Principal Investigative Lawyer

Job summary

The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption, and pursues the proceeds of crime, and compensates victims where possible.

This is an interesting and engaging role, providing legal expertise to bring our cases to a successful outcome. As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, you will be part of a team comprising of investigators, accountants, digital specialists, and financial investigators and will progress cases by leading and managing teams and providing high quality legal advice.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. To be eligible you must meet the following residency requirements dependent of the level of security vetting required:

• SC: 5 years residency in the United Kingdom preceding this application.
• DV: 10 years residency in the United Kingdom preceding this application.

Job description

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, your job will typically include:

• Providing advice in relation to prosecutions and Deferred Prosecutions Agreements
• Drafting search warrants, attending searches, interviewing witnesses, identifying asset recovery options in tandem with our Proceeds Of Crime team and engaging counsel for trial and disclosure work
• Engagement with overseas law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, with possible travel
• Enhancing your technical skills through working with digital evidence (training to use our software will be provided)
• Drafting case strategy, key decisions, team building and outcomes
• Working on a variety of cases to expand your career experience.

Person specification

See above and attached Candidate Pack

Qualifications

You must be a barrister authorised by the Bar Council to practice in England and Wales OR a solicitor, admitted by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and authorised to practice in England and Wales with a minimum of 2 years PQE

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £59,971, Serious Fraud Office contributes £17,373 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme. For further details, click here http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years’ service plus an additional day in recognition of the King’s Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days’ leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.

Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.

Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.

Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.

Opportunities for learning and development.

Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.

Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.

Access to a range of discounts through membership of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club, CSSC Sports and Leisure. http://www.cssc.co.uk/

Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.

Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:

• Discounts with high street retailers
• Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
• Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
• Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
• Instant vouchers

Any move to the Serious Fraud Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

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.

How to apply

Please complete the online application process via the link on the advert.

As part of the application process you will be required to provide:

• A CV setting out your career history and covering any relevant qualifications you hold to demonstrate the essential technical requirement. This is the LEAD criteria for the role and only candidates who meet this will have the remainder of their application considered.
• A personal statement of up to 500 words that explains how your skills and experience meet essential and desirable criteria as listed in the Candidate Pack. Desirable criteria will only be taken into account where it is necessary to further shortlist for interview.

The candidates shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process will be those who have clearly demonstrated that they meet the essential experience and technical criteria for the role.

Please note that it will not be possible to provide feedback to applicants who are unsuccessful at the application stage.

The interview stage

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to sit a short scenario based assessment to test your legal knowledge and skills. You will also be interviewed to explore the behaviours, technical criteria and experience criteria in more depth.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates in the invite to interview.

Sift to take place from 9 February 2026.

Interviews are expected to take place w/c 23 February 2026.

All dates are indicative and subject to change.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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 : Sellick Partnership
• Email : albert.pearson@sellickpartnership.co.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : albert.pearson@sellickpartnership.co.uk

Further information

For external competitions there is no appeal against the selection decision. However, individuals have a right to appeal if they feel that the principle of appointment on merit through fair and open competition and the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles have not been met. Individuals who want to appeal should do this by setting out their grounds for appeal in an email for the attention of Head of People to People@sfo.gov.uk. If, after an internal appeal, you still believe that the Civil Service Commissioners’ Principles have not been met, then you can contact the Commission directly: Complaints should be sent in writing to: Civil Service Commission, Room G08 ,1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Email info@csc.gov.uk

Attachments

Principal Investigative Lawyer - Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 405kB)