About the job

Job summary

Would you like to pursue a career in Intelligence?

Do you have excellent communications skills and  enjoy working as part of  a team?

If yes, then this could be just the job for you!

Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) is at the heart of HMRC compliance and enforcement activity. The purpose of the Intelligence team within RIS is to develop and enhance the intelligence picture of organised crime and serious fraud impacting HMRC. We then deliver quality intelligence products to promote decision making and compliance interventions to maximise our impact. 

Intelligence Services (IS) is a multi-functional group of teams within RIS, responsible for gathering, assessing, and disseminating Intelligence and evidence safely and legally to HMRC operational teams and external partners. The National Co-ordination Unit (NCU) is one of the teams through which IS deliver their function.

We encourage applications from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. We will arrange reasonable adjustments to support you through the selection process. Appointments will be made on merit and based on fair and open competition.

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 NCU is part of a 24/7 operational unit providing co-ordination, information, and operational support to HMRC, other government departments and law enforcement agencies.

You will provide essential support to frontline staff, conduct intelligence checks on request, disseminate intelligence, and provide specific co-ordination when required.

Dealing with colleagues in HMRC and collaborating with members of the public, other Government agencies such as National Crime Agency, Home Office, and Police, will provide the opportunity to develop strong customer service skills.

Your first 8 weeks will be paid training in a supportive environment to develop the skills needed for the role. This will be undertaken while your security checks are processed.

Successful candidates must pass the following security requirements before they can be permanently appointed to this role as this is a High Security role. Training and courses we will help you with to be a master of your craft alongside this training are:-

• Disclosure and Barring Security Check.
• National security Vetting (NSV) - Security Check (SC) level which requires 5-year consecutive residency in the UK.
• Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV3)

If successful at interview, a job offer will be conditional on passing the above security vetting checks. If you are unable to obtain the required security vetting, we will withdraw the offer of employment. This is because you will not have met the conditions for permanent employment for this role.

As an NCU Operator you will join the Government Counter Fraud Profession, work in a customer-focussed environment, and play a meaningful role in tackling criminal activity.

It is an exciting time to join the team!

Webinars

Do you want to learn more? Then book to join one of our 60-minute webinars via Microsoft Teams.

• Friday 5 April 2024 at 11:00am – 12:00 noon 
• Thursday 11 April 2024 at 4:00pm – 5:00 pm

Join us to hear more details about the role, training, tips to create a successful application, tailored Success Profiles mini-masterclass, and a Q&A session with NCU team members.

Please email risrecruitmentservice@hmrc.gov.uk specifying which session you would like to attend.

We will send you the Microsoft Teams link no later than 24 hours prior to your scheduled session.

We look forward to meeting you!

Person specification

Show how you meet the following skills and experience in your application. 

• Well organised, proactive and a good problem solver to work in a dynamic operational environment with flexibility to  cover varied roles and responsibilities in line with business needs.  
• Manage own workload responding to changing or conflicting priorities, including handling urgent enquiries from colleagues within HMRC and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).
• Take initiative and be accountable for your own actions and performance, ensuring excellent customer service and 24/7 support is provided to operational teams via telephone and email.
• Gather, interpret, analyse, and accurately record intelligence from the lawful interrogation of a wide range of digital sources, including internal and external databases, to support HMRC caseworkers and LEAs.
• Appropriate use and management of restricted and confidential material.
• Effective team player with good verbal and written skills to maintain good working relationships with customers, colleagues, and managers.

Working Patterns:

You will receive an Annual Attendance Allowance of 27.57% (£6, 915) in addition to your basic salary to work full time (37 hours per week) and cover 24/7 shift patterns 365 days a year.

Over a rotating 8-week roster you will work a range of shifts, including nights, which are mainly10 hours’ duration. We will always give you reasonable notice of any changes to your working pattern.

Staff who wish to work an alternative working pattern like part time or part-year are welcome to apply.

The preferred working pattern may or may not be available. You should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,082, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £6,772 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.

All Criminal Record Checks applications are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

The selection process consists of 3 stages. Your application, sift, and interview.

You must complete all stages before the closing date.

1. Application

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete an application form, with your personal details and eligibility CV, and Personal Statement.

Your 500-word CV should provide details of your last 3-year job history and include a brief description of the:

• Roles and responsibilities
• Skills and experience
• Key achievements/Deliverables
• Qualifications.

Match these to the person specification in the job advert.

Any additional wording will not be considered.

Your CV is for information only and will not be scored.

Your 500-word personal statement should demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the person specification and why you are suitable for the role.

Give examples of what you have done and how you achieved it.

Your CV and personal statement must not contain any personal details which could be used to identify you.

2. Sift – week commencing 22 Apr 2024.

The selection panel will assess your personal statement, to decide to what extent you have demonstrated the skills and experience required for the role.

Candidates successful at sift will be invited to interview.

3. Interview – Week commencing  6 May 2024.

Interviews will be held via Teams and will assess your Behaviours and  Strengths. This is a conversational and inclusive approach.

We will contact you via email to select a suitable date and time for your interview on your Civil Service Jobs account.

The Behaviours to be assessed are as follows:

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead)
• Working Together

Behaviour-based questions will explore in detail what you are capable of.

An example of a Behavioural question is:

Tell me about a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult customer?

Strength-based questions will explore what you enjoy, your potential and motivations relevant to the job role. We are looking for your first unrehearsed answer.

When describing examples of your work completed or situations you have been in, we recommend using the WHO or  STAR model.

What was the task, How you approached the work/situation and what the Outcomes were, what did you achieve?

What was the Situation? What was the Task? What Actions did you take? What were the Results of your actions?

To manage numbers, we reserve the right to raise the score required to progress at any stage of the selection process.

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

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

At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues and creating an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. 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 

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.

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 - 344904 & vacancy closing date 15/4/24. 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.