Immigration Enforcement – ** Criminal and Financial Investigation - Chief Immigration Officer CFI Financial Investigation London, England
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Job description
IE tackles the criminality behind organised immigration crime.
Our Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) teams are committed to disrupting and dismantling the organised crime groups facilitating immigration abuse; utilising its financial investigations capability to remove the proceeds of crime and strip criminals of their assets.
IE has a fundamental role to play in tackling Immigration crime, as part of a multi-layered UK law enforcement approach. Through working closely with partners in the National Crime Agency (NCA), territorial policing and many other agencies and departments, our CFI Teams take vigorous action against those criminals that seek to benefit from illegal migration.
We are looking for a candidate who wants real stretch and development in their everyday roles. Working for IE is challenging and fast paced, requiring quick decision making in demanding situations. To work in IE, you must be able to meet these challenges while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. This role is physically demanding, so you will also need to be physically fit.
Within Home Office Immigration Enforcement, CFI has a financial investigation (FI) structure in place to disrupt organised criminal networks, through the conduct of money laundering investigations, cash seizure, confiscation and the restraint of criminal assets. FI work collaboratively with and support other law enforcement agencies in tackling organised crime.
The CIO role will require adaptability and flexibility to deal with priority investigations as they arise.
This job is available for full-time and part-time workers, but please note that the full range of shift times and days (including weekends) will be allocated.
The post requires a commitment to working flexibly and will involve some travel throughout the UK to visit teams and stakeholders as well as working away from home, including overnight stays where necessary. The level of travel required for the post, occasionally at short notice, may result in long working days and overnight stays away from home.
It must be borne in mind that the successful applicant may be required to comply with prosecutor and court timetables which may change at short notice. There is a requirement to participate in an on-call roster for out of hours referrals.
We employ talented people who challenge and guide each other. In CFI you will work within a highly capable team who will support you to develop your skills, knowledge and experience.
Person specification
Tasks include (but are not limited to):
Expedient and thorough management of your team and investigations ensuring appropriate allocation of work according to strategic priorities and agreed adoption criteria.
Ensuring FI activity adds value to criminal investigations, in particular by means of Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) interventions by:
- Providing evidence to support money laundering charges.
- Investigating the extent and whereabouts of criminal benefit.
- Restraining of criminal assets, to prevent asset dissipation.
- Confiscating criminal assets after conviction.
- Seizing cash suspected to represent recoverable property.
Further tasks include (but are not limited to):
- Supporting the Regional His Majesty Inspector (HMI) in the leadership of financial investigators and the management of financial investigations, ensuring that financial investigations are carried out efficiently and lawfully.
- Advising and supporting crime managers to enable the effective deployment of FI resource.
- Ensuring that the FI team retains professional accreditation; to ensure tutoring and mentoring of new FI staff
- Evaluating and tasking out financial investigations.
- Reporting accurately FI activity on Departmental and local databases.
- Quantifying performance and supplying narrative to support performance returns to HMI and Senior Managers.
- Taking an active role, where necessary, in the Financial Investigation duties and progress own caseload.
- Giving evidence during hearings (all CFI staff are required to disclose any adverse judicial decisions or internal disciplinary matters under CPIA. Applicants need to bear this in mind when considering their eligibility for this post).
- Line Management of Financial Investigation staff (and their investigations) covering two offices (Hounslow and Croydon).
Accountabilities:
- Maintaining designated POCA powers, accreditation and registration of financial investigators and intelligence officers with the Proceeds of Crime Centre of the National Crime Agency (POCC NCA);
- Attending and participating in management meetings across the national financial investigation regions.
Key interactions:
- CFI investigation team colleagues, CFI senior leadership team and other Financial Investigation hubs, Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Civil Recovery Unit, Financial Investigation Working Groups and other government departments.
Learning requirements:
- Maintaining and developing your financial investigation, confiscation and management skills as part of a monthly and annual performance appraisal.
If not already an Immigration Officer, in order to be designated as one, you will be required to attend a 2 week induction course (residential depending on location of post).
The successful candidate will be required to undergo and pass a health assessment, which is usually repeated every three years (although this can sometimes be yearly for specific health reasons). Financial Investigators in Immigration Enforcement are arrest-trained. If not already appropriately trained, the successful candidate will also need to successfully attend a PST level 3 training course (residential depending on location) and pass an annual PST refresher.
