Investigative Skills Trainer
Job summary
The Investigative Skills Trainer operates within the National Crime Agency's (NCA) modern, officer-centred blended learning model, which is designed to meet a wide range of learning styles and represents a shift away from traditional classroom-based delivery towards more flexible and sustainable approaches. This model promotes self-directed, experiential and social learning, requiring the postholder to design and deliver engaging, high-quality training that supports long-term capability development. The role contributes to a broad and dynamic learning offer, encompassing specialist operational and systems training linked to tackling serious and organised crime (SOC), alongside wider programmes covering core business skills, leadership, management and induction.
Working as part of the Investigative Skills training team, the postholder will play a key role in designing, developing and delivering a range of learning events, training programmes and courses for both new and experienced officers. These learning interventions are critical in ensuring that officers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to lead the UK’s fight against SOC. The role requires flexibility and adaptability, with the ability to deliver across a variety of subject areas and learning formats, responding to evolving operational priorities and organisational needs.
Given the NCA’s broad operational remit, the role also involves contributing to training delivery across key threat areas, including economic crime, cyber crime and organised immigration crime. In addition to delivering training aligned to Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP2) standards, the postholder will be expected to design and deliver learning for specialist areas, drawing on operational experience and subject matter knowledge to ensure training remains relevant, practical and impactful. Strong collaboration with colleagues, subject matter experts and operational teams is essential to ensure that training meets professional standards and supports current and emerging threats.
This is a varied and rewarding role requiring strong communication skills, a commitment to continuous improvement and the ability to translate operational knowledge into effective learning solutions.
Alternative working arrangements may be considered depending on course requirements and business needs.
Job description
The Investigative Skills Trainers work collaboratively as part of a specialist team responsible for the design, delivery and assurance of high-quality investigative training, including programmes aligned to the PIP. The role is central to developing the capability of both new trainees and experienced officers transitioning from police forces, enabling them to conduct lawful, ethical and effective investigations in line with NCA standards and legal requirements.
The postholder designs and delivers training across a range of core investigative disciplines, including suspect and witness interviewing, investigative decision-making, case progression and disclosure. All learning content is developed and delivered in line with current legislation, codes of practice and organisational policy, ensuring that officers are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to operate effectively in complex operational environments. Training provision is expected to reflect current and emerging threats, incorporating operational learning and best practice to ensure continued relevance and impact, while supporting officers in achieving and maintaining PIP accreditation.
Working closely with an Instructional Design Team, the Investigative Skills Trainer contributes to the continuous development and refinement of learning materials, ensuring they are tailored to adult learning principles and meet the needs of a diverse learner audience. Drawing on substantial operational and/or policing experience, the postholder ensures that training exercises, tools and scenario-based activities are realistic, engaging and aligned to operational requirements.
The role also includes supporting accreditation processes through structured assessment, feedback and in-course coaching, working collaboratively with operational leads, subject matter experts and wider Learning and Development colleagues to ensure a coherent and impactful training offer. Where required, the postholder may take on additional responsibility for mentoring or developing other trainers or associate staff, role modelling NCA values and contributing to a culture of continuous learning and professional excellence.
This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to begin or further develop a career in training. Successful candidates who do not already hold a Training Essentials Programme or Level 3 qualification will be supported to achieve this as part of their development.
Duties and Responsibilities
Learning Delivery: Deliver high-quality training aligned to individual skills, knowledge and experience, supporting a wide range of learning needs across the organisation and contributing to the development of a highly capable workforce.
Learning Development: Work with Learning Managers to engage with operational commands, maintaining strong relationships to understand evolving requirements and design learning solutions that effectively support operational capability.
Product Review and Maintenance: Lead the ongoing review and maintenance of learning products, ensuring they remain relevant, efficient and aligned with current operational needs, while delivering value for time and cost.
National Delivery: Deliver training across multiple UK locations, including NCA training sites in West Sussex and Warrington, with regular travel and overnight stays required to support national training provision.
