Financial Investigator – Economic Crime Operations – Dover – Priory Court

Overview

Financial Investigator – Economic Crime Operations – Dover – Priory Court

About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

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HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations. FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to tackling the most serious tax evasion and fraud.

FIS is home to a wide range of people with a variety of skills and professional backgrounds – including accountants, cybercrime specialists, criminal justice professionals, tax professionals and operational delivery teams to name but a few. We use a range of powers and approaches to protect funding for UK public services, investigating the most harmful tax cheats and ensuring none are beyond our reach. We target a variety of threats, including complex offshore evasion, international smuggling of illicit excise goods, exports of controlled weapons and technology, labour market abuses, money laundering, VAT and Self-Assessment repayment frauds and a host of other fraudulent attacks.

The Economic Crime (EC) deputy directorate brings together our Supervision, Proceeds of Crime Operations and Illicit Finance teams and forms an integral part of the HMRC Serious Fraud Strategy. Working closely across the department and the wider Law Enforcement community, using specialist expertise and modern technology we put illicit finance at the centre of operations. Our operational teams tackle the financial aspects of cases that will ultimately deter, disrupt, and remove assets from tax fraudsters to level the playing field for the honest majority. EC has several specialist teams who perform unique functions within HMRC, but which are common to other areas of the public sector.

Job description

Join HMRC as a Financial Investigator and be part of a specialist Economic Crime Operations team, where you will be at the forefront of disrupting serious tax fraud and illicit financial flows.

This role sits within HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, focusing on recovering proceeds of crime and disrupting financial criminal activity. This position combines investigative expertise with legal knowledge to identify, restrain, and confiscate assets derived from criminal conduct.

You will lead financial investigations across recovery areas, collaborating with tax professionals, insolvency specialists, forensic accountants and Economic Crime teams to identify effective recovery methods.

You will deliver complex and impactful investigations including restraint and confiscation, detained cash investigations and Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) Part 5 work.

Additionally, you will respond to criminal and civil investigations commenced after a referral from our partners at Border Force. You will lead colleagues through (and undertake) a range of investigative tasks, including arrest and interview of suspects; crime scene management; compiling charging files for consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service and other evidential enquiries relevant to the progression of cases.

The role requires attention to detail, and the ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders. As a Financial Investigator, you will be at the forefront of HMRC’s efforts to protect public finances and maintain the integrity of the UK’s tax system.

This role aims to maximise the recovery of criminal assets within the UK and overseas, supporting Civil and Criminal Operations from a financial perspective.

Person specification

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate strong decision-making and problem-solving skills. You should have a proven ability to think laterally and drive forward investigations. Excellent communication skills are essential, with the ability to effectively communicate and negotiate with both internal and external stakeholders.

Your responsibilities will include but not be limited to the following:

• Court Applications: Attend court and make court applications and respond to questions from Judiciary and Court officials. Act as an Assurance Officer in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002, other relevant legislation, case law, and Codes of Practice.
• Material Analysis: Analyse financial and case-related material to improve recovery opportunities.
• Case Preparation: Prepare cases for court and attend court to give evidence when necessary.
• Continuous Learning: Keep your knowledge and relevant accreditations up to date with changes in the law and technical and professional developments.
• Stakeholder Relationships: Build and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external, to ensure Illicit Finance is at the heart of all FIS investigation work.

Role Model:

• Act as a role model by demonstrating HMRC values and capabilities.
• Mentor and support colleagues to lead and direct casework.
• HR line management responsibilities for Financial Investigators, Financial Intelligence Officers and other Economic Crime Operations staff.
• Case management of Financial Investigators, Financial Intelligence Officers and other Economic Crime Operations staff.
• Management Information: Maintain accurate Management Information on an ongoing basis.

Additional Responsibilities for Authorised Officers:

• Operational Planning: Plan, lead, and deploy operationally to maximize cash and listed assets interdiction opportunities.

Wider Activities:

• Deploy operationally on broader activities to enhance Financial Investigations in other areas of Fraud Investigation Service.

Essential Criteria

Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• Recent experience of undertaking civil or criminal investigations under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, or criminal investigations, or managing a team undertaking this work.

In addition, candidates must hold at least one of these mandatory qualifications, please be clear in your application which qualification(s) you hold:

• National Crime Agency Financial Investigation Accreditation / Financial Investigation training.
• National Crime Agency Restraint and Confiscation Accreditation.
• POC Authorised Officer Training.
• BTEC Level 3 Advanced Diploma Enforcement Investigation.
• CFPAB Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist.
• Policing Professionalising Investigative Practice (Level 2) (PIP2).

Candidates must be able to arrive at our Dover site within an hour of being called out.

Desirable Criteria

• Good knowledge of tax regimes administered by HMRC and Civil Recovery Options to maximise Asset Recovery.
• Hold a valid UK driving licence.

Further Information – Flexibility Payment

The role is eligible for the Flexibility Payment (FP) at FP2 which is dependent on certain levels of training being met.

Candidates with the BTEC Level 3 Advanced Diploma Enforcement Investigation or CFPAB Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist are immediately eligible for FP2.

External candidates with National Crime Agency Financial Investigation Accreditation / Financial Investigation training/National Crime Agency Restraint and Confiscation Accreditation or Policing Professionalising Investigative Practice (Level 2) (PIP2) will require HMRC Authorised Officer training and for the first month you will receive no FP, thereafter you will receive FP at Level 1a. Where possible training to FULL HMRC Authorised Officer status will be delivered. When you successfully gain Provisional Authorised Officer status (normally 6 months after training has been delivered) you will then become eligible for Level 2 (your Level 1a payments will stop) and expected to deliver all the attendance required by this level.

Internal candidates with POC Authorised Officer Training will be eligible for FP1a. Where possible training to HMRC Authorised Officer status will be delivered. When you successfully gain Provisional Authorised Officer status (normally 6 months after training has been delivered) you will then become eligible for Level 2 (your Level 1a payments will stop) and expected to deliver all the attendance required by this level.

Qualifications

In addition, candidates must hold at least one of these qualifications, please be clear in your CV which qualification(s) you hold:

– National Crime Agency Financial Investigation Accreditation / Financial Investigation training.
– National Crime Agency Restraint and Confiscation Accreditation.
– POC Authorised Officer Training.
– BTEC Level 3 Advanced Diploma Enforcement Investigation.
– CFPAB Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist.
– Policing Professionalising Investigative Practice (Level 2) (PIP2).

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,320, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,521 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 and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV, to include experience of up to your last 3 roles. Please use no more than 100 words per role to provide a summary of your key achievements and main responsibilities. You should state in your CV which of the mandatory Qualifications you hold. Your CV will be scored.
• A 750-word Personal Statement outlining your skills and experience. Use specific examples to demonstrate your experience, how you meet the Person Specification and Essential Criteria detailed in the advert and what you can bring to the role.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at 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

At sift, your CV and Personal Statement will be assessed against the Essential Criteria and Person Specification of the advert with successful candidates progressing through 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, you will be asked a question to test your Experience. You will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of and you will also be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

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 our Dover Office, Priory Court.

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 (opens in a new window).

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).