Overview
Digital Evidence Review Lead – Nottingham Regional Centre – Unity Square
About the job
Job summary
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HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations.
Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within FIS. Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.
HMRC’s Cybercrime & Forensic Services (C&FS) has a vital role to play in supporting His Majesty’s Government’s fight against serious and organised crime, supporting investigations totalling hundreds of millions of pounds each year. Our forensic practitioners are a key part of the UK Law Enforcement community, working on a variety of cases, from corporate criminality to tobacco smuggling. The Forensic Services Senior Leadership Team (SLT) runs the team, and it currently consists of 5 roles:
G6 – Head of Forensics
G7 – Digital Forensic Operational Lead
G7 – Research and Technical Management Lead
G7 – Business and Quality Assurance Lead
G7 – People Management Lead
The successful candidate will largely be working with, and alongside, the rest of the SLT members to collaborate and lead the team across all sites.
Job description
C&FS are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Digital Evidence Review Lead. The successful candidate will build, lead, and develop a high-performing function/team based around the support of digital reviews performed within eDiscovery platforms. The team’s primary purpose is to assist investigators with the review of data forensically captured and processed by forensic practitioners. We are looking for someone who is experienced in creating successful strategies around digital reviews that in turn utilise eDiscovery type platforms. Whilst current knowledge is desirable, an in-depth knowledge of eDiscovery will be provided via training as part of the role. It is the knowledge of how complex reviews work that must already be demonstrated.
This is a rare opportunity to play a central role in shaping a digital investigations capability in one of the UK’s most data-rich and complex law enforcement environments. The service will sit within our existing Forensic Services team as part of CODE and under Fraud Investigation Services (FIS).
The successful candidates duties will lie within the world of data review and specifically supporting teams to investigate data in line with criminal justice requirements. They will apply their experience in this field to the strategic management and investigation of large digital datasets in a criminal and civil arena.
They must, however, also demonstrate a simple base awareness of Digital Forensics to build strong relationships and continuity from the forensic capture/analysis and on into their world of the eDiscovery based digital review.
The role will see the successful candidate sit on and work with the current Forensic Services SLT to deliver a quality service. Our current G7 Digital Forensic lead will work closely with the successful candidate to ensure forensics and the subsequent digital review are aligned under one strategy for optimum case delivery.
Working alongside and within our digital forensic resource you will act as the Digital Evidence Review Lead where you will be responsible for designing and implementing a strategic eDiscovery function.
You’ll lead on the implementation of tools, set policy and process standards, and hire and manage a multidisciplinary team that supports a broad range of investigations across the FIS environment.
As a G7 lead in this area you will be expected to talk to the review strategies that you implement. You will represent the SLT within this field and deliver messages and policy to a range of key high-level stakeholders within FIS, CPS and the Solicitors office to name just a few.
Managing a team of eDiscovery Senior officers, it will be your responsibility to identify review priorities across the business and use your team to the best of their abilities and resource. Your team will effectively project manage reviews and ensure the data across cases fulfils the criteria of review strategies, thus satisfying the remit of representing relevant data for each case.
Your team will also be responsible for processing data within the eDiscovery platforms such as email threading, batching data and preparing the material for assisted review technologies and workflows.
Your team will act as the bridge between case teams and forensic practitioners to ensure efficient use of each stakeholder’s time. They will be expected to keep all stakeholders abreast of what has happened with each digital review and the progress made. Ensuring those clear lines of engagement are in place and working well will therefore form a vital part of the successful candidates role.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities:
• Develop and implement HMRC’s Digital Review strategy and operational framework based around eDiscovery technologies.
• Build and lead a new eDiscovery team, including recruitment, training, and performance management.
• Implement best-in-class eDiscovery platforms and tools.
• Partner with Legal, IT, Security, and Investigation units to support criminal and civil investigations.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements for data review, and production.
• Develop internal policies, workflows, and documentation to standardize review and eDiscovery practices.
• Act as a subject matter expert and senior point of contact for all digital based review matters reporting to the G6 Head of Forensics.
• Work very closely with the G7 Forensic lead to ensure a unified strategy to delivering digital material to case teams.
Knowledge and understanding of criminal justice procedures including the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (IPA) and the Police Act 1997.
• Previous experience working in a Law Enforcement environment / legal environment.
• Experience working in or with public sector organizations or regulated environments.
• Management experience
Essential Criteria
• Proven experience leading on the implementation of high-level reviews across complex digital datasets.
• Experience of leading a team involved with the process/support of digital material reviews.
• Strong understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks, and data privacy laws (e.g., CPIA and GDPR) and in turn how these impact data reviews.
• Experience with eDiscovery tools (e.g., Relativity, Nuix, FTK, etc.).
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong experience of building strategies for multiple large and complex data sets, seeing them examined for evidence and bringing data into a criminal court arena.
• The ability to prepare legal and policy-focused documents and briefs for submission to FIS Deputy Directors and beyond.
Desirable Criteria
• First-hand experience of implementing eDiscovery technologies such as ‘Assisted learning’ across a review service.
• Previous experience working in a Law Enforcement environment / legal environment.
• Base understanding of digital forensics practices.
• An understanding of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM),
• Experience working in or with public sector organizations or regulated environments.
Training
Depending on existing experience, you will be expected to undertake eDiscovery based training, ranging from in-house training to external courses.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- – Prepare a ten-minute presentation. – Presentation details will be provided to the successful candidates when notified of interview.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous experience. The CV consists of 3 sections: Qualifications, Career History and Skills and Experience – maximum 500 words per section. Please demonstrate your technical experience within the skills and experience sections. Your CV will be scored against the experience required outlined in the advert.
- A 1000-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.
Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at sift or interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV.
At full sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, Behaviours (Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace and Managing a Quality Service), Strengths and a presentation will be assessed.
Presentation
-Prepare a ten-minute presentation.
– Presentation details will be provided to the successful candidates when notified of interview.
This is an example of a strengths-based question:
“It is often said that the customer’s needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
Interviews will take place face to face in Nottingham and Stratford. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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.
Additional Security Information
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
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.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
