About the job

Job summary

About the team

HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations and our investigation capability is fundamental to managing and reducing the tax gap, meeting HMRC’s strategic objectives and supporting aims of a balanced tax system. It is also a key component of the compliance strategy, promoting compliance across the population and prompting behavioural change, preventing and responding to harmful attacks on the tax system and ensuring none are beyond our reach.

Investigation Services brings mainstream and highly specialist capabilities together to improve and support the full range of criminal, civil and regulatory investigations into serious tax fraud and money laundering undertaken in FIS. This role in Investigation Services Core provides vital services to the full range of FIS investigations helping HMRC solve the many and pressing challenges that modern-day tax fraud presents.

See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

Job description

The post-holder will perform a range of Assistant Officer graded taskings in support of HMRCs most serious civil and criminal fraud cases, with a requirement to support other taskings as and when required and directed by management. You will play an active part in the development of an inclusive and encouraging performance-based culture to provide effective and timely services to investigation teams. This will include ensuring your work is completed efficiently, to a high standard and that deadlines are met. IS will provide you with learning products and support from your manager and training leads. However, we will also expect you to take ownership for your own development ensuring you have sufficient capability and confidence to perform taskings requested.

Person specification

• Deliver high quality, professional and accessible services, anticipating the needs of our investigations by performing tasks suitable to the Assistant Officer grade in line with the guidance provided and referred to above.
• Contributing to an encouraging culture, that can realise the operational potential of your team to deliver against the Investigation Services SLAs and KPI’s.
• Identifying, through conversations and outcomes of quality assurance processes, any development needs and ensure these are communicated to your line manager.
• Developing a professional relationship with local investigators and case teams by working collaboratively with colleagues across FIS to build skills, capabilities, share best practice and deliver business objectives.
• Ensuring all duties are performed in line with the Investigation Services Blueprint.

Essential Criteria 

• Must hold Security clearance at SC Level OR you must acquire the clearance if your application is successful, prior to take up of duty which we will assist with.
• An Organiser, who can manage their time and ensure taskings and assurance guidance is followed at all times.
• Following guidance to master your craft, we would expect you to articulate to us how you have followed that guidance in order to ensure a suitable audit trail for FIS investigations.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, in addition to a good solid understanding of Office 365 platforms with tools like, Word, Powerpoint, Outlook and Excel.

Desirable Criteria

• A knowledge of the key elements underpinning civil and/or criminal tax fraud investigations.
• Full UK Driving Licence and be willing and able to drive for business need.

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.

Find more about HMRC benefits in 'Your little extras and big benefits handbook' for further information 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 complete a Personal Statement, and a separate 250-word statement addressing the specified behaviour.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your Personal Statement (500-words) 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.

Sift

The initial sift will be against the essential criteria and the role profile as demonstrated in the personal statement. 

You will be assessed on the behaviour, Working Together, only if you have demonstrated that you meet the essential criteria. 

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process in order to manage numbers.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and you will 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 be either face to face or via Teams depending upon locations.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 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.

Eligibility

To check that you are eligible to apply, review this eligibility information

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.

Reasonable Adjustments 

We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate. 

If you need a reasonable adjustment or a change to be made so that you can make your application, review this information on reasonable adjustments, and contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible.

Diversity and Inclusion

We’re committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues here at HMRC. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at HMRC.

For more information on how we make this happen, review this information on our culture and values

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.

We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible after considering operational and customer service needs. We can’t guarantee that we can meet all requests to work flexibly, as agreement will be subject to business ability to accommodate, and any request to work a more flexible arrangement should be made prior to your acceptance of the provisional offer.

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. 

The Civil Service runs 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. 

Locations 

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.

Security Update

For more information on the level of security checks we will carry out, review this information on security checks 

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Further Information

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. 

Duplicate applications for the same vacancy will also be withdrawn.

Transferring into HMRC from Civil Service If you are currently working for an ‘Other Government Department’ (OGD) and would like to consider the impact on your pay when joining HMRC, please see the attached document "Combined T&C and OGD Pay English”, found at the bottom of this advert. Further information on staff transfers can be found on gov.uk

Problems during the application process 

If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. 

If you think you’ve made a mistake on a short application form (e.g. you’ve ticked the incorrect eligibility box), please contact hmrcrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at least two working days before the vacancy closes. After this, we won’t be able to reopen your application.   

Please use the subject line to insert appropriate wording e.g. Please re-open my application - 345589 & vacancy closing date 04/04/2024. Please note that we cannot amend or re-open your application if you have submitted your full application in the interests of fair and open recruitment.

For reasonable adjustments queries or requests, please see details within reasonable adjustments section above.

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.