About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

    

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

About HMRC

HMRC is the UK’s tax and customs authority. We’re here to collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and give financial support to people. We collect taxes, coordinate benefits, help people with Tax-Free Childcare, implement the National Minimum Wage and work at the heart of the UK’s border systems. Our vision is to be a trusted, modern tax and customs department.

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 healthy 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 all 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 all of FIS investigations helping HMRC tackle the many and pressing challenges that modern-day tax fraud presents.

Job description

You will perform a range of Assistant Officer graded tasks, ensuring our customers have the equipment and information they need to support HMRCs most serious civil and criminal fraud cases, with a requirement to support other taskings as and when required and advised 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. We 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.

You will be focusing on; Property and Storage, Operational Deployment and Visits, Business Services, Front Line Facility and Self-Generated tasks, Data Services, Operational Services, Court and Tribunal Support, System Checks and Self Generated tasks. You may be required to contribute to work in other areas, this will be in line with guidance and your existing capabilities.

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.
• 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 a full UK Driving Licence and be willing and able to drive for business need.
• Will be required to undergo and attain security clearance (SC Level) if your application is successful.
• The post-holder will need to be organised, manage their time and ensure tasks and assurance guidance is followed at all times.
• Applicants will possess good written and oral communication skills, in addition to a good solid understanding of Office 365 platforms.

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.

How to Apply

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

• A personal statement (max 500 words) to give details on how you meet the essential criteria and why you feel you are suitable for the role.
• A separate 250-word statement addressing the specified behaviour.

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

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’

To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.

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 may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications. 

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 take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

A reserve list may be held for 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.

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled in each location. If successful, you will be informed which locations are available when we reach your position on the merit list.

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.

Reasonable Adjustments 

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

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

• Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.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.

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 and want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential. 

Click here for more information on how we make this happen.

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.

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.

Terms and Conditions 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations. 

Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.

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. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band. 

If you experience 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. 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.