Trainer - Child Protection and Exploitation

Job summary

The Trainer – Child Protection and Exploitation operates within the National Crime Agency's (NCA) modern, officer-centred blended learning model, which is designed to meet a wide range of learning styles and represents a shift away from traditional classroom delivery towards more flexible and sustainable learning approaches. This model encourages self-directed, experiential and social learning, requiring the postholder to design and deliver engaging training that supports long-term capability development across the organisation. The role contributes to a diverse portfolio of learning provision, ranging from highly specialised operational and systems-based training focused on tackling serious and organised crime (SOC), through to broader programmes covering core business skills, leadership, management and induction.

While the primary focus of the role is on the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) threat, the Trainer will be expected to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, delivering training across different subject areas as organisational priorities evolve. The role requires the ability to confidently move between learning topics and delivery methods, supported by an understanding of adult learning principles, as the work extends beyond delivery to include the design, development and continuous improvement of learning interventions. Training is delivered through a combination of in-person and alternative formats, with face-to-face sessions primarily taking place at centres in Warrington and West Sussex, particularly for CSAE-related training where in-depth or sensitive content cannot be delivered online. However, the role also involves delivery in other locations and to partner organisations, including those overseas.

CSAE remains a priority area for the NCA, and the postholder will play a key role in developing the skills and knowledge of officers tasked with identifying, investigating and disrupting individuals and organised crime groups involved in this offending.

Due to the nature of the subject matter, the role carries a responsibility to engage with sensitive content in a professional and resilient manner. Regular psychological assessments will be undertaken every six months to ensure the ongoing wellbeing and support of the successful candidate.

Flexible working arrangements may be considered depending on course requirements and business needs.

Job description

The Trainer - Child Protection and Exploitation plays a critical role in strengthening law enforcement responses to the risks posed by serious and organised crime groups involved in the exploitation of children and young people. Working as part of a collaborative team, the postholder will design and deliver high-quality, impactful training that increases awareness, supports early identification and equips frontline practitioners with the skills and confidence to respond effectively to CSAE, including offending linked to organised crime networks, online environments and contact-based abuse.

The role involves the continuous development, review and improvement of learning products, exercises and scenario-based learning activities, ensuring that all content remains current, relevant and aligned with operational realities. This is informed by the use of operational insight, evaluation data and learner feedback to drive high standards of quality and effectiveness. The postholder will work closely with colleagues and partners across the Agency and beyond, to deliver training courses which ensure that officers have all the necessary skills to tackle the threat.

Drawing on experience in law enforcement or child protection, the Trainer will ensure that their experience of adult learning, coaching and constructive feedback assists learners in meeting required standards. The role also requires strong collaboration with subject matter experts within academia and professional bodies to ensure that training design and delivery meet agreed objectives and reflect best practice. Where appropriate, the postholder may take on a leadership role in supporting or developing other trainers or associate staff, modelling NCA values and promoting a culture of continuous learning, professionalism and improvement.

This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to begin or further develop a career in training and learning delivery. Successful candidates who do not already hold a Training Essentials Programme or Level 3 qualification will be supported to complete this, reinforcing their development as effective and confident trainers within a specialist and high-impact area.

Duties and Responsibilities

Learning Design and Development: Support Learning Managers by engaging with NCA operational commands to understand learning needs and design, develop and refine training products that meet organisational priorities. Maintain continuous dialogue with stakeholders to ensure learning solutions are relevant, effective and aligned to operational objectives.

Course Delivery: Deliver high-quality training across multiple locations, including NCA training centres in Warrington and West Sussex, as well as other UK locations as required. Travel, including overnight stays, will be a regular aspect of the role.

Product Maintenance and Review: Lead the ongoing review and maintenance of learning products, incorporating the latest operational learning, legislative changes and best practice to ensure training remains current, effective and of a high standard.

Professional Development: Maintain personal professional competence by keeping up to date with legislative, procedural and investigative developments, as well as advances in learning methodologies, demonstrating a proactive approach to continuous professional development.

Specialist Training Delivery: Design, develop and deliver high-quality training programmes focused on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation linked to serious and organised crime, ensuring investigators are equipped to meet consistently high operational standards.

Core Curriculum Delivery: Deliver training across key subject areas including safeguarding, officer wellbeing, child sexual abuse material, online offending communities and image grading, ensuring learners develop both technical knowledge and professional awareness.

Continuous Improvement: Use operational insight, performance data, evaluation outcomes and learner feedback to continuously improve training delivery and content, working with specialist teams to ensure measurable impact on operational capability.

Professional Standards: Promote lawful, ethical and professional investigative practice throughout all training, modelling high standards of behaviour and influencing both technical capability and professional conduct.

Collaborative Working: Work closely with operational leads, subject matter experts and Learning & Development colleagues to ensure training provision is coherent, aligned to organisational priorities and integrated within wider learning activity.

Wider Academy Contribution: Deliver and support additional training aligned to skills, knowledge and experience, contributing to the broader objectives of the NCA Academy and the development of a highly capable workforce.

Person specification

Communication Skills: Demonstrates excellent communication skills, with the ability to deliver training that explains complex or sensitive concepts to individuals with limited prior knowledge. Able to develop clear and engaging written materials in collaboration with instructional design specialists, ensuring understanding of legislation and criminal methodologies.

CSAE Knowledge and Experience: Possesses strong knowledge and practical experience of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation and its prevention, with the ability to draw on frontline insight to support law enforcement professionals in identifying early warning signs, understanding risk factors and applying effective safeguarding practices.

Training and Assessment Capability: Demonstrates the ability to design, deliver and evaluate engaging learning interventions across a range of formats, including classroom, virtual and scenario-based training. Experienced in assessing competence against defined standards in adult learning, adapting delivery to meet diverse learner needs, and using feedback, evaluation data and operational insight to continuously improve learning products.

Operational Experience: Brings significant experience within a law enforcement, child protection or closely related CSAE environment, with a proven ability to apply legislation, policy and procedures in complex and sensitive cases.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

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

• Demonstrates sound knowledge and practical experience of working within a Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) environment, with an understanding of associated risks, safeguarding considerations and investigative approaches.
• Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.
• Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,326, National Crime Agency contributes £13,130 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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, Experience and Technical skills.Your application will be assessed against the following:Technical - this will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Demonstrates sound knowledge and practical experience of working within a Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) environment, with an understanding of associated risks, safeguarding considerations and investigative approaches.

• Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.

• Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.

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 you CV are as follows: Please provide a current CV that clearly sets out your full employment history and all relevant qualifications. Your CV should demonstrate how you meet the requirements outlined in the person specification within the advert. In addition, please ensure you account for and briefly explain any gaps in your employment over the past five years.

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.

- Demonstrates sound knowledge and practical experience of working within a Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) environment, with an understanding of associated risks, safeguarding considerations and investigative approaches. .

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:Candidates will be required to give a 10-minute presentation at the beginning of their interview. Further guidance and the presentation title will be given ahead of the interview.

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Developing Self and Others

Technical

• Demonstrates sound knowledge and practical experience of working within a Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) environment, with an understanding of associated risks, safeguarding considerations and investigative approaches.

• Demonstrates the ability to confidently adapt communication style to effectively engage and connect with a wide range of audiences, ensuring clarity, understanding and impact.

• Demonstrates strong collaborative skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective, productive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of organisational objectives.

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.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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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.