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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 If the outcome of these checks is not satisfactory, your recommendation for employment will be withdrawn.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

We are seeking a substantive Inspector, or an individual suitably qualified for temporary promotion to Inspector, to join a collaborative and high-performing team supporting the development of professional practice across policing.

This is an exciting opportunity to work in partnership with policing and wider stakeholders to provide support to those working across the service through setting standards, sharing knowledge and good practice, and supporting professional development. The role will contribute to improving knowledge, capability and operational practice within a College professional community, while helping to deliver against College strategies and the wider business plan.

The successful candidate will provide subject matter advice and support to the Policing Standards Manager (PSM) and play a key role in drafting, developing and promoting evidence-based policing standards, guidance and products within the relevant business area. This includes supporting wider portfolio activity and contributing to the development of Neighbourhood Authorised Professional Practice (APP).

You will work closely with police forces, partner agencies and other stakeholder organisations to engage, consult and provide advice that supports the promotion, implementation and embedding of professional practice across policing. The role will require someone who can build strong relationships, work credibly with operational colleagues and senior leaders, and translate operational experience, evidence and learning into practical products and guidance.

You will be joining a supportive team of homeworkers who work well together, collaborate closely and are committed to delivering high-quality outcomes for policing. Although home-based, the team is highly connected, values strong relationships and works together to provide support, challenge and shared learning. The role will involve some travel for engagement, consultation and delivery activity, and this travel will be fully funded.

Person specification

Some of your responsibilities will include:

Lead, manage and role model to develop a professional, agile team, recognising and praising the achievements of others to drive positivity within the team. Prioritise the objectives of the team to ensure a proactive, customer-focused and cost-effective provision of services. Effectively manage transactional HR processes, pay, performance management, PDR, CPD, recruitment, leave and absence, raising with senior managers where appropriate.
Confidently engage and collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to share information, resources and support. Invest time to develop a common focus and genuine, positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another, taking into account different individual needs, views, and ideas, championing inclusion and equality of opportunity for all. Be inquisitive and able to challenge constructively
Research and develop own subject matter knowledge and provide expert direction, guidance, advice and support to any development, review, refresh and/or updates to Authorised Professional Practice (APP), College Guidance or supporting material developed within area of responsibility. Ensuring this is evidence based, reflects best practice, is up to date and legally compliant.

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

Demonstrable experience of working successfully with organisations and/or communities to improve service delivery and implement new ways of working
Level 5/6 qualification or equivalent or practical experience of working in specialist field to the required level, or equivalent experience
Able to engage with and present to a range of audiences and represent the College effectively in varied forums

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:

Changing and Improving
Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

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

Demonstrable experience of working successfully with organisations and/or communities to improve service delivery and implement new ways of working.
Ability to build and retain credibility as an authority/source on current and emerging issues within the subject area and associated application of good practice and standards.

Benefits

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 officers of a UK police force or UK policing organisation.

Vacancy reference: 7241

Anticipated interview dates: 12th August 2026

This role is available for 2 years as a secondment opportunity to:

serving police officers substantive in the rank of inspector, or those officers suitably qualified for temporary promotion in the rank of 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.

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

An initial sift based on the Personal Statementmay 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.

How to apply and contact information:

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, and as Public Servants we follow the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

We embrace diversity and promote equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

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 Inspector Nicola Kilpatrick, Nicola.Kilpatrick@college.police.uk

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

We believe that a diverse workforce brings many benefits to the organisation including diversity of thought and improvements to the way we work internally and with partners and communities. We strive to be fully inclusive but we know there is more to do. We genuinely encourage people from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups to apply for this role.

We want to continually improve our recruitment processes and to remove any barriers to equal opportunities that could disadvantage those from particular backgrounds. In order for us to have the information to do this, we ask you to please complete the diversity section of the online application process. We use a “blind” shortlisting process and we hope that by using this method we will be able to promote greater diversity in our workforce and remove any subconscious decisions based on biases.

The College is committed to support the Greening Government Commitment and reducing our Environmental impact. We have a dynamic Environmental Management Plan in place which encompasses various objectives, including our pledge to reduce business travel. To support our green agenda we have, in phase one, installed Electric Vehicle Charging Points at our sites in Ryton (12 points) and Harperley Hall (4 points). We encourage employees to become an Environment Champion to help with promoting and delivering our Environmental Management Plan. Our One Step Greener approach encourages all College staff to make small changes to create a better future for everyone.

Please note that in order to work for the College of Policing you must have the Right to Work in the UK with indefinite leave to remain. In addition, you will also be required to provide an address history in the UK for the preceding 3 years.

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 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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

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 : College of Policing Recruitment Team
Email : recruitment@college.police.uk

Recruitment team

Email : recruitment@college.police.uk

Attachments

JD_Senior_Policy_Advisor_Front_Line_Policing Opens in new window (pdf, 211kB)Secondment approval form Opens in new window (docx, 81kB)