Officer Development Programme (ODP) for Trainee Investigator, Intelligence Officer and Intelligence Analyst

Job summary

This is an opportunity to join the NCA as a trainee officer. You will take part in a structured, two-year training programme, at the end of which you will become an accredited NCA Investigator, Intelligence Analyst or Intelligence Officer.

Joining the NCA as a trainee, you will support us in leading the fight against Serious and Organised crime and protecting the public from the most dangerous criminals.

Enable us to develop your learning, knowledge and capability, equipping you with the skills and support to target and pursue those who pose greatest risk to the UK. Gain specialist skills and progress to experience a world of roles in one team, one NCA.

Virtual Open Evening Event

To find out more about the role and the application process we will be holding virtual opening evenings via MS Teams on Tuesday 13th October 2026 at 6pm - 7pm.

This event is by invitation only.

To register, please click on the following link

Virtual Event - Officer Development Programme

You will be asked for your name and email address.

Registration will close on 12th October at 1500

You will not be able to register after this date and time.

Job description

The National Crime Agency (NCA) leads the UK’S fight against Serious and Organised Crime, protecting the public from the most dangerous criminals. We are committed to attracting new talent to our Team by recruiting trainees into the Agency and developing them into capable accredited investigators (the investigations pathway), Intelligence officers (the intelligence pathway) or Analysts (the analyst pathway).

The role of an NCA Investigator, Intelligence officer or Analyst requires no prior law enforcement experience, with all successful trainees enrolled onto the bespoke Officer Development Programme (ODP). This is a two year structured training programme, in which officers are required to evidence competence across a range of investigational, intelligence or analytical competencies.

During this process, by identifying and valuing the aptitudes of each individual and developing their learning, knowledge and acquired ability, the Agency will seek to place each person in an appropriate, challenging and rewarding role, on the appropriate pathway.

By successfully completing this comprehensive training programme, which includes the requirement to successfully pass a series of exams, and achieving
accreditation as an NCA Investigator, NCA Intelligence officer, or NCA Analyst you will be trained to partake in serious and organised crime investigations to a national standard.

These roles are integral to the Agency’s ability to lead the UK’s fight to cut Serious and Organised crime, and offer opportunity to specialise in both overt and covert investigations and progress to a world of varied careers in one NCA.

Duties and Responsibilities

Serious and organised crime is one of the gravest threats to the UK's national security. The threats posed by which are constantly changing, becoming more challenging and complex to address. The National Crime Agency sits at the heart of the law enforcement response to these changing threats, protecting the public by disrupting and bringing to justice those serious and organised criminals who pose the highest risk to the UK.

NCA officers work at the forefront of law enforcement. Building the best possible intelligence picture of all serious and organised crime threats, relentlessly pursuing the most serious and dangerous offenders, and developing and delivering specialist capabilities on behalf of law enforcement and other partners.

There's no such thing as a typical NCA officer. We come from different backgrounds and cultures, speak many languages, and have diverse skills and experiences. What we have in common is dedication and a commitment to protecting the public from serious and organised crime. We are deeply committed to building our future capability, our people are proud to protect and enabling their future success is critical to our mission.

Please visit our website to understand more about the NCA and to read about a day in the life of an investigator or intelligence officer or see attached information about the role of an intelligence analyst.

Person specification

Investigator

As an NCA Investigator you will be directly engaged in the fight against Serious and Organised Crime targeting organised offenders both nationally and internationally in order to minimise risk to the UK.

As part of a focused team you will identify, gather, review and develop evidence, using both overt and covert tactics, including surveillance, in order to obtain a complete evidential picture and implement effective operational strategies to facilitate these offenders being brought to justice.

The role will see you receive comprehensive training which will prepare and enable you to competently perform all initial investigational roles to include: arrest, conflict management, systematic search, witness, victim and suspect interview, appropriate level case file preparation and disclosure and Court Room presentation.

Additionally you will receive instruction in specialist ground breaking overt and covert investigational techniques and innovative approaches and be empowered to make decisions which help disrupt and bring to justice criminals who present the highest National threat to the UK.

In doing so you will utilise the skills of associated NCA teams such as Intelligence and Forensics and develop close working partnerships with other UK and overseas Law Enforcement agencies, UK Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

This is a rewarding but physically demanding role often involving working long and/or anti-social hours with the potential for working patterns to change at short notice and calling for both commitment and flexibility. Investigators are required to be trained in the use of force and be able to operate Personal Protective Equipment, including PAVA spray, batons and handcuffs.

You may have to Investigate Child sexual abuse/exploitation involving exposure to images and material and will undergo psychological assessments upon taking up the role and at regular intervals once in post. As a consequence you should consider the sensitive nature of this work before deciding to apply for this position.

Investigations Pathway – Driving Licence Requirement

A full, valid UK/EU driving license is an essential requirement for candidates applying to the Investigations Pathway. Candidates will be required to present their documentation as part of the recruitment process. Failure to provide satisfactory evidence of a full UK EU driving license will result in candidates being ineligible for appointment to the Investigations Pathway and any offer for this route may be withdrawn.

Intelligence Analyst

As an Intelligence Analyst, your role will be to conduct complex and wide-ranging analysis in support of the National Crime Agency's mission; developing intelligence products and contributing to the National Strategic Assessment, Annual Plan, National Intelligence Requirements and National Control Strategy to aid the fight to cut serious and organised crime.

As a trainee you will receive comprehensive training which will prepare and enable you to complete the Intelligence Analyst role. You will learn about analysis, exploitation and making recommendations to support the development of intelligence. You will learn about and gain access to a wide range of covert and over capabilities to inform this work, in support of both tactical and strategic objectives.

