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.

HMRC is the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority and we have a vital purpose: we collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support.

Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within HMRC’s wider Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigation work. FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to taking on the most serious tax evasion and fraud.

Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.

Job description

A Technical developer in the Cybercrime and Forensic Services team, within CODE, plays a pivotal role in supporting His Majesty's Government's fight against serious and organised crime through innovation, ultimately supporting investigations totalling hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

The team manages a diverse and rapidly increasing portfolio, ranging from developing bespoke tools for niche requirements to the implementation of data visualisation platforms.

Person specification

As a Technical Developer, you will play an integral role assisting CODE in delivering technical capability in a proactive operationally driven environment

In this role, you will:

• Develop software to meet user needs.
• Follow best practice guidelines and help to improve those guidelines.
• Write clean, secure and well-tested code.
• Coach and mentor more junior colleagues.
• Operate the services you build and identify issues in production.
• Perform routine maintenance and testing of existing tools.
• Collaborate as part of a team to design components for larger systems.
• Provide guidance, technical operational support and training in the installation and use of developed tools and techniques for deployment by investigation officers.
• Ensure all work is carried out within the requirements of the legal framework to be compliant in the law enforcement and legislative process.
• Build relationships and collaborate with external partners and private industry as required.
• Collaborate with Research and Development functions to import or export innovation.

Training Requirements will be assessed on take up of duty. Jobholders will be required to successfully complete a Training Assessment Period (TAP) - please see attached TAP document for further information.

Essential Criteria:

• An ability to successfully develop computer software and have broad understanding of the software development lifecycle. 
• Can demonstrate identifying user requirements, ability to design software, write secure code.
• Must be able to develop effectively in Python.
• Be able to effectively apply data manipulation techniques (such as filtering, grouping, and transforming data).
• Proven ability to work on own initiative and experience of working effectively within a team.
• This post requires National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level and you must hold SC vetting or be willing to apply for SC vetting.

Desirable Criteria:

Working experience of any of the following technologies is desirable:

• Cloud infrastructure and services (i.e.AWS Console, EC2, S3).
• Containerisation: Docker.
• Distributed framework technologies (i.e.PySpark).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,893, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,771 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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

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

• A CV to include your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any significant gaps in employment history up to the last two years. This will be assessed and scored.
  
  
• A 750 word Personal Statement providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the job advert, as well as technical and personal skills, qualities and experience for the role.

It is crucial that you provide particular reference to the essential criteria set out in the person specification. Your Personal Statement will be assessed and scored.

• A 250 word statement covering the Desirable Skills. Please complete if appropriate, this will not be assessed but may be used in a tie break situation.

Please note that the Personal Statement is an important part of your application and is as much the means by which you will be assessed as your CV.

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

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on the CV.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift of the CV and Personal Statement.

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

Candidates who are successful at sift will be invited for a formal interview.

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed, you will be asked questions based on the behaviours listed below 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. Your technical skills will also be assessed.

We will test your technical skills by way of a 10 minute presentation delivered at interview. The presentation brief will be sent out to those invited for interview.

Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service.

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 face to face. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Reserve List

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.

Criminal Record Check

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.

Merit List 

After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.

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

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success at HMRC, 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, and we 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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.