HMICFRS Force Liaison Lead Secondment
Job summary
HMICFRS independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services – in the public interest. We promote improvements in policing and fire and rescue services to make everyone safer.
We are independent of the Government, police and fire and rescue services. We ask the questions that we believe the public wish to have answered and produce major reports that shine a light on issues at the very heart of policing and fire and rescue services.
Our reports are widely covered by the media and help inform the public of the performance of their local police forces and fire and rescue services. You can find out more about HMICFRS on our website and see some of our recent reports.
Working at HMICFRS gives you an opportunity to make a real difference to the quality of local police and fire and rescue services and the lives of the public.
HMICFRS is a unique organisation with staff seconded or loaned from across the Civil Service, police forces and fire and rescue services. We set ourselves high standards, taking great pride in the quality of work we achieve and the opportunities we create for our staff.
If you would like to talk to someone about this role and what it’s like working for HMICFRS, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Please contact,Gary.Gray@hmicfrs.gov.uk who would be happy to answer any questions.
We are holding a dial-in Teams session about these roles, where you can hear more about them (including from some of our current Force Liaison Lead), and ask questions. This will be held on 4th August 2026 at 2pm.
Access the links below to reserve your spot:
Force Liaison Lead Recruitment Event Tickets, Friday, September 4 • 2 PM - 3 PM GMT+1 , Eventbrite
Job description
Working in HMICFRS as a Force Liaison Lead (FLL) puts you at the heart of our inspection work. FLLs play a vital role in maintaining effective relationships with forces, gathering and assessing information throughout the inspection cycle, and supporting the delivery of HMICFRS’s continuous assessment approach. You will be responsible for leading and delivering the continuous assessment model of inspection in your allocated forces.
You will act as the primary link between HMICFRS and your allocated forces, supporting His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and their Chief of Staff in developing and maintaining effective working relationships. You will work closely with chief officers to support improvement activity, helping forces to identify opportunities for development and learn from recognised promising and innovative practice across policing and other organisations.
Leading, supporting and inspiring a team in their inspection duties, you will conduct fieldwork over a set period. This will include formulating recommendations, areas for improvement and writing reports for the public. Developing plans of action for your inspectors, adopting a critical analysis approach, you will lead by example and provide your team with constructive feedback on their performance.
Being innovative and open minded, you will be at the heart of our determination to support the delivery of better and more cost-efficient public services.
You will also work collaboratively by contributing to other inspections in your allocated forces relating to areas such as child protection, crime data integrity and custody inspections.
With a detailed operational knowledge of policing or law enforcement in England and Wales, you will have experience of leading investigations, police response to critical incidents and more complex operations. As a confident and emotionally aware communicator who can make effective decisions in a fast-paced environment, you will be comfortable working with incomplete data to come up with an overall picture and well-considered conclusions.
These roles require a flexible approach and, in return, offer the opportunity to work from home. You will spend most of your time working with your allocated forces, supporting inspection activity and managing key relationships. The role usually involves working with two or three forces, depending on the local context.
You will be able to undertake most planning, analysis and report-writing activities from home, while balancing time spent in force to support the delivery of HMICFRS’s continuous assessment approach.
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis and is not available on a part-time basis. However, other flexible working arrangements will be considered where they can be accommodated alongside the requirements of the role.
These roles are open to substantive Superintendents, or equivalent police staff grades, on level transfer. Applications are also welcomed from substantive Chief Inspectors, or equivalent police staff grades, who will be eligible for temporary promotion to the next grade for the duration of the secondment.
Responsibilities
FLLs act as ambassadors for HMICFRS and consistently demonstrate the highest standards of professional conduct.Regular activities include:
- Leading PEEL continuous assessment inspections for your allocated forces, including planning and fieldwork
- Maintaining relationships with your allocated forces and the relevant office of police and crime commissioner or equivalent, through regular contact, and keeping the forces updated about future inspection work
- Supervising inspection team staff (including associates, peer inspectors and short-term secondees), providing feedback on their performance
- Drafting reports of your force’s PEEL inspections, and working with central HMICFRS teams to ensure the reports are quality assured and edited to a high standard
- Together with the force and HMICFRS analysts, monitoring force performance and ensuring our monitoring portal (including our register of recommendations) is kept up to date and accurate
- Advising the HMI and Chief of Staff on relevant public confidence issues, such as cases of misconduct, matters affecting the chief officer team, police deaths on duty and deaths in police custody
- Dealing with complaints from the public to HMICFRS about your allocated forces
- Supporting other FLLs in their forces where appropriate
- Contributing to other inspections such as child protection, crime data integrity and custody inspections of your allocated forces.
Person specification
Essential criteria
Applicants must currently be employed by a police force in England and Wales at the required level, have obtained approval from their force to be released should they be successful, and meet the criteria below:
- Detailed knowledge of policing and/or law enforcement, its management and how policing and law enforcement operates within England and Wales
- Experience of leading and motivating teams to deliver high-quality outcomes, including performance management, planning, prioritisation and delivery to deadlines.
- Experience of presenting to and building effective relationships with senior-level stakeholders and partners, with proven experience of influencing, engaging and working collaboratively at a senior level.