Intelligence officer

As an NCA Intelligence Officer, you will be working at the centre of the action,
undertaking and helping to prioritise development work on tasked projects and
operations in the UK and overseas. You will play a key role in contributing towards the NCA’s mission of protecting the public from serious and organised crime. You will receive comprehensive training to enable you to competently collect, evaluate, develop and exploit intelligence from a range of sources. This training, together with mentoring and support will see you build specialist knowledge around a range of threat areas affecting the UK.

Your role will see you interacting with other NCA departments and teams, as well as external partners including government, Law Enforcement, UK Intelligence Community, public, private and third sector partners. You will be directing and supporting tactical operational activity in the UK and overseas to cause maximum disruption to individuals and groups involved in serious organised crime. As an Intelligence Officer you will work closely with Intelligence Analysts using multiple data sets to build and develop knowledge. Your work will contribute to the NCA’s National Strategic Assessment by building understanding of the threat to the UK from serious and organised crime.

Working as an Intelligence Officer is an exciting and rewarding role which is hugely varied and challenging. There are a number of roles available within several different departments. Depending on your role there may be the opportunity to travel within the UK and Internationally.

Please Note:

• You will be able to submit your preference(s) in terms of pathways at a later point in the application process. Preferences will be considered but cannot be guaranteed. You may be posted to any pathway, dependent on business needs.

• To enable the NCA to respond agilely to evolving threats, successful candidates must be flexible and may be required to move to different roles to meet business needs.

• The number of immediate and future roles at each location may vary due to business requirements. Intelligence Officer and Intelligence Analyst pathways are currently only available in London, Warrington, Birmingham or Bristol. If you are successful and have applied to any other location, you will be considered for the Investigations pathway.

• Candidates on the intelligence officer/analyst pathway will be expected to undertake Managing Secret and Sensitive Intelligence training within the role as a mandatory requirement.

• Successful candidates at sift will be invited to a virtual interview. Candidates will be required to pass the interview in order to progress to the next stage.

Essential Criteria

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

Entry Requirements

• Must be able to travel for training to various UK sites.
• Must be able to commit to 40 hours a week following successful completion of the pathway (37 hours a week for the initial training period).
• Must be able to be flexible and to work variable shift patterns as required. Following successful completion of the pathway, candidates may be expected to work shift patterns and be on-call.
• Some roles require officers to obtain DV or DV STRAP within 12 months of entry. If DV or DV STRAP cannot be obtained, you will be required to move to a non-DV role.
• Hybrid working cannot be accommodated in all roles, and will not normally be able to be accommodated at all until after the full two year training programme has been completed.

Licences

Full, valid UK driving license (includes Full EU License) (Investigations only).

Qualifications

GCSE English and Mathematics achieving a minimum Grade 5/C or equivalent.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,107, National Crime Agency contributes £9,301 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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.

ODP Progression

Following successful completion of NCA Phase One, you will transition to the NCA Spot Rate pay structure and receive G5 Spot Rate 1 – Developing. At this stage, you will retain G6 Trainee status and your contracted working hours will increase to 40 hours per week.

Following completion of Phase One, you will commence working towards the required accreditation. Progression to Phase Two is subject to successful completion of NCA Foundation Exams 1 and 2.

The ODP may take up to two years to complete. Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be appointed as a G5 Officer – Investigations, Intelligence or IntelligenceAnalyst with a base salary aligned to G5 Spot Rate 2 – Developing.

Successful completion of the NCA Foundation Exams is a requirement of the programme. Where a trainee is unsuccessful in passing the required examinations, following all authorised retake opportunities, their employment with the NCA will be terminated. In such circumstances, the NCA may, at its absolute discretion, consider offering a suitable Grade 6 role as an alternative to termination.

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 and Experience.

Your application will be assessed against the following:

Experience - This will be assessed:

Experience Criteria - will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Experience in taking initiative to resolve a problem or improve a situation

• Experience of gathering and interpreting information from a range of sources to make an informed decision

• Experience of working in a team to achieve a common goal.

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.

- Experience in taking initiative to resolve a problem or improve a situation .

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.

If you are successful you will be invited to the second assessment.

Assessment 2

The format of this assessment will be Assessment Centre which will be tested on via the details listed below.

Candidates successful at interview will be invited to an in-person assessment centre.

The assessment centre will be an all day event that will consist of the following:

Aptitude Tests

Candidates will be required to complete two written assessments and a role-play assessment as part of the selection process.

To progress, candidates must achieve a pass mark in at least one of the three assessments. Candidates who do not achieve a pass mark in any of the assessments will not progress further in the recruitment process.

Only candidates who meet this minimum assessment requirement will be considered for progression.

Substance Tests

As part of the recruitment process, candidates will be required to undertake a substance test in line with National Crime Agency requirements.

Further information will be provided to successful candidates from interview.

Please Note:

Candidates are responsible for any costs associated with attending the assessment centre. Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse travel, accommodation, or any other expenses.

Post- Assessment

Following the assessment centre, successful candidates will be posted in merit order of location and aligned to business priority.

Whilst candidates' pathway preferences will be taken into consideration wherever possible, allocation to a pathway will be based on aptitude assessment performance, organisational requirements and operational needs. Therefore, a preferred pathway cannot be guaranteed.

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions

• Working Together

• Communicating and Influencing

• Delivering at Pace

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 : 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.

Attachments

The role of the analyst (4) Opens in new window (pdf, 52kB)