HMRC Trainee Intelligence Officer

Executive Officer

As an officer on Tiger, you will work alongside HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service and Intelligence Development Teams regarding suspect consignments.

You’ll be joining our team of around 12 colleagues, and key responsibilities will include:

• identifying and using a wide range of computer-based systems to enhance information
• identifying and debriefing Human Intelligence to obtain evaluated information
• using these resources to case-build intelligence packages, making judgements and decisions as the case progresses
• communicating with a broad range of individuals and teams, both externally and internally
• undertake representational duties, build and maintain working relationships with internal and external partners

Flexibility

There may be a need for some travel, working away from your home office and may require overnight stays. Plus additional hours above and beyond the norm, including:

• short notice changes
• Work an additional 275 hours per year
• requirement to work flexible working patterns
• attendance outside of normal office hours
• element of lone working
• some evening/weekend/bank holiday work
• being on-call (1 week in 4, pre-rostered)

you will be financially compensated for this once fully trained - you will receive additional financial compensation at the rate of £10,100pa. This payment is known as Flexibility Payment Level 2 (FP2), and it is paid in addition to your salary. See attached document for full details.

The following skills & experience will be an advantage and will help you to do well in this role:

• good written and verbal communications skills
• ability to work well individually and collaboratively
• understanding and experience of Excise regimes, particularly tobacco and related goods (an advantage but not essential as training will be provided)

Training

We recruit candidates based on potential, and we’ll provide full training to give you the skills and experience needed to succeed. This will include online and on-the-job mentoring and a 3-week, 3-day (136 hours) Intelligence Foundation Course. On successful completion of the Intelligence Foundation Course the Trainee will receive the following accreditation:

• Accredited Counter Fraud Intelligence Technician certificate from the University of Northumberland. (ACFITECH)

Due to the investment in training and the specialist nature of Risk & Intelligence work, you will normally be expected to stay in this area of work for two years, this may include managed moves dependent on business need.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to Apply

Please provide a:

• CV up to 500 words. Use the Job History section to provide relevant details, plus any other roles you feel are relevant.
  Do not simply list your previous jobs with dates - we will assess and score your application on how well your experience aligns with the key responsibilities for this role, so you’ll need to provide a short narrative for each role, including primary duties and achievements that demonstrate this.

The CV box does not have a word counter, so anything over the 500 word limit will not be reviewed and will lead to content you believe is relevant not being assessed.

• Personal statement up to 750 words. Use this to provide detailed working examples with results that demonstrate how your experience aligns with the key responsibilities and skills & experience listed above, and the personal attributes in the job summary. Using the STAR format to help you structure your examples.

If we receive a large number of applications, an initial sift may be conducted using your CV. If you pass the initial sift your application will progress to full sift, and your personal statement will also be assessed.

Your CV & Personal Statement must not contain personal details which could identify you.

Interview

Interviews will be held via Teams with a panel of up to 3 people, and will last around 60 minutes. This will consist of:

• Behaviour questions - we recommend that you review the Success Profiles framework and consider how you have demonstrated the Behaviours for this role. Using the STAR format to help you structure your examples.
• Strength questions will explore what you enjoy, your potential and motivations relevant to the job role. There’s no expectation to prepare for Strength questions as we are looking for your instinctive, natural responses, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well. This is an example of a Strength question: “I find it difficult to explain my ideas clearly to a wide range of people. How true is that of you?”

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed but sufficient notice will be given before your interview to allow you to prepare.

Eligibility

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: [email protected] – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application –363872 & vacancy closing date 19/08/2024.

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

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.

Merit List

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.

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.

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 [email protected] 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.

Additional Security Information Please note

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.

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.

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)

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.

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.

In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.