- Experience of analysing complex, incomplete and sometimes conflicting information, identifying key themes and issues, and presenting clear, well-considered, evidence-based conclusions.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, with experience of preparing clear, structured reports, papers and briefings to a high standard, alongside effective use of Microsoft Office applications.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Learning and development tailored to your role.
We are committed to investing in our staff and providing all staff with opportunities to maximize their skills and achieve their potential. We offer a range of work-based training, learning and development opportunities including access to coaching and mentoring, and five days volunteering per year. HMICFRS has an Inspection Development Programme and linked accreditation process that all inspection staff undertake in our organisation. The scheme is approved by Skills for Justice and is based on you demonstrating competencies against a framework of role-specific tasks. The expectation is that all new inspection staff will complete a portfolio of evidence within agreed timescales (normally 12 months) and once this is complete it will be assessed by a trained assessor.
An environment with flexible working options.
We promote flexible working that balances professional and personal commitments. We support virtual and smart working, making best use of our technology and building collaborative working models to help all staff to work from home and/or in the office in a ‘hybrid’ way.
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
The diversity of our people is a real asset to HMICFRS. We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best. We particularly welcome applications from candidates from ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities, as they are currently under-represented within this grade level
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.This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:
- CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills. (The CV is for information purposes only and will not be marked).
- Personal Statement (maximum 1250 words). (Please specify your location preference on your personal statement (Northern / Wales & Western / Eastern)
- Evidence of the Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing. (this is set at maximum of 250 words).
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the essential criteria, detailed in the job advert.
For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.
You will also need to complete and submit the Force Approval Form (attachment below) by the application closing date. While you may submit your online application without the form, you cannot be appointed without the required approval. Failure to provide the completed form by the closing date may result in your application being withdrawn from the recruitment process. Please send the completed form to Recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk.
Sift and interview process.
The sift will be held on the personal statement and lead behaviour communicating and influencing.
The Personal Statement will be assessed for all candidates. Candidates who achieve the minimum pass mark will progress to a further sift, during which the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing, will be assessed. Candidates who meet the required benchmark for both the personal statement and lead behaviour will be invited to interview.
Candidates invited to interview will be assessed on all the behaviours specified in the advert.
For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.
Sift and Interview dates:
We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.
Sifting is expected to commence from w/c Monday 10 August 2026.
Interviews via video link are expected to take place from Monday 24 August 2026.
Reserve lists for this campaign will be managed in accordance with location preference, as indicated in your application. We will appoint in merit list order for each location outlined in this advert and hold a separate locational reserve list for each of these locations. After appointments have been made using this locational appointment process, any remaining candidates who met the benchmark for the role will remain on a locational reserve list in accordance with their preference for 12 months. Please only select the location where you are willing to work. If you decline an offer for a location you selected, you will be removed from the reserve list for that vacancy.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas.
Multiple posts:
Please note there are a number of post available which are being advertised as both permanent and secondment
The roles attached to this advert are only open to serving police officers or police staff equivalent. If you are not in either of these two categories and you would like to apply for a permanent opportunity, please apply under campaign reference 473129
Secondment specific information
Secondees can be appointed to HMICFRS for a maximum of 4 years – this includes new and previous postings.
Candidates who have served for the maximum tenure length, cannot be reappointed for 12 months from the date their previous secondment ended.
Candidates will need their Force to complete the Approval Form (see attachment), This should be completed and submitted Recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk before the vacancy closing date. Without this form supporting your application and confirming release for secondment we cannot proceed with your application.
Allowances:
Your full-time employer will continue to pay your salary as well as any allowances including compensatory grants and pension contributions to which you are entitled. Your force will then invoice HMICFRS for the amount. While on secondment, you will be entitled to a central service allowance of £1,260 per annum (non-pensionable).
As part of the secondment, you will not be entitled to London Weighting Allowance.
Please note: As part of our pre-employment checks, if you have previously worked within HMICFRS and your proposed start date falls within 12 months of a previous exception appointment, we are required to seek prior approval from the Civil Service Commission.
Additionally, if your proposed salary exceeds that of a Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 2 (SCS PB2), we must also seek prior approval from the Commission before confirming your appointment.
Any provisional offer of employment will therefore be subject to this approval, in addition to the successful completion of all relevant pre-employment checks.
Further information
A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.
If you are successful in this position and choose to accept the provisional offer for this role, you will be removed from all other Home Office reserve lists at the same grade.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of acceptable ID documents.
You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up. For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary
Any move to the HMICFRS 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct.
If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Plagiarism
The ideas and experience provided by candidates during the recruitment process must be their own. Where plagiarism has been identified (which could include content generated by Artificial Intelligence), candidate applications may be rejected. Existing Civil Servants found to have plagiarised may be subject to disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
• Contact Government Recruitment Service viaHOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs
• Complete the “Assistance Required” section in the “Additional Requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a language service professional
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback
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 counter-terrorist 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
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 : Gary Gray
- Email : Recruitment@hmicfrs.gov.uk
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instanceHORecruitment.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission