About the job

Job summary

Summary: Department function

The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) is responsible for holding departments and arms-length bodies to account for their handling of fraud in the public sector. The Authority will write the standards for counter fraud work across government and hold public bodies to account against these. Working in the PSFA offers access to a wide range of stakeholders across government and the opportunity to work with various sectors in a high profile policy area with high media, parliamentary and ministerial interest. 

The Team

The PSFA was launched on the 3rd August 2022 following an increased focus in government on tackling fraud. It succeeded the Government Counter Fraud Function (GCFF) in the Cabinet Office.  The PSFA is at the centre of this function and leads work across government and public bodies to understand and reduce the impact of fraud. The PSFA is outcome and performance driven, offers a depth and breadth of expertise and works jointly with HMT to tackle fraud in the public sector.

The PSFA, whilst sitting within the Cabinet Office, reports jointly to the Cabinet Office and Treasury Ministers. Maintaining close working relationships with HMT colleagues is key to ensure the PSFA can deliver its mandate effectively.  The PSFA is a team of c.130 staff members with locations across the country – including Newcastle, York, Glasgow and London. As a result, hybrid working is embraced and teams are encouraged to collaborate in the various Cabinet Office Hubs around the country.

The team offers opportunities for a range of fraud experts, risk experts, measurement experts, data analysts and policy professionals. The range of opportunities allows for constant professional development and means that collaboration is always at the heart of what we do.

Job description

Performance, Assurance and Evidence team

The purpose of the Performance, Assurance and Evidence (PAE) Team is to oversee the performance of ministerial departments and public bodies in understanding and reducing the impact of fraud. 

The team does this by monitoring the performance of public sector organisations, maintaining the evidence base for counter fraud and undertaking a range of assurance and review activities on behalf of the PSFA.  

This is an outward facing role working closely with a range of partners both internally across the PSFA and in ministerial departments and public bodies.

Job description:

This role will support the Heads of Performance, Assurance and Evidence across the following range of products:

• Functional Standards Assurance using the Continuous Improvement Framework
• Workforce and Performance Reviews
• Action Plans & Metrics (including counter fraud performance target setting and monitoring)
• Quality Assurance Reviews against existing counter fraud standards (e.g. fraud measurement, initial fraud impact assessments)
• Counter Fraud Prevention Panel
• Drafting the Fraud Landscape Report
• Consolidated Data Returns (CDR)
• Scheme level assurance

Your focus will depend on your skill set and priority of the team at different times of the year.  

Key deliverables and responsibilities of these posts will include:

• Act as a performance lead for government departments and public bodies, working with their counter fraud leads to ensure performance metrics are in place and standards are being met to enhance the response to tackling fraud.
• Support senior leads in the team to deliver against the Performance, Assurance and Evidence commitments in the PSFA mandate, encouraging others to comply, providing high quality accurate reporting on outcomes. This includes drafting reports, submissions and presentations.
• Lead on short-term projects to improve counter fraud performance measurement, risk, assurance and the evidence base, learning from others (both in the UK and abroad).  You will often be responsible for the development and delivery to an agreed timeline and quality of a project with the support of other team members.
• Support the preparation of high quality, informative updates to PSFA and PAE leadership, the Perm Sec and Ministers setting out progress and identifying areas for increased delivery.
• Contribute to the wider PSFA and/or Cabinet Office as part of a corporate objective. 

Note: An employee may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training; the post holder may also occasionally be required to carry out responsibilities at a higher level including in deputising for the senior product and performance leads.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Strong stakeholder management and relationship building skills and experience; able to command confidence of peers and stakeholders;
• Strong prioritisation, planning and delivery skills in steering multiple pieces of work to a successful conclusion.
• Comfortable working at pace and able to set clear plans whilst managing competing priorities.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills, able to communicate complex information succinctly.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a role requiring knowledge of counter fraud, risk management/ audit, economic crime or anti-corruption ;
• Experience of conducting fraud risk assessments to the government professional standard
• Knowledge of working to the Government Counter Fraud Functional Standard (GovS013) 
• Experience of working across or with different organisations to negotiate the delivery of activities and hold them to account for delivery using performance management information;

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,850, Cabinet Office contributes £11,029 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.

Application process

At the application stage you will be assessed against a CV and a statement of suitability that you should align to the person specification (500 words) and the behaviour communicating and influencing listed in the advert. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using  the lead criteria  - communicating and influencing.Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

We will Interview against the behaviours listed and strength based questions.

Communicating and influencing
Changing and improving
Deliver at pace

You will also be required to deliver a presentation, this will be sent to the successful candidates who pass the application process.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – TBD
Expected interview date/s – TBD
Interview location - TBD

Reasonable adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put 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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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

Further information

You maybe required to travel to our other office locations on occasion. 

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet 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

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out. 

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

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. 

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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.