About the job

Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.  

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group. 

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.  

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career. 

Our Structure 

Our Investigation & Enforcement Services Directorate (IES) aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to tackle financial wrongdoing. We do this by enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes, and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community. IES contributes to the agency’s objective of ‘delivering economic confidence’ in the main by ‘tackling financial wrongdoing’ and does so in close cooperation with colleagues from our Official Receiver Services and Legal Services Directorates.

Job description

As a result of recent changes to legislation the Criminal Investigation Team (South) is seeking to recruit dynamic and resourceful individuals who will be responsible for managing the Criminal Investigation Team across the South of England region, the daily oversight of criminal investigations and of disruption tactics into insolvency and corporate-related criminal offending, which supports the Agency’s objective to tackle financial wrongdoing. The successful candidates will work closely with our Civil Investigation Teams and our Legal Services Directorate internally and other Law Enforcement partners to ensure that we fulfil our role in delivering Governmental strategies and achieve positive outcomes.

Your team are based in offices in the South of England where your regular attendance will be required in accordance with the hybrid working model of 60% office, site visit and court related attendance. Regular travel and occasional overnight stays may be necessary for the attendance at strategy meetings with stakeholders and other regulators, as well as interviewing witnesses and the conduct of interviews under caution when required at various locations across the country.

The post is full time. However, part time applicants will be considered subject to a minimum 30 hours per week, which is considered the minimum required to meet the demands of the role. 

The Role

The successful Investigation Manager will play a key role leading Investigators in their casework and supporting prosecutions as they move through the Criminal Justice System. When appropriate they will be working in partnership with other Law Enforcement Agencies to optimise judicial outcomes.

Reporting to the Chief Investigator, this post is responsible for the leadership, management and delivery of operational objectives to present cases for prosecution, utilising the following types of legislation; the Insolvency Act 1986, Fraud Act 2006, Companies Act 2006, Theft Act 1968 and Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.

The new posts will be essential to lead teams managing criminal investigations into new offences created by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, as well as other existing offences.

Responsibilities

The main duties of the role will include:

• Leading and managing Investigators of mixed capability, including those undertaking criminal investigation training, undertaking a range of criminal investigations; including high profile, serious frauds and complex cases. You will  ensure that they are conducted to the appropriate Government Counter Fraud Standards and in accordance with best practice and relevant legislation e.g. PACE, RIPA, CPIA, GDPR.
• Overseeing the work of your team and the allocation of cases, whilst supporting the Investigators and Trainee Investigators to proactively manage their investigations, providing technical guidance, to ensure timely delivery of casework to the required standards, meeting the requirements of CPIA and PACE. When necessary you will take the lead and drive follow up action arising from casework. This will include contributing to discussions with solicitors and counsel, attending court as a witness as well as representing the Agency in dealings with stakeholders and the media.
• Working collaboratively, internally with our Legal Services Directorate, Civil Investigators and Financial Investigators or externally with other stakeholders including Law Enforcement Partners, Investigators, Insolvency Practitioners, Prosecuting and Enforcement Authorities as well as Regulatory Bodies to ensure enforcement action is progressed appropriately and promptly - ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.
• Playing a significant role in supporting the Chief Investigator in their leadership of the Criminal Investigation Team (South) and acting as part of a network with fellow Investigation Managers based in our Criminal Investigation teams in the Midlands & West and North, providing mutual support, ensuring consistency, best practice and Continuous Improvement.
• Manage and develop your team of Investigators, building on their capability and professionalism.
• Play a key role in developing best practice and embedding the Government Counter Fraud Profession Standards within IES and acting as an Assessor when required, of trainees and Investigator's ongoing accreditation.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be able to evidence 

• Ability to respond quickly, flexibly and effectively to deadlines, including an ability to handle multiple competing work streams.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to engage, challenge and influence senior managers and internal stakeholders.
• Possess an eye for detail with strong analytical and problem solving skills and able to draw key conclusions from a wide range of evidence and data.
• An ability to keep your own and the team's efforts focused on operational objectives by being proactive and taking ownership and accountability for decisions.
• Exhibit excellent role modelling of authentic and visible leadership, fostering an inclusive environment, which attracts diverse talent, using this effectively to avoid bias in our day to day business.
• An ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with a range of stakeholders to support the delivery of operational outcomes with good written and verbal communication skills.

Essential 

• A demonstrated ability with previous accredited training to manage and supervise criminal investigations into serious and complex crime, leading to successful prosecution outcomes.
• An accreditation as a Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) level 2 supervisor / manager (or above) held within the past 5 years or a Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) Practitioner. Documentary evidence of accreditation will be required.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,856, Insolvency Service contributes £11,841 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, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, Behaviour Statements and Statements of Technical skills. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour "Leadership". Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

We will test your behaviours and technical skills and experience as part of the sift process, and if successful, you will be invited to a short interview where we will test your behaviours and technical skills. Full details of the selection process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed. 

Expected Timeline (subject to change) 

• Sift – w/c  08/04/24
• Interview – w/c 15/04/24
• Location -  Stratford, London

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.  

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Insolvency Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Transforming Workplaces

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.  

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.   

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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.

If you are experiencing 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. 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.