Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Secondment
Length of employment
Type of role
Investigation
Operational Delivery
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
We are seeking candidates who are able to demonstrate a good working knowledge of digital forensic processes and procedures in a laboratory environment.
Learn more about the role
On Wednesday 1st March 2023 from 6pm we are holding a virtual MS teams event where you can hear from NCA officers working within the role.
Please note – Attendance for this event is by invitation only. To register your interest in attending, please email [email protected] with the subject header NCA – Digital Forensics Virtual Event
Job description
Working in a digital forensic laboratory you’ll play an important role in the examination of an array of digital devices, securing and preserving digital data, to produce reports and provide evidence in support of Agency investigations.
Working closely with digital forensics, crime scene services and Investigation teams your role will give you the opportunity to drive innovation in order to change the way we operate, providing specialist advice and guidance on digital forensic opportunities, ensuring requirements are captured and delivered to our quality standards;
The role needs a candidate who can maintain and self-develop their technical skillset, knowledge and awareness of the rapidly advancing technology and digital forensic landscape.
***All NCA officers must hold SC Enhanced upon entry as a minimum. To meet the National Security Vetting requirements for this role you will need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 3 out of the past 5 years. For more information please see the Candidate information Pack***
Person specification
Main Responsibilities
- Assist and promote the attainment, maintenance and continuous improvement of ISO 17025:2017 accreditation and forensic regulation for digital forensic laboratory activity;
- Maintain a portfolio of technical competencies;
- Contribute to tasked Agency activity, gathering evidence and intelligence in accordance with legislation, risk management and policy to disrupt and degrade criminal capability;
- Provide digital forensic advice and guidance to NCA teams on a range of digital investigative opportunities;
- Conduct laboratory based digital forensic examinations of digital media to acquire optimum intelligence/evidence, in line with accreditation and legislation;
- Maintain existing digital forensic services and technical capabilities;
- Ensure the support to core investigative functions including quality, secure handling and dissemination of intelligence and evidential material; maintaining confidentiality; sensitivity and duty of care; disclosure, exhibit management, presentation of written and oral evidence;
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders in order to foster collaborative working.
Licences
Qualifications
Foundation level certification in Digital Forensics and/or relevant Digital Forensic/Computing degree;
Please ensure the dates of any accreditations you are relying on, are entered on to the CV.
Should you progress to the assessment stage of the process, you will be required to provide a copy of the original certificate.
Failure to provide evidence at assessment may result in your application not progressing to the next stage.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Experience of working in, and supporting the maintenance of an accredited laboratory environment
- Capable of dismantling and reassembling digital devices, including identification, removal and safe handling of key components
- Ability to operate a wide range of digital forensic tools to acquire, preserve and examine digital data
- Knowledge and experience of exhibit management
Benefits
Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Agency and wider Civil Service.
If you are an active police pension member immediately prior to joining the NCA, you can continue your membership throughout your employment with us as if you were a serving police officer. If you do remain an active member and subsequently return to a police force, you should be able to continue your membership there too.
All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:
- Civil Service pension scheme
- 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service
- Training and development opportunities
- Cycle2work scheme
We take the welfare of NCA officers very seriously. All staff have access to Occupational Health services and there are a number of staff representative groups. We also have a range of sporting and other activities on offer.
We can provide flexible working arrangements if the role in question is suitable. These include flexi-time, job sharing and compressed hours (working contracted hours over a shorter period).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
If you wish to apply for this vacancy, you must submit your application by 23:55 on 6th March 2023.
Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.
During the application process you will be asked to demonstrate the below criteria within your CV.
- Experience of working in, and supporting the maintenance of an accredited laboratory environment;
- Capable of dismantling and reassembling digital devices, including identification, removal and safe handling of key components;
- Ability to operate a wide range of digital forensic tools to acquire, preserve and examine digital data;
- Knowledge and experience of exhibit management.
Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria:
- Experience of working in, and supporting the maintenance of an accredited laboratory environment;
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 27th March 2023
Assessments will take place throughout April and May 2023 - locations to be confirmed. Please be advised that the type of assessment (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the assessment is conducted, the assessment criteria will remain as shown on page 15 of the Candidate Information Pack
The above sift and assessment dates are an indicative timeline.
Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the assessment date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.
You will then be asked to attend an assessment 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.
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 assessment 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 agency we are currently piloting a hybrid working pattern. 3 out of 5 working days are spent in the office. Further details will be discussed with the successful candidate. Please note this is subject to change and dependant on the job role.
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 [email protected], 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]
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
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:
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Medical
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/