IP Crime and Infringement Coordinator - Scotland

Job summary

IP Crime and Infringement Coordinator - Scotland

The UK is recognised as having one of the world’s strongest intellectual property (IP) enforcement regimes. The Intellectual Property Office’s five‑year IP Infringement Strategy - now in its final year - has ensured the UK remains at the forefront of tackling IP crime both domestically and internationally. A key commitment of the strategy was the creation of the IP Crime and Infringement Coordinator Network in 2023, which now covers all UK nations and international.

The coordinator network has become a core part of our capability, engaging with enforcement partners and industry, supporting the IPO’s Intelligence team, and helping develop and progress cases for enforcement action.

As the IPO’s lead representative in Scotland, you will be the organisation’s primary presence on the ground - driving partnership engagement, supporting regional enforcement activity, and providing intelligence support to strengthen the UK’s response to IP crime. You’ll act as the key link between local partners and the wider IPO Intelligence function, ensuring intelligence flows effectively, operational priorities are understood, and opportunities for collaborative action are identified and progressed.

We are seeking a candidate with a law‑enforcement background who lives in, or close to, Scotland to maximise support to local partners. Some infrequent travel outside the region will be required, including to IPO offices in Newport or London at least once per quarter.

Working Style

Please note that the successful candidate will be a remote working and placed on a homeworking contract due to the requirements of the post. The successful candidate would be required to travel to the Newport Office at least once a quarter.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Job description

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:

Partnership Building & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a key point of contact for Trading Standards, Police, Border Force and rights holders.
• Build and maintain professional relationships across law enforcement, government, and industry.
• Champion the importance of IP enforcement within the regional landscape

Intelligence & Operational Support

• Stagnations by collecting, assessing and sharing intelligence appropriately.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration and work to understand and remove barriers to enforcement.
• Provide expert advice to partners on IP crime, intelligence, coordination and operational approaches.
• Work closely with the IPO Intelligence Gateway and Analysis teams.
• Serve as secretariat for the Scottish Anti‑Illicit Trade Group (SAITG), coordinating meetings, workstreams, and an annual in‑person conference.
• Share updates on enforcement activity at key enforcement forums and support national campaigns by IPO and other partners.3

Coordination & SAITG Secretariat

• Serve as secretariat for the Scottish Anti‑Illicit Trade Group (SAITG), coordinating meetings, workstreams, and an annual in‑person conference.
• Share updates on enforcement activity at key enforcement forums and support national campaigns by IPO and other partners.

Compliance & Governance

• Adhere to IPO operating models, policies and legislation relating to intelligence handling.
• Promote national initiatives and contribute to best practice sharing with fellow coordinators.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Experience of working within a law enforcement environment, with an understanding of intelligence flow and enforcement methods and tactics.
• Experience of conducting or supporting criminal investigations.
• Experience of gathering and analysing evidence to inform your judgement and decision making.
• Experience of establishing and maintaining professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders within and outside your organisation and working with them to achieve shared outcomes.

How to Apply

Click the 'Applynow' button and complete the application form by providing the following:

750-word Personal Statement

• Use this to explain why you're suitable for the role.
• Structure your statement around the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
• Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.

If you require job-specific information, please contact Rhys Hurley.
E-mail: rhys.hurley@ipo.gov.uk
Telephone: 01633 814236

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,766, Intellectual Property Office contributes £13,837 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
• Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities
• A variety of support functions; Staff Counselling Service, Peer to Peer Support Group
• Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
• The opportunity to form part of our many inclusive network groups, find out more by looking at Intellectual Property Office (IPO) (diversityjobsgroup.com)
• A range of wellbeing initiatives; Onsite Gym (Newport office), Eye Care Scheme, Volunteering Programme, Cycling facilities
• Free car parking is available on site at our Newport office
• On-site shop, restaurant and coffee shop at our Newport office

For more information about what’s on offer at the Intellectual Property Office please review our IPO benefit pack attached to the bottom of this advert.

Please note that benefits may be subject to change.

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.

Additional details on security and vetting

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check and if successful you must also hold, or be willing to obtain, a higher Security Clearance.

For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, depending on the level of clearance, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. For this role the successful individual will need to have consistently lived in the UK for a minimum 5 years in order to meet the relevant security clearance.

Further information on the vetting process can be found at National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

If you have questions regarding this or are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

The assessment process will comprise of the following:

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:

Experience

Your 750 word Personal statement will demonstrate your Experience against the listed person specification/essential criteria.

Stage 2 – Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours and Strength andbased questioning will be used.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Please note candidates that proceed to the interview stage will be required to deliver a presentation against the Behaviours Success Profile. Further details will be provided in the invite to interview information.

Interviews for this role will be carried out virtually via Microsoft Teams

This recruitment campaign will keep a reserve list for 12 months. If you meet the requirements for this role but aren't offered after passing the interview, you'll be placed on the reserve list. If a suitable position opens up during this time, we will reach out to individuals in merit order.

The successful candidate would be expected to remain in the role for a minimum of 12 months before applying for another role.

Applicants to note: CVs sent direct to the IPO will not be accepted.

This post is being advertised to Internal, acrossGovernment and external candidates at the same time.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We do not routinely reimburse travel expenses for candidates, however if participating in the selection process would cause you undue financial hardship or if it restricts your ability to participate, please contact the recruitment team for more information.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, then please let the recruitment team know viarecruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Please be aware that only one application per candidate is permitted for each recruitment campaign. Multiple applications, including those made using different accounts, may result in your application being withdrawn or rejected at any stage of the process.

For more information on the IPO’s terms and conditions, please review the attached IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions document attached at the bottom of this advert.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : IPO Recruitment team
• Email : recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Further information

Commissioners Statement
The Civil Service recruits by merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Complaints Procedure:
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please contact;
Penny Phillpotts
Intellectual Property Office,
Concept House,
Cardiff Road,
Newport,
NP10 8QQ.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

Attachments

What's on offer at the IPO Opens in new window (pdf, 2034kB)IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions Opens in new window (doc, 149kB)