Senior Officer - Innovation, Science and Technology

Job summary

Digital, Data & Technology (DDaT), supports NCA operational commands with how we exploit data and to ensure the NCA uses the best technology platforms with the right tools and applications to further enable the NCA to protecting the public from serious and organised crime. We are responsible for defining and delivering our data and technology strategy, policy and architecture, and building and sustaining resilient services which are critical to our mission success.
The pace of change within the digital and tech world means we need to be agile and innovative in how we respond to threats while exploiting the opportunities this presents.

The pace of change within the digital and tech world means we need to be agile and innovative in how we respond to threats while exploiting the opportunities this presents.

Information about the Business Area

TRACER (Threat and Risk Assessment, Capability Exploration and Research) is an NCA led, multi-agency and multi-disciplinary team which examines technological developments in their wider contact, and the implications for serious and organised crime. TRACER researches and develops propositions to exploit opportunities and mitigate threats. The aim of TRACER is to represent the voice of a broad and diverse community to ensure that investment decisions in digital investigative capabilities are operationally relevant, fit for purpose and support the attainment of operational outcomes.

Job description

Role Summary TRACER sits at the forefront of innovation within the NCA, helping law enforcement respond to emerging digital threats through science, technology and experimentation. Working with operational teams, industry, academia and government partners, the role explores new technologies, designs and tests solutions, and provides evidence-based recommendations that shape future capability and investment decisions.Role Description

The Threat & Risk Assessment, Capability Exploration and Research (TRACER) team plays a critical role in supporting the National Crime Agency's mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime. As part of the Innovation, Science and Technology (IS&T) function, TRACER leads science, technology and innovation activity across the Agency, ensuring operational capabilities remain effective, relevant and responsive to an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving digital landscape. Working in close collaboration with law enforcement, national security partners, industry, academia and government organisations, the team identifies how emerging technologies may be exploited by adversaries and explores how science and technology can be used to counter those threats and enhance operational effectiveness.

Using innovative, user-centred and design-thinking approaches, TRACER works with stakeholders to understand complex challenges and opportunities, define user needs, develop requirements and conduct discovery activity. The role involves researching emerging technologies and trends, engaging with operational teams to understand their challenges, commissioning and evaluating research, and designing and delivering experiments, proofs of concept, technical demonstrations and testing activity. Findings are translated into evidence-based recommendations, business cases and clear stakeholder communications that support decision-making and future capability development.

A key enabler of this work is the Enabling Innovation and Experimentation Environment (EIEE), a cloud-based platform developed by TRACER to test, evaluate and demonstrate innovative solutions to digital threats and opportunities. Through experimentation, prototyping and assessment activities, the team generates the evidence needed to inform strategic investment decisions and support the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The role also includes presenting options and recommendations to senior leaders and governance boards, helping to shape future capability investments and ensure law enforcement remains agile, adaptive and effective.

TRACER is a collaborative, creative and forward-thinking team that values curiosity, diversity of thought and innovation. The breadth of its work requires individuals who can engage with a wide range of stakeholders, navigate complex and often ambiguous problems, and communicate technical concepts in a clear and accessible way. Through its science, technology and innovation activities, the team plays a pivotal role in enabling the Agency and its partners to anticipate emerging threats, exploit new opportunities and develop the capabilities needed to meet the challenges of the future.

This role sits within the Government science and engineering: career framework - GOV.UKDuties and Responsibilities

• Working with stakeholders to identify scope and plan innovation initiatives.
• Drafting and designing problem statements to meet stakeholder needs.
• Day to day management of various streams of work, ensuring all core functions are fulfilled to the required standard.
• Ensuring the portfolio meets the requirements imposed by external funding bodies (such as requirements around immigration crime or money laundering).
• Producing artefacts to support S&T leadership input to strategic governance boards.
• Working with NCA Commercial to identify and secure commercial arrangements to support delivery.
• Supporting the production of key artefacts required to develop a proposition, such as outline or strategic business cases.
• Managing innovation resources day to day, including subcontractors as required, ensuring appropriate tasking and development to deliver innovation initiatives.Reporting progress to S&T leadership, and ensuring external reporting requirements are fulfilled.
• Supporting the Innovation, Science & Technology Managers as required.
• Line management of G5 Innovation Officers where appropriate.

Person specification

• Proven experience working within multi-disciplinary teams, setting clear direction and applying project management principles to drive forwards innovation activity.
• Ability to work effectively across diverse specialisms, confidently discussing complex concepts with technical and non‑technical stakeholders and coordinating delivery through structured planning and governance.
• Strong prioritisation and stakeholder management skills, with experience securing buy‑in from senior stakeholders and product sponsors, resolving conflicts, and balancing competing demands.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build consensus, negotiate compromise, and bring stakeholders on board with decisions.
• Strong written and verbal communication capability, including experience of conveying complex or technical information clearly and persuasively to non‑technical audiences, ensuring messages are understood and acted upon.
• Demonstrable ability to identify, assess and integrate emerging science and technologies to drive innovation, operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Experience designing and delivering scientific experiments or discovery activity, with a clear focus on outcomes, evidence generation and learning to address defined problems.

