Performance Improvement Lead (x2) - Crime & Criminal Justice / Operations SME – Support & Intervention Team

College of Policing

United Kingdom

Remote

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Flexible

£68,680 per year

Job summary

Applications for this role are restricted to existing employees of the College of Policing, the Civil Service and officers or staff of a UK police force or UK policing organisation.

About us:

Our mission is: Leadership, Standards, Performance. This guides our work with individuals, forces, and policing partners towards our vision. We exist to support police officers, police staff and volunteers to deliver the best service to the public. Only through high quality leadership, consistent standards and continual performance improvement can everyone in policing reach their full potential. Our mission guides our work with individual, forces and partners towards our vision.

Although we are a relatively small organisation, our work has a big reach. We are uniquely placed to work both with national policing organisations and local forces to support frontline officers, staff and volunteers in their day-to-day roles.

We offer a supportive and inclusive environment for people to thrive. Our extensive flexible-working policy, employee wellbeing support, family friendly policies, employers’ network for equality and inclusion membership (ENEI silver award winners), and status as a disability confident leader means everyone can bring their whole self to work.

Additional Information:

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

Due to our status as Public Servants, we are not eligible to participate in the Civil Service transfer process. Therefore, while successful candidates can transfer in on their existing terms and conditions, any subsequent transfer out of the College to the Civil Service cannot be guaranteed on existing terms and conditions, and new starter/modernised terms may apply.

The College embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we comply with the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and apply the minimum selection criteria at sift stage of the recruitment process.

Our vetting

If you are successful at interview, you will be required to undertake pre-employment security checks. You will be sent a security questionnaire which must be accessed within 24 hours.

Please note, these checks can take up to 10 weeks. You will only be offered a start date after the checks have been completed. If the outcome of these checks is not satisfactory, your recommendation for employment will be withdrawn.

Job description

Homeworking - remote

This post is a homeworking post or could be based at sites in either Ryton CV8 3EN, Durham DL15 8DS or, London E14 4PU. Hybrid working opportunities can also be discussed. Please note, frequent travel within the UK will be required.

Support and Intervention Team

As part of national policing reforms, a new capability is being established in the College to help forces tackle issues that may be impacting quality of service to the public. Part of this capability includes the set-up of a new specialist support team designed to work directly with forces to make tangible improvements, drive cultural and operational reform and build public confidence. These roles offer a chance to work at the centre of national policing performance improvement.

We’re looking for exceptional Performance Improvement Leads to play a pivotal role in driving evidence‑based improvement across crime and criminal justice areas and operational policing. This is an exciting opportunity to lead national performance support for police forces, working at pace, with influence and impact.

Whether you’ve operated at superintendent level, chief superintendent level, or built equivalent strategic leadership experience elsewhere in policing, what matters most is your expertise, credibility and ability to lead transformative change. If you have the knowledge, leadership strength and operational insight to make a lasting difference, we want to hear from you.

ThePerformance Improvement Leads will be responsible for the delivery of improvement support focused on the full range of HMICFRS PEEL inspection areas including for example: responding to the public, preventing crime and anti-social behaviour, investigating crime, use of police powers, protecting vulnerable people, leadership and developing the workforce.

You will build and maintain strong and effective working relationships with force chief officer teams and external stakeholders to ensure that dependencies are managed, change is embedded and practical benefits are delivered.

Person specification

Some of your responsibilities will include:

Leading and managing the delivery of evidence-based performance improvement support to individual forces.
Providing strategic leadership for your team empowering them to drive forward change and to deliver performance improvement support.
Developing and maintaining relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders (for example Home Office, NPCC, CPS, IOPC etc),
Champion continuous improvement, behaviour change and professional standards across policing
Actively seeking out good practice and innovation and sharing learning nationally to maximise the impact of performance improvement activity.

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

Extensive experience working at a senior leadership level including negotiating with and influencing senior leaders across policing
Knowledge of the HMICFRS PEEL inspection areas and a credible subject matter expert e.g. understanding and experience of crime, criminal justice, uniformed policing and/or policing system in the political and policy context, related to standards, evidence-based practice and improvement
Extensive experience in successfully leading through change, developing and implementing innovative solutions to issues and problems on a national level
Skilled at creating and leading high performing teams, bringing collaboration and flexibility in a complex stakeholder environment
The ability to apply analytical thinking, evidence-based decision-making and creative problem-solving

Please see the attached job description which contains full details of the role.

Behaviours

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

Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace
Working Together

Technical skills

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

Extensive experience working at a senior leadership level in policing
A credible subject matter expert e.g. understanding and experience of crime, criminal justice, uniformed policing and/or policing system in the political and policy context, related to standards, evidence-based practice and improvement
Extensive experience in successfully leading through change, developing and implementing innovative solutions to issues and problems on a national level

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,680, College of Policing contributes £19,896 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

College staff have Public Servant status. As a Public Servant, you are eligible to join the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

The College is a great place to work. We're passionate about our people and offer a wide range of benefits, including (but not limited to):

Defined benefit pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
Up to 31.5 days holiday (this is in addition to 8 public holidays and 1 privilege day)
Continued professional development and structured career paths
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
Flexi-time (for certain grades)
Benenden Healthcare
National Dental Plan
Discounts for on-line shopping
Free employee support line
Interest free season ticket loans
Rewards and recognition scheme
Learning and development tailored to your role.
An environment with flexible working options.
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

We also have a number of thriving staff networks that provide the opportunity for advice, support and to drive change. A place to get your voice heard, share experiences and challenge our working practices to ensure equality of opportunity for all.

For more information about our benefits and staff networks, visit What we offer as an employer , College of Policing

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.

Applications for this role are restricted to existing employees of the College of Policing, the Civil Service and officers or staff of a UK police force or UK policing organisation.

Vacancy reference: 7110

Anticipated interview date: 20th April 2026

An initial sift based on CV may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

This role is available until 31 March 2027 as a secondment opportunity to:

colleagues employed directly by the College or the Civil Service. Please note you will be required to obtain the written support of your line manager prior to submitting your application.
serving police officers substantive in the rank of Superintendent and Chief Superintendent or those officers suitably qualified for temporary promotion in the rank of Chief Inspector. All applicants must have the support of their Chief Officer which must be of NPCC rank, i.e., CC, ACC or DCC and this must accompany an application.
serving police staff at the equivalent rank of Superintendent/Chief Superintendent who have their chief officer's approval. Chief Officer’s approval must be of NPCC rank, i.e., CC, ACC or DCC. Approval for a secondment must accompany an application.

Please note applicants applying from force must have approval for a secondment, without this you application will not progress beyond sift, even if you are successful.

There is potential for this to be extended subject to funding confirmation.

Central service conditions may apply.

Please ensure you return the attached secondment approval form either as an attachment when submitting your application or via email to recruitment@college.police.uk.

For further information on applying for a secondment please visit the “Secondments into the College” page.

Internal applicants who are at risk of redundancy or in need of redeployment and pass the recruitment process, will be given priority over other applicants.

How to apply and contact information:

For further information visit our ‘Work for us’ page.

What it's like working at the College of Policing

If you would like to discuss the role in more detail please contact Jon Hull (Jon.hull@college.police.uk), National Performance Improvement Lead

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

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

Salary range

£68,680 per year