Essential Criteria
- POCC NCA accreditation (or recent accreditation suspension within last 2 years) as a Financial Investigator.
This will be checked with the Proceeds of Crime Centre prior to the sifting of applications. Any applicant without such accreditation will be rejected. If not already a Confiscator, must be prepared to become accredited.
- Line management experience of an operational environment.
- A thorough working knowledge, experience and application of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in criminal investigations.
- Experience of analysing complex financial data and completing the service of financial orders.
- Experience of drafting summaries/statements in criminal and civil proceedings and attending court to give evidence.
Desirable Criteria
- PIP 1 or 2 accredited (Professionalising Investigations Programme).
- Accredited (by the Proceeds of Crime Centre) Financial Investigation as a Tutor or be prepared to become accredited.
- Knowledge of Immigration policy and rules, law enforcement, criminal investigation and the criminal justice system.
Licences
Qualifications
Any applicant without such accreditation will be rejected). If not already a Confiscator, must be prepared to become accredited.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete: (delete as applicable)
- a CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills
- a statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 750 words)
- provide evidence of the behaviour - "Making Effective Decisions" (maximum 250 words)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
For guidance on how to construct your personal statement, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links – Statement
For guidance on how to construct your behaviour examples, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers. Links –Behaviours
Please note: An initial check prior to sift will be made on candidates being accredited by NCA Proceeds of Crime Centre as a Financial Investigator. Candidates who are confirmed as not being accredited will automatically have their application rejected
The sift will be held on the statement of suitability (personal statement) and the behaviour - 'Making Effective Decisions'. The CV will not be scored.
However, if a large number of applications are received, the sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability (personal statement) only.
If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions.
Strengths are the things that you do regularly, do well and that motivate you. To find out more about strength based questions click here
Sift and Interview dates
The sift will take place from 01st June 2023 onwards.
Interviews are expected to take place from 21st June 2023 onwards.
Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to:
- A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
- Good internet connection
- Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams
Please note: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
Further Information
For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.
NOTE FOR 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. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. 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.
Please note: If you are currently an agency member of staff working within the Home Office, a contractor or contingent worker you can only apply for roles that are advertised externally, i.e. outside the civil service. If you are eligible to apply for a role, you are required to select yourself as an external applicant and not internal when submitting your application on Civil Service jobs. This will prevent any delays in pre-employment checks should you become successful in being made an offer of employment after the Interview stage.
Reserve List
A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit regardless of location.
Are these Reserved Posts for UK Nationals only?
UK nationals who hold dual nationality are able to apply for this reserved post. If a UK passport is not being presented, then candidates will need to provide alternative evidence of UK nationality in line with the Civil Service Nationality Rule.
Annual Hours Working Allowance
We operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and you would be required to work flexibly and operate over a 24/7 shift rota, this can include: Night shifts; Early morning starts, sometimes before 6am; Late night finishes, sometimes after midnight; Weekend and Public Holidays; Shifts can vary in length and can be up to 12 hours; Shifts that change or extend according to business need.
These posts include shift allowances which varies by flexibility, shifts, location; however, the average allowance is approximately 30%. You would be deployed to a range of different duties, shifts and locations and should expect to have a variance in the AHW dependent on the varying duties and shifts. The actual % of AHW paid will be for each region/port to decide, as these will be different depending in which port you may work.
Age: These are shift working roles and so you must be 18 years or over.
Personal Safety Training (PST)
These roles can be physically demanding and if successful you will be required to complete and pass specialist training including Personal Safety Training (PST) which develops skills in personal safety, arrest and restraint techniques. This demands physical activity and physical contact with delegates on the course. You will be required to complete a PST health declaration and, if necessary, attend a medical examination. A formal offer will be conditional upon you being physically fit to undertake and pass the training.
Hybrid working is an option but limited
Hybrid working enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home. A hybrid working pattern may be available, where business needs allow. Applicants can discuss what this means with the vacancy holder if they have specific questions.
Part-time
If you are considering applying for part time hours, please contact [email protected] to discuss your request as not all working patterns may be accommodated.
Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.
We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.
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.
For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.
Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.
Transfer Terms: Voluntary.
If you are invited to an interview you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.
Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.
Any move to the Home 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 Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is 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 [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
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
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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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).
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