Essential Criteria

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

Qualification in a STEM subject

OR

Relevant professional experience in a science, technology, engineering, data, digital, innovation or analytical field that demonstrates knowledge and skills comparable to a STEM qualification.

OR

Experience of working in a law enforcement environment with demonstrable interest in Innovation, Science & Technology.

Desirable Criteria

Desirable criteria are only used for assessment in the event of a tie break.1. Experience or understanding of Developer Operations and Security Operations (Dev Ops & Sec Ops) activity.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.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,049, National Crime Agency contributes £13,630 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).

• All NCA employees are members of the UK Civil Service and eligible for the Civil Service pension scheme, alongside your salary the NCA contributes £13629. Further information on the benefits of the scheme is available on the Civil Service Pension Website.

  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.

How we will assess you

Your application will be assessed against the following:Technical - this will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Experience of project management tools and techniques.

Experience - This will be assessed:

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 your CV are as follows: Please demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for this role and, where applicable, the desirable criteria. Your CV should provide clear evidence of your STEM qualification, equivalent scientific, technical, digital, data, innovation or analytical experience, or relevant law enforcement experience demonstrating an interest in Innovation, Science and Technology.

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

• Delivering Complex Projects [Lead Criteria]

• Driving Innovation

• Communicating to both technical and non-technical audiences

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.

- Delivering Complex Projects [Lead Criteria] .

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:You will be asked to prepare a 10 minute presentation for a non-technical audience regarding emerging technology. You will be assessed on your communication skills and ability to deliver an effective presentation.

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Working Together

• Managing a Quality Service

• Delivering at Pace

Assessment OutcomeOutcomes 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.

Eligibility, Pre-Employment Check and Vetting

Please see the NCA T&Cs and Privacy Policy (pdf) for details on how your data is handled. If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted.

Nationality Requirements

This role is broadly open to the following groups:• UK nationals or dual nationals, where one component is British• 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)• 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 ServiceFurther information on nationality requirementsYou will be required to participate in digital right to work and address checks as part of the recruitment process.

Security and Vetting

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is SC Enhanced. All security clearances will be managed by the NCA.For more information on security vetting please visit: UK Security Vetting guidance for applicants and Demystifying Vetting and see our vetting charter at: The Vetting Charter.

Vetting requirements - SC Enhanced

Prior to commencing the role, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance and then achieve both DV Enhanced and DV STRAP clearance within the first 12 months in post. The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.The requirement for DV Enhanced clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 7 of the last 10 years.To obtain DV STRAP you must be willing to undergo STRAP induction and must hold full UK nationality or dual nationality, where one component is British. Applications will be considered on a case by case basis.Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.If the increased clearance cannot be obtained you will be moved to a role appropriate to your clearance level achieved on entry. For further information on National Security Vetting checks please visit the following page Demystifying VettingIndividuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.

Occupational Health

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake an occupational health assessment. Depending on the role an in-person medical may be required in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.

Things you need to know

Multi Location

Where multiple locations are advertised, appointments will be made in merit order for each location.

Please indicate up to three location preferences clearly. Only your first three preferences will be considered. You may be allocated to any of the locations you select. If you decline an offer for a location you have selected as a preference, a further offer may not be made.

If you choose to reject an offer and no alternative preferred location can be offered, you will not be able to return to the process or be placed on a reserve list.

Only the advertised locations are available; any additional notes added to the application will not be taken into account.

Near Miss

If you meet the criteria for a lower grade, you may be offered that role if not appointable at the advertised grade.

Conversely, if found appointable at a higher grade but no posts are available, you may be offered a lower-grade role.

All offers are made based on merit.

Hybrid Working

The NCA supports hybrid working. The extent of remote working will depend on the role and can be discussed at the offer stage.

Reasonable Adjustments

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. If you’re neurodiverse, have a disability, or live with a long-term health condition, we encourage you to let us know about any reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process.

If you experience accessibility issues with the advert or require reasonable adjustments, please contact our Recruitment Team at central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk before the advert closing date.

Please ensure you complete the ‘Equal opportunities’ and 'Reasonable Adjustments' sections in the application form to inform us on what support you may need in the recruitment process.

For more on our Disability Confident commitment, visit Disability Confident Scheme , Civil Service Careers.

Visit NCA Benefits and Support for more details.

Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency's Diversity & Inclusion strategy, we require certain personal details about you on submission of your application for statistical and monitoring purposes only. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Working for the NCA

The National Crime Agency is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.If preferable, alternative contract types may be available. Please review the green bar of this advert to view all available contract types for this role. Where Loan or Secondment options are available, these would be for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered by the advert, please contact:

Name : Central Recruitment Team
Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

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 : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk
• Email : 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.