditation.

Duties and Responsibilities

• To develop and progress financial investigations in accordance with NCA policy and legislative requirements and maximise the effective use of POCA and other legislation.
• Support the development of intelligence into viable investigative opportunities by identifying and advising on potential lines of enquiry at the earliest opportunity.
• To sift and analyse large volumes of data, follow complex financial trails, and seek and act upon opportunities to obtain evidential material.
• Attend both Magistrate and Crown Court to provide evidence as required.
• Build effective external partnerships, collaborate with other NCA units, wider UK law enforcement, international counterparts and Government departments.
• Complete mandatory training and successfully obtain and maintain relevant Financial Intelligence Officer (FIO) and Financial Investigator (FI) accreditation.
• Build effective external partnerships, collaborate with other NCA units, wider UK law enforcement, international counterparts and Government departments.
• If Professionalising Investigations Programme 2 (PIP2) is not already held you will be required to complete a truncated NCA Officer Development Portfolio Pathway. This includes passing 2 exams to obtain partial NCA powers (not arrest). Additional courses as part of this pathway include interviewing witnesses/suspects, conducting searches of individuals, premises and vehicles, making applications and presenting evidence at court.
• Use POCA powers including Restraint, Confiscation and additional civil powers to identify and maximise asset denial opportunities.

Person specification

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Communication

Good communication skills with the ability to listen, empathise, provide support and adapt language, form and message to meet the needs of different people and audiences.

Legislation

An understanding of the criminal or civil law and UK legislation affecting agency activity - with emphasis on Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) in relation to money laundering offences, civil recovery, and/or cash seizures.

Financial or Economic Investigations

Recent experience or understanding of conducting criminal, civil or regulatory investigations on complex economic or financial cases.

Decision making

Experience in effective decision making with accountability for decisions made.

Working at pace

Experience of working to tight deadlines within a dynamic environment.

On-call working

The Chelmsford, Dover and Heathrow locations require on call working.

Essential Criteria

You must meet the essential criteria and evidence this within your application to be considered for the role.

Qualifications

Accredited Financial Investigator status or lapsed accreditation as Financial Investigators (3 years or less) who are prepared to do the necessary work to reinstate that accreditation.

Or

The aptitude and ability to attain financial investigator accreditation.

Please note: where relevant, applicants details will be checked against National Financial Investigator databases.

Any applications from candidates not meeting this eligibility criteria will not progress.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Recent experience or understanding of conducting criminal, civil or regulatory investigations on complex economic or financial cases. (Lead Technical)
• An understanding of criminal or civil law and UK legislation affecting agency activity - with emphasis on the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
• Experience in effective decision making with accountability for decisions made.
• Positive contributions to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,670, National Crime Agency contributes £11,782 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

All NCA employees are members of the UK Civil Service and eligible for the Civil Service pension scheme, alongside your salary the NCA contributes £11782. Further information on the benefits of the scheme is available on the Civil Service Pension Website.

New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.

If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).

Other benefits include:

• Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
• Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
• Learning and Development opportunities
• Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
• Housing schemes - Key Worker status
• Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway , Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
• Staff support groups/networks
• Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)

Further information is available on the NCA Website.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Your application will be assessed against the following:

Technical - this will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Recent experience or understanding of conducting criminal, civil or regulatory investigations on complex economic or financial cases. (Lead Technical)

• An understanding of criminal or civil law and UK legislation affecting agency activity - with emphasis on the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

• Experience in effective decision making with accountability for decisions made.

• Positive contributions to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture.

A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above.

Longlist

In the event of a high number of applications, we may operate a longlist. Applicants will need to meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria.

- Recent experience or understanding of conducting criminal, civil or regulatory investigations on complex economic or financial cases. (Lead Technical) .

Candidates who do not meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria will not progress to having their other criteria assessed. Applications must meet the minimum criteria to be progressed to the assessment stage.

You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.

We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.

Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.

For guidance on the application process, visit:
NCA Applying and Onboarding

Assessment 1

The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing

• Working Together

Technical

• Recent experience or understanding of conducting criminal, civil or regulatory investigations on complex economic or financial cases. (Lead Technical)

• An understanding of criminal or civil law and UK legislation affecting agency activity - with emphasis on the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

• Experience in effective decision making with accountability for decisions made.

• Positive contributions to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace culture.

Assessment Outcome

Outcomes will be communicated via the NCA recruitment portal.
If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months.
Reserve lists can be used to fill similar role types across the Agency where the assessment criteria is considered a match by the recruitment team and the business area.

In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:

1. Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
2. If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
3. If still tied, application sift scores will be used

Feedback is provided only to those who attend an assessment.

You will be subject to vetting and pre-employment checks before appointment.

Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be accessible. Please save a copy for your records.

We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA Careers Page for more information.

Full advert details for this vacancy can found on the advert on the NCA Recruitment Portal. Please follow the link to apply at advertisers' site.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

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 : The Recruitment Team
• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
• Telephone : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference).
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.