Digital Forensic Technician (Maidstone & Folkestone)

Location of Role: Maidstone and Folkestone

Advert Closing Date: 11/07/2025

Starting Salary: £29,634.00 (pro-rata for part-time vacancies)

Part/Full Time: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Other (see advert text)

Kent & Essex Police have recently transformed their digital services to leverage the latest technology and infrastructure. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Digital Forensic Technician within Kent & Essex Digital Forensic Services, based at the following Digital Forensic Hub locations: Maidstone Police Station, Folkestone Police Station and Medway Police Station.

The new Digital Services structure is designed to provide excellent career progression and a comprehensive CPD framework, ensuring you have the tools and experience necessary to conduct first-class digital forensic investigations. Digital devices and information communication technology are integral to almost every police investigation. These range from complex computer systems to mobile phones, game consoles, digital CCTV systems, and satellite navigation devices.

As digital technology evolves, it is crucial that you can adapt and learn new technologies to meet the role's requirements. We are seeking an enthusiastic individual with technical proficiency in digital devices. You should have an A-level education and experience working in a digital environment and/or within a policing context.

The role involves collecting and extracting digital evidence using standard operating procedures to support criminal investigations. You will provide advice and assistance to officers and staff on the proportionate extraction of digital data. This role requires you to use streamlined, targeted extraction techniques or triage capabilities of seized digital devices to enable faster charging decisions. You must adhere to the ISO 17025 quality standard and understand its impact on the role. You will need to develop and maintain your competence under these requirements, ensuring best practices are shared among colleagues. It is expected that you will keep your technical knowledge of digital forensic procedures and advancements up to date.

In addition to technical skills, you must be a highly motivated team player with strong interpersonal skills and effective verbal and written communication abilities. You should be able to manage a high caseload and produce high-quality reports or statements for court. This role involves handling highly sensitive and distressing information, requiring a high degree of emotional resilience. You will also need to work to tight deadlines, multitask, and manage competing demands and court requests.

The Digital Forensic Technician role is shift-based, following a 6-week pattern where you will work one weekend in six. The shifts are as follows:

• AM shift: 0700 – 1500
• PM shift: 1200 – 2000

The recruitment process consists of a competency-based interview. Management vetting is required for this post. Ensure you provide as much detail as possible, as insufficient information may result in not meeting the shortlisting criteria.

The following topics will assist:

• Technical ability, knowledge of computer and/or mobile phone hardware, software, and operating systems
• Recent experience within a digital forensics’ environment
• Knowledge and experience of working in an ISO 17025 accredited environment
• Communication and interpersonal skills both verbally and written
• Ability to manage multiple and competing demands

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Chris Elmore or Chris Crute for further information regarding the role at 01622 654733 / 194733 or 01622 654783 / 194783.

Kent Police offer incremental increases within this salary band, therefore the salary for this position will rise to a maximum of £34,359.00. Kent Police and Essex Police have separate salary grading systems therefore the salary for this position will be dependent on which home office force you are appointed to. This will be discussed with the successful applicant before a final offer is made.

Your application for this role will be shortlisted on the content you provide within the “reason for application” question, within the application form itself. CV’s, covering letters or attachments are not included in the shortlist. Within your “reason for application” answer, please refer to any experience, skills, and abilities you feel you have that will make you suitable for this role, based on the role criteria stated in the job advert or job description. Please provide as much detail as possible as insufficient content may mean you do not meet the shortlisting criteria, however please note this question is limited to 9000 characters and this system will count spaces and blank lines as characters.

All of our posts require a level of vetting and security clearance. During the recruitment process you will be sent vetting information forms to complete. Kent Police and Essex Police welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, sex, or employment status. Please let us know if you require extra support at any stage of the application process, or for further information regarding this position, please email us at recruitment.business.services@ecis.police.uk stating ‘Application Support and Adjustments’ in the title of your email. Alternatively, you can call us on 01245 452833. Where appropriate we will make adjustments to the selection process, working arrangements and/or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.

If you’re not from the UK, you must be a resident in the UK and have lived here continuously for the last three years. You must also be free from restrictions with indefinite leave to remain. If you’re from the UK you must have lived here continuously for the last three years. This doesn’t apply to those serving abroad in the British Armed Forces.

Essex Police and Kent Police are an equal opportunities employer. Communications may be recorded for monitoring purposes. Essex Police is a Disability Confident Leader, we: have subjected our Disability Confident self-assessment to external challenge and validation are taking an active leadership role in encouraging and helping other employers on their journey to becoming Disability Confident. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion are central to the values of our organisation. At Essex Police we value and embrace the unique experiences, identities and abilities that each of us bring to our roles. We strive to empower everyone to bring their authentic self openly and safely to work. Through the dedicated commitment of our support networks, DE&I team and wider HR departments, we are on a journey to embed our DE&I commitments, ensuring Essex Police is an employer of choice; where everyone feels included.