Professional Development: Maintain professional competence by keeping up to date with legislative, procedural and investigative developments, alongside advances in learning methodologies, demonstrating a proactive approach to continuous professional development.
Specialist Training: Design, deliver and assure specialist investigative skills training, including programmes aligned to the PIP, ensuring investigators meet required standards and accreditation.
Core Skills Delivery: Deliver training in key investigative areas such as suspect and witness interviewing, investigative decision-making, case progression and disclosure, ensuring learners develop strong, end-to-end investigative capability.
Legal and Policy Compliance: Ensure all training content is accurate and aligned with relevant legislation, Codes of Practice and organisational policy, maintaining high standards of legal and procedural integrity.
Continuous Improvement: Use operational insight, evaluation data and learner feedback to continuously improve training quality and demonstrate measurable impact on performance and operational outcomes.
Professional Standards: Promote lawful, ethical and professional investigative practice throughout all training activity, modelling high standards of behaviour and influencing both technical competence and professional conduct.
Collaborative Working: Work closely with operational leads, subject matter experts and Learning and Development colleagues to deliver coherent, joined-up training that aligns with organisational priorities and supports operational effectiveness.
Person specification
Communication Skills: Able to clearly explain complex or technical information to a range of audiences, using both verbal and written communication, and build effective working relationships with learners and colleagues.
Stakeholder Engagement: Demonstrates the ability to engage positively with others, building rapport and credibility as a confident and approachable trainer.
Investigative Process Knowledge: Strong understanding of investigative processes, including case strategy, evidence gathering, case building and review.
Legislative Knowledge: Good working knowledge of relevant legislation and its practical application, including disclosure requirements and their impact on risk, victims and case outcomes.
Threat Awareness: Awareness of current and emerging crime threats, investigative techniques and digital opportunities, and the ability to reflect these within training delivery.
Training Delivery: Ability to design and deliver engaging learning across a range of formats, including classroom, virtual and scenario-based environments.
Assessment Skills: Experience of assessing competence against defined standards and providing constructive feedback to support learner development.
Continuous Improvement: Ability to use evaluation data, learner feedback and operational insight to refine and improve training products.
Operational Experience: Experience of working in a law enforcement or related environment, applying policy, procedures and legislation in complex investigations.
Interviewing Skills: Experience of conducting or supervising suspect and witness interviews as part of investigative activity.
Advisory Skills: Ability to provide professional advice and guidance to practitioners, supervisors and senior leaders
Note - candidates must currently or have previously held PIP2 accreditation.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Developing Self and Others
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Demonstrates strong knowledge and practical experience of applying a range of investigative methods within serious and complex investigations to support effective outcomes.
- Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.
- Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £45,326, National Crime Agency contributes £13,130 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.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:- Demonstrates strong knowledge and practical experience of applying a range of investigative methods within serious and complex investigations to support effective outcomes.
- Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.
- Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.
CV
Please include your full career history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, and achievements. Explain any employment gaps in the last two years. Ensure all accreditation dates are accurate.
Details of what is expected within you CV are as follows: Please provide a current CV that clearly sets out your full employment history and all relevant qualifications. Your CV should demonstrate how you meet the requirements outlined in the person specification within the advert. In addition, please ensure you account for and briefly explain any gaps in your employment over the past five years.
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.
- Demonstrates strong knowledge and practical experience of applying a range of investigative methods within serious and complex investigations to support effective outcomes. .
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.
Additional assessment methods used alongside InterviewAs part of the assessment process Presentation will be required to assess the criteria outlined below:Candidates will be required to give a 10-minute presentation at the beginning of their interview. Further guidance and the presentation title will be given ahead of the interview.Success Profiles at Assessment
Behaviours- Seeing the Big Picture
- Developing Self and Others
- Demonstrates strong knowledge and practical experience of applying a range of investigative methods within serious and complex investigations to support effective outcomes.
- Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.
- Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.
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:
- Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
- If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
- If still tied, application sift scores will be used
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.
Medical
Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.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
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 : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
- 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.
Salary range
- £45,326 per year