About the job

Job summary

We are advertising for a dynamic and strategic individual to lead the work of the Criminal Finances and Asset Recovery team, based in the Economic Crime Directorate of the Homeland Security Group.  ​

Economic Crime underpins serious and organised crime, fuels terrorism and can be used by malign actors to threaten national security. To counter these threats, the Economic Crime Directorate leads the delivery of the Government’s landmark public-private Economic Crime Plan, as well as the Economic Crime (Transparency & Enforcement) Act (which received Royal Assent on 15 March 2022) and the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Bill (introduced on 22 September 2022). ​

The Economic Crime Directorate (ECD) works with partners across government and the private sector and is an area of significant interest for the Security Minister, Home Secretary and No10. ​

The Criminal Finance and Asset Recovery Unit is one of four units in the ECD and has lead responsibility for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) which contains the legislative framework for the recovery of criminal proceeds in the UK. We lead on policy to disrupt and prevent cash based and high-end money laundering, and to increase the amount of criminal assets that are seized and recovered. The unit leads on economic crime related legislation, performance and analysis, works closely with operational partners on policy related to POCA and money laundering, returns corrupt assets held in the UK and runs the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme.

Job description

The Deputy Director for Criminal Finances and Asset Recovery leads the overall policy direction of the criminal finance systems and Asset Recovery. This includes oversight of policy development around the legal framework for asset recovery, including working on legislation  and oversight of POCA; reform of the anti-money laundering Asset recovery system (including IT systems); liaison with international partners in connection with asset repatriation; and oversight of key operational issues connected with the anti-money laundering regime. ​The post holder will report to Duncan Tessier, Director for Economic Crime. ​

​The Criminal Finances system is of interest to a wide variety of stakeholders across Whitehall, operational agencies, Civil Society and others. It has been of close interest to Ministers, Parliamentarians, and the Public Account Committee. ​

The post-holder will need to influence senior stakeholders to drive reform. ​

The post holder will be responsible for the oversight of ARIS, which represents c£300m p.a. of income receipts which are overseen by the Home Office. They will also oversee the policy work underpinning a major Government Programme (GMPP) which has a lifetime cost of c£400m to reform the system approach to preventing and disrupting money laundering and recovering £1bn more criminal assets. 

Key Responsibilities include: ​

Working closely with Home Office Ministers to provide leadership/direction setting for the Department’s activities on Criminal Finance and Asset Recovery. ​

Leading the policy work on a major transformation programme, funded by the Economic Crime levy to disrupt money laundering and to drive up year on year confiscation of criminal assets and uplift the law enforcement response. ​

Building close working relationships with stakeholders, such as the National Crime Agency, Policing stakeholders, Local Authorities and the Courts and the private sector (for example, major banks, legal and accountancy sector). ​

Leading relationships across Whitehall with HMT, No10, Cabinet Office, FCDO, MoJ and DBT.​

Take forward secondary and possibly primary legislation to disrupt money laundering and recover more criminal assets, ensuring that victims are adequately compensated.  ​

Own and drive forward the delivery of actions in the Economic Crime Plan 2 relating to money laundering and asset recovery, including developing a data strategy, tackling the illicit use of crypto assets, and reviewing legislation on confiscation. ​

Use performance data and evidence to drive up performance in operational agencies and increase the amount of criminal assets recovered. 

Person specification

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria:

Essential Criteria  

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria: ​

• An excellent leader with proven ability to: set direction; lead through change; convey a persuasive future vision; motivate teams; and develop, attract, and retain talent. ​
• Experience of, or an ability to, operate effectively in a political environment, with the credibility and interpersonal skills to command the trust and confidence of Ministers and other senior interlocutors. ​
• Excellent stakeholder management and an ability to influence effectively, especially in environments where there are complex partnerships, with competing and sometimes challenging priorities. ​
• Strong policy experience, strategic and analytical skills. ​
• The ability to oversee and reform financial and operational processes for £300m ARIS payments.  ​

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Desirable Criteria:​

• Knowledge/experience of economic crime ​
• Experience of working on/delivering legislation​
• Experience of working with law enforcement ​
• Experience of working on cross government strategies and policy in crime/national security space​

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Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Home Office contributes £20,250 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

Provide some basic personal information;

• A CV - setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, including details where budgets and numbers of people managed, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years;

 

• A Statement of Suitability – (limited to 1250 words) providing evidence in response to essential criteria: It is essential that in your written application you give evidence, using examples, of proven experience. These responses will be developed and discussed with candidates invited for interview.

 

• Diversity Monitoring - as part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: 2022 to 2025 (HTML) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.

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.