About the job Summary At HMRC we are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at HMRC accessible to you.

Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.

It’s a very exciting time to join HMRC!

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is one of the largest Government Departments and one of the country’s biggest organisations. Almost every individual and business in the UK is a direct customer of HMRC. We collect in excess of £500 billion a year in revenue from over 50 million customers across the UK.

We are an effective, efficient and impartial tax and payments authority with a vital purpose: To collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support. Job description HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations.

FIS provides HMRC with an effective investigation arm to enforce the Department’s compliance policies. This enables the Department to deliver against the strategic responsibilities across all the taxes and duties it administers. This includes complex offshore evasion, international smuggling of illicit excise goods, exports of controlled weapons and technology, labour market abuses, VAT and Self-Assessment repayment frauds and a host of other fraud attacks targeted at the tax system.

FIS is home to a wide range of people with a variety of skills and professional backgrounds – including accountants, cybercrime specialists, criminal justice professionals, tax professionals and operational delivery support teams to name but a few. We use a range of powers and approaches to protect funding for UK public services, investigating the most harmful tax cheats and ensuring nobody is beyond our reach.

If successful, you must undertake and pass HM Government Baseline Personnel Standard (BPSS) basic security checks to start and once in the role you will need to apply for Security Check clearance. Failure to obtain security clearance may result in dismissal.

More information about the vetting process can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels

Responsibilities Within FIS the responsibility for export licensing control enforcement and counter proliferation (CP) activity currently lies with a particular unit (Customs A/B) based in Croydon, Manchester and Stratford regional centres. The role of this joint team is to detect breaches of UK export controls, other counter proliferation (CP) legislation (including trade sanctions) and take appropriate enforcement action to promote compliance within the UK exporter community. This will include disrupting illicit attempts to procure strategic goods from the UK and where appropriate reporting cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration of criminal proceedings.

As a Criminal Investigator engaged on CP duties you will be expected to:

• Carry out all the activities set out above

• Develop intelligence in relation to suspected breaches of export controls

• Be willing to obtain at least Security Check clearance initially and be prepared to obtain Developed Vetting (STRAP ) security clearance following successful completion of training assessment period due to the nature of the role.

• Represent HMRC at cross Whitehall meetings with CP partners

• Conduct outreach visits to the UK exporting community

You will interact with a wide number of internal and external stakeholders including the Department for International Trade, Border Force, Police, National Crime Agency, Solicitors, Crown Prosecutors and colleagues from Other Government Departments and Agencies engaged in counter proliferation work.

This will also include;

• Gathering evidence to build, progress and enhance criminal and financial investigations into attacks on our tax systems across HMRC committed by individuals, corporate entries and organised crime groups. For officers appointed to internal governance this will involve anti-corruption investigations against HMRC staff.

• Preparation of Production Orders and Search Warrants, maintaining a high standard of quality within the appropriate legislation and procedures.

• Undertake search of premises under warrant or by statutory provision, seizure of goods, detention, arrest and interview of individuals and taking of witness statements.

• Preparation of case files and reports to a high standard for the prosecutor to achieve criminal charging decisions in accordance with the law.

• Attending court to give evidence in criminal prosecutions.

• You will interact with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including other parts of HMRC, the Police, Border Force, National Crime Agency, Solicitors, Crown Prosecutors and colleagues from Other Government Departments.

• You will be accountable for decisions and activities undertaken during the course of investigations, which will be subject to scrutiny and inspection by Higher and Senior Investigation Officers, the Court system and external authorities.

• You will be expected to keep your knowledge up to date regarding changes to the law, technical and professional developments.

Please Note: Full training will be provided.

We are looking for positive, dynamic and enthusiastic individuals with a passion for learning, and an ambition to develop strong analytical and investigatory careers.

Becoming a Criminal Investigator for HMRC does not require you to have any prior knowledge or experience in investigation or tax, or in fact any work experience at all. Instead, we are looking for people to join us who have a drive to learn and thrive in a varied and challenging role.