About the job

Job summary

Anti-Corruption Criminal Investigations Unit (ACCIU) and the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) make up the criminal and civil investigative arms of the Internal Investigations Unit. 

Supported by the Internal Investigations Hub our mission is to raise standards and protect our people, assets and information.

ACCIU officers are tasked to investigate allegations of criminality, support disciplinary processes and pursue staff whose actions can bring the Home Office reputation into disrepute.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic investigation team as an accredited financial investigator (AFI) in the Anti-Corruption Criminal Investigations Unit (ACCIU) investigating internal corruption and insider threat and risk. 

Due to the nature of the role, this post is available on a full-time basis only.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). 

Job description

Money is the common thread that runs through almost all offending, as criminals use the proceeds of their crime to fund their lifestyle and conduct further crime. 

The service provided by this role supports national Anti-Corruption Criminal and Financial Investigations to deprive criminals from their criminal benefit through asset recovery. 

The work is complex and diverse particularly in relation to compliance with various legislation when supporting and conducting investigations into money laundering and the confiscation of the proceeds of crime. 

Your role as an Accredited Financial Investigator (AFI) in the ACCIU requires you to:

• Use POCA 2002 and associated legislation, specialist gateways and external agencies to develop intelligence packages for use in financial and other investigations.
• Conduct proactive and reactive specialist financial investigations.
• Investigate suspicious activity reports to support ongoing investigations.
• Make applications to the court for production orders, restraint applications, confiscation orders and asset freezing orders.
• Undertake search, seizure and detention of cash, preparing applications for warrants and orders using the relevant legislation.
• Interview witnesses and suspects to obtain financial intelligence to assist in identifying financial crime and proceeds of crime.
• Support/mentor newly trained AFIs and FIOs, sharing best practice and aiding collaboration in the Home Office FI network.
• Maintain a CPD portfolio and record of all work undertaken in your role on internal case management systems and FISS database.

Person specification

The role attracts an Annualised Hours Working (AHW) Allowance. AHW is an attendance system where staff work an agreed number of hours for the year rather than weekly conditioned hours.  

You will be required to work flexibly on any day of the week, including weekends, nights, public holidays and privilege days. The hours may vary each week. Attendance may also be subject to change at short notice. The rate payable under the AHW scheme is driven by business requirements and your initial rate will be confirmed when you have started in post and will be paid as a percentage of your basic salary.

Essential Skills

Successful candidates must : 

• Hold and maintain current qualifications as an accredited restraint and confiscation trained financial investigator through Continuous Professional Development as required by the Proceeds of Crime Centre (POCC). 
• Have an excellent understanding of the POCA 2002 and other legislation relating to financial investigations which govern the recovery of assets from proceeds of crime.  
• Have current experience of taking complex investigations to court, working collaboratively with CPS and Counsel whilst demonstrating fortitude in this pressurised environment.
• Be able to accurately analyse information from a range of internal and external sources which would help to identify and address risks or threats to the department. 
• Maintain arrest capability by attending annual PPST refreshers and regular health screenings. 
• Hold current SC clearance and be willing to undertake Developed Vetting (DV) clearance once in post, if not already held.
• Hold a current, clean, UK full driving licence.
• Current qualifications as an accredited restraint and confiscation trained financial investigator.
• Up to date CPD held by the Proceeds of Crime Centre (POCC).  
• Level 3 arrest trained.

Desirable Skills

Ideally a candidate will have:

• Experience in the use of Excel, Word, Powerpoint and ALTIA. 
• Knowledge of Home Office systems including ATLAS, CID, PEGA, CRS and CLUE.
• An understanding of the work of the ACCIU and wider Home Office, including Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas & Immigration, Asylum & Customer Support functions.  

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%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

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

• CV detailing qualifications/skills and job history
• A statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
• Provide evidence of the Behaviour 'Making Effective Decisions' (250 words maximum)

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

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the Essential Skills as detailed in the Job Description.

The sift will be conducted on the Behaviour evidence and statement of suitability. However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be Behaviour-based questions on all listed Behaviours.

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 22nd April 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 6th May 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change.

Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams

Further information

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

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

DV clearance or a willingness to undergo DV clearance is an essential requirement for this role. Successful candidates will be permitted to start with SC whilst they undergo the DV clearance processes.

A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying and generating of examples/answers from internet sources including Artificial Intelligence. If any is detected the application may be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving civil servants. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

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

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.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home Office 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

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 HOrecruitment.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

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

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.