About the job

Job summary

We are a world class Investigation capability, delivered by highly skilled and motivated officers, flexibly responding to intelligence-led, centrally tasked, Agency priorities.

Investigations is the core crime fighting capability of the NCA. We take an intelligence-led approach and concentrate on tackling the criminals and risks to the public which are beyond the capability or capacity of other law enforcement bodies.

The Investigations Directorate provides a flexible, shared operational capability, designed to maximise the impact of the UK's collective resources against serious and organised crime, and in specialist support of major crime. Our teams respond to a broad range of threats, many of which also remain a responsibility for police forces and other agencies as well as private industry.

Our teams lead investigations across the Serious and Organised Crime landscape for example: Organised Immigration Crime, Illicit Finance, Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking, Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Internal Professional Standards, Economic Crime, Firearms, Drugs including County Lines, Anti-Kidnap and Extortion, Professional Enablers and Money Laundering.

The teams provide a national service of specialist investigative skills and expertise to support major crime investigations conducted by police forces, such as abduction, serial sexual crime and no body murder.

We are focused on dismantling the highest harm organised crime groups and networks as we erode the profit motive associated with serious and organised crime.

Job description

The aim of the Armed Operations Unit is to provide an armed and unarmed covert surveillance response in accordance with business requirements.

As an agency we are in a period of growth and as such it is important that we have a steady flow of talent into the organisation. We will be making the appointment for Ops Manager AOU South following the selection process, and we will be retaining a candidate pool of successful candidates to draw from as vacancies arise for up to 12 months. Therefore we have some locations in which we are building a pipeline of successful candidates, so that we can place candidates to fulfil future requirements over the next 12 months as and when these vacancies arise.

The Armed Operations Unit (AOU) is part of the larger Special Operations Unit (SOU) of the NCA, that delivers a 24/7/365 response to life threatening crimes in action and also comprises the NCA dogs unit, the NCA SEER team, the Dedicated Unarmed Surveillance team, The NCA Anti Kidnap and Extortion Unit and the Organised Crime Partnership between the NCA and Metropolitan Police Service.

Working within the Special Operations Unit to lead one of the three Armed Teams operating in the NCA as both a staff manager and Tactical Firearms Commander.

Operations Manager for the Armed Operations Unit team based in the South of the UK.  Managing a team of 25 armed officers to provide an armed and unarmed covert surveillance response in accordance with business requirements.

***To be considered, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance before commencing the role.***

Person specification

Main Responsibilities

• Management responsibility for service delivery, operational planning and performance, and the effective deployment of resources in line with best value.
• Manage, plan and command surveillance deployments for conventional, technical and intrusive deployments, including Authorities, together with the ongoing management of product.
• Maintenance of detailed policy logs providing accountability of decision making.
• Build effective internal and external stakeholder relations and work collaboratively with partner agencies, providing advice in respect of covert firearms operations. Co-ordination of the armed capability in respect of resources, training and operational deployment.
• Managing a team of officers responsible for the acquisition and
  development of tactical and strategic intelligence focused on serious and organised crime affecting the UK.
• To ensure that standards are set and maintained in respect of training and deployment of agency armed capability.
• To ensure confidentiality, security, sensitivity and exercising a duty of care.
• To be/become an occupationally and operationally competent Tactical Firearms commander able to lead multi-dimensional operations whilst monitoring and mitigating the threat posed.
• To be/become an occupationally and operationally competent Surveillance operative.
• The post holder will be required to be part of an on call 24/7 rota as a Threat to Life Manager and (once trained) as a Tactical Firearms Commander.
  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,380, National Crime Agency contributes £12,792 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.

If you wish to apply for this vacancy, you must submit your application by 23:55 on Sunday 25th February 2024.

You will be asked to complete a CV as part of the application process,  Please see the candidate information pack for more information.

During your application process your CV will assess the following criteria:

• Experience of working with firearms in a covert environment.
  

Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.

Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria:

• Experience in effective operational or investigative decision making with accountability for decisions made.

Candidates must pass this criteria for their application to be progressed.

A panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Entry Criteria section.

Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Sift results are expected to be released w/c Monday 18th March 2024.

Interviews will take place throughout April and May 2024 - locations to be confirmed. Please be advised that the type of interview (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the interview is conducted, the interview criteria will remain as shown on page 16 of the Candidate Information Pack. 

The above sift and interview dates are an indicative timeline.

Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the interview date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.

You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.

Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

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. Any instances of plagiarism including copying of examples/answers from internet sources will result in a withdrawal of your application. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Multi-Location

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role.

Please note, only advertised location can be offered. Notes populated in a free text box will not be taken into consideration.

Near Miss

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in the NCA which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.

Hybrid Working

Here at the NCA we have a hybrid working arrangement in place enabling officers to work a proportion of their role remotely. Eligibility and the degree of home working will vary depending on the requirements of the role. Further details can be discussed at offer stage.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. As part of our application process you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process that you may need. If you have a disability or long-term condition (a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities protected under the Equality Act 2010) and need us to make any adjustments or do anything differently during the recruitment process, please let us know by emailing ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, 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:

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.

Please contact us by emailing ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk or calling 0117 372 0000 as soon as possible before the closing date if you wish to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying.

Inclusion and Accessibility

The NCA embraces and values diversity in all forms. Being truly reflective of the communities we serve and building a culture where everyone can perform at their best is critical to leading the UK’s fight against serious and organised crime – something which affects us all. We want to recruit and retain the very best and broadest diversity of officers so the NCA welcomes applications from individuals from all backgrounds.

We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

VETTING REQUIREMENTS SC

All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.

Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.

Checks will be made against:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records

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

We encourage all candidates to thoroughly review the candidate pack which explains the role further before submitting an application.

If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered by the candidate pack, please contact:

ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

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.