About the job

Job summary

The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) is a fast paced delivery and operational team that is responsible for holding departments and arms-length bodies to account for their handling of fraud in the public sector. 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, reporting jointly to the Cabinet Office and Treasury Ministers, and leads work across government and public bodies to improve the prevention, detection and recovery 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 creation of the Public Sector Fraud Authority represents a landmark in our fight against public sector fraud. We know that fraudsters are committed, capable and an evolving adversary. To respond to this we must raise our ambition and challenge ourselves to increase our impact. The PSFA will support public servants across government and public bodies to take that step - to innovate and to modernise our approach to fraud.

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 PSFA offers opportunities for fraud experts across disciplines to effectively find and fight fraud, including undertaking fraud risk assessment, fraud loss measurement, prevention, intelligence and investigations. The range of opportunities allows for constant professional development and means that collaboration is always at the heart of what we do.

This post sits within the Strategic Insight team, which is a small team operating in a high profile and fast paced environment. Our current priority is to identify high fraud risk spend areas and escalate these to the HFRP Sub-Committee, who have overall responsibility for placing the highest fraud risk spend areas onto the HFRP. In the future, we would like to expand to identify cross-cutting fraud risks and outline common high level themes across HMG.

Job description

Risk, Threat and Prevention: Strategic Insight

Risk, Threat and Prevention (RTP) is a newly formed team which supports ministerial departments and public bodies in understanding the risks and threats they face. RTP has two distinct strands: 

• Tactical Support, which supports individual departments and spend areas with the completion of Fraud Risk Assessments and Initial Fraud Impact Assessments, and;
• Strategic Insight, which provides a strategic view of fraud risk across HMG and manages the High Fraud Risk Portfolio (HFRP).

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who has a strong interest in further developing their counter fraud knowledge. Strategic Insight is a growing team in a fast paced, high profile and exciting environment; there will be numerous opportunities to improve our current processes, shape the future direction, and ultimately inform PSFA and HM Treasury on the highest fraud risk areas across the whole of HMG.  

As a Fraud Risk Specialist within Strategic Insight, you will be responsible for carrying out detailed assessments of individual spend areas to consider whether these should be escalated to the HFRP Sub-Committee. The Head of Strategic Insight has line management responsibility for the whole team, however, your delivery managers will be the Senior Fraud Risk Specialists (SEOs). 

Your responsibilities will be to:

• Proactively identify new / emerging / existing spend areas which may be high fraud risk;
• Scrutinise high volumes of information to assess the level of fraud risk in relation to a particular spend area, including the spend area’s counter fraud capabilities and completed or planned activities. Any potentially high fraud risk spend areas will be escalated for the attention of the HFRP Sub-Committee;
• Escalate high fraud risk spend areas by producing high quality reports which highlight key information to aid the HFRP Sub-Committee decision-making;
• Support our reporting to Cabinet Office Ministers / HMT Fraud Board by drafting submissions and/or briefings;
• Engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders;
• Actively support our continuous improvement process by identifying ways to streamline our current processes.

PSFA Core Services provides the Secretariat function to support the HFRP Sub-Committee, which meets on a quarterly basis. However, it is expected that all Strategic Insight colleagues will support the Secretariat as required. 

There will also be the expectation for ad-hoc tasks outside of your usual roles and responsibilities.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Experience in a counter fraud or economic crime work environment;
• Has completed the Government Counter Fraud Profession’s Fraud Risk Assessment training course, or willing to complete it;
• Experience operating in a fast paced and agile environment;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Experience of using Excel / Google sheets to assess high volumes of information and pull out key findings;
• Experience in drafting high quality reports to communicate complex issues succinctly.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in drafting Ministerial Submissions and/or Briefings;
• Comfortable communicating with a senior audience, including Deputy Director level and above;
• Prioritisation, planning and delivery skills in steering multiple pieces of work to a successful conclusion;
• A counter fraud or economic crime-related qualification.

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 £35,400, Cabinet Office contributes £9,558 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 and Experience.

Application process

For the application you are required to complete the below:

• CV
• Personal statement. In your personal statement please show how you meet the person specification, essential criteria and any areas of the desirable criteria. Maximum word count is 750 words. 

Selection process

At the interview stage you will be assessed on the below behaviours:

Behaviours - assessed at interview

• Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Communicating & Influencing 
• Working Together 
• Delivering at Pace 

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

Further Information

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

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

Reasonable Adjustment

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. 

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.

If you are experiencing 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. 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.