Specialist Surveillance Operations

About the job

Job summary

Discover what it's like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

HMRC is the UK's tax, payments and customs authority and we have a vital purpose: we collect the money that pays for the UK's public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support.

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.

Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within FIS. Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a Technical & Surveillance Operations within Covert Operations. The Unit will have national coverage but will be split between two locations, one in Gillingham, Kent, the other in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join a Technical & Surveillance Operations within Covert Operations. The Unit will have national coverage but will be split between two locations, one in Gillingham, Kent, the other in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Successful candidates if not appointed to, will be required to make regular travel to specialist sites located in either Gillingham, Kent or Leeds, West Yorkshire, therefore this role may not be suitable for candidates who live outside of a reasonable travelling distance from either of these locations.

This will typically be once a week but could be more or less frequent depending on circumstances. If not appointed to one of these locations, then travel time/costs will be paid. Reasonable travelling distance is suggested as no more than approximately two hours each way. Please contact the vacancy holder for further information.

As a Surveillance Officer you will be expected to conduct mobile, foot and static surveillance in pursuit of serious and organised crime investigations led by HMRC. You will gather evidence and intelligence on subjects of investigations in order to help the Fraud Investigation Service deliver against it's strategic and tactical objectives.

This is a field role and successful applicants, once trained, will be working in the operational field throughout the UK.

This role is initially offered on a two-year fixed term appointment with the potential to secure permanent employment with HMRC.

Continued employment is contingent on successfully passing the role specific training.

The role of Specialist Surveillance Operations will include the following:

Collaborate with Covert Managers, technical surveillance Officers and case teams to address specific case objectives by acting as a point of contact providing subject matter expert advice on undertaking surveillance, with varying tactical solutions in difficult environments.

Undertake mobile, foot or static surveillance in support of HMRC investigations anywhere in the UK.

Use surveillance technology, such as radio, photography, audio and video recording equipment.

Gather evidence and produce surveillance…