At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative projects to tackle serious crime using cutting-edge science and technology.
- Company: Join the National Crime Agency, a leader in public safety and innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse work environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic role with collaboration across law enforcement and national security sectors.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in society by combating crime with advanced technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in project management and a passion for innovation in science and technology.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Calder (Normanton), London, Leicester, Warrington. For roles based in London, your contractual place of work will be Stratford. While the Stratford site is expected to become operational from November 2025 - March 2026, you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall or another reasonable location on a temporary basis during the interim period. Please note that, as Stratford will be your contractual place of work, any subsequent move from a temporary location will not entitle you to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy.
About the job
Threat & Risk Assessment, Capability Exploration and Research (TRACER) plays a critical role in supporting the National Crime Agency's mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime. TRACER is a collaborative function that leads the NCA's science and technology innovation activity, ensuring capabilities remain current, effective, and relevant in an increasingly digital landscape. It also provides threat and opportunity management for digital communications capabilities on behalf of the Home Office's Digital Communications Capabilities partnership. The team is creative and forward thinking, applying design thinking approaches to understand and address user and customer needs.
The Innovation, Science and Technology function supports the development of new capabilities by working with stakeholders to define problems and opportunities, identify requirements, develop user cases, and conduct discovery activity. This includes piloting concepts, running experiments, assessing customer benefits, and translating insights into outline business cases and clear stakeholder communications, demonstrating how innovation enables law enforcement to adapt and remain effective.
To support this work, TRACER has established the Enabling Innovation and Experimentation Environment (EIEE). EIEE is a cloud-based platform that enables the testing and evaluation of potential solutions to digital threats and opportunities, supporting informed investment decisions. Innovation is delivered through a range of approaches, including proofs of concept, technical demonstrators, testing activity, and desktop-based exercises, drawing on both internal and external expertise.
TRACER is seeking Innovation, Science and Technology Managers to deliver impactful innovation across the NCA and the Home Office partnership. This role sits within the Government science and engineering: career framework - GOV.UK.
The Innovation, Science and Technology (IS&T) team works across the Agency and in close partnership with law enforcement and national security organisations to understand how adversaries exploit emerging technologies for criminal purposes, and to apply science and technology to counter those threats. The team also supports the development of new operational capabilities and drives the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
A typical day in TRACER may involve engaging with operational teams to understand their challenges, conducting discovery work to develop a deep understanding of complex problems, commissioning research, and designing experiments or prototypes. The role also includes consulting with industry partners, collaborating with academia and other government science and technology teams, and presenting evidence-based options to strategic governance boards to inform and shape investment decisions. This breadth of activity demands a diverse and inclusive workforce. We therefore welcome candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, with different perspectives and ways of thinking, to ensure we continue to operate with creativity, ingenuity and impact.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Research, design and deliver innovative solutions to complex problems by leading discovery activity, designing experiments, and translating insight into practical, testable outcomes.
- Clearly communicate complex problems and solutions to a wide range of stakeholders, including operational teams, technical specialists, and senior decision makers.
- Lead and manage multiple workstreams, ensuring delivery to agreed standards, timelines and budgets, while continuously identifying opportunities to improve processes and ways of working.
- Provide effective project oversight, coordinating activity across teams and partners to ensure successful delivery of innovation initiatives.
- Work closely with NCA Commercial to identify, secure and manage commercial arrangements with leading private sector specialists and subject matter experts.
- Support the creation of commercial contracts that enable innovation activity to proceed at pace, ensuring open and fair competition and value for money.
- Develop evidence-based recommendations by synthesising research findings, experimentation results and operational insight to inform future priorities and investment decisions.
- Support the development of key artefacts, including outline and strategic business cases, and contribute to communications strategies to engage and influence key stakeholders.
- Produce clear, high-quality documentation that captures analysis, decisions and rationale, supporting transparency and governance.
- Manage innovation resources on a day-to-day basis, including subcontractors, ensuring appropriate tasking, performance management and capability development.
- Provide support to Innovation, Science and Technology Leads, contributing flexibly to team priorities and project delivery as required.
- Manage and oversee a responsive cloud-based experimentation environment, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics and intelligence capabilities.
- Develop workplans and task team members to deliver prototyping, alpha and beta deployments, overseeing testing, experimentation and cost modelling to support informed decision making.
Person specification:
- Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, setting clear direction and applying project management principles to translate innovation into operational delivery, ensuring outcomes are achieved on time and within budget.
- Ability to work effectively across diverse specialisms, confidently discussing complex concepts with technical and non-technical stakeholders and coordinating delivery through structured planning and governance.
- Strong prioritisation and stakeholder management skills, with experience securing buy-in from senior stakeholders and product sponsors, resolving conflicts, and balancing competing demands.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build consensus, negotiate compromise, and bring stakeholders on board with decisions.
- Strong written and verbal communication capability, including experience of conveying complex or technical information clearly and persuasively to non-technical audiences, ensuring messages are understood and acted upon.
- Demonstrable ability to identify, assess and integrate emerging science and technologies to drive innovation, operational effectiveness and efficiency.
- Experience designing and delivering scientific experiments or discovery activity, with a clear focus on outcomes, evidence generation and learning to address defined problems.
Desirable Criteria (to be used in the event of a tie-break):
- Post-18 qualification in STEM subject relevant to innovation, science and/or technology.
- Experience working in a law enforcement or national security environment.
Innovation, Science and Technology Manager - National Crime Agency - SEO employer: Government Digital & Data
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation and collaboration are at the forefront of tackling serious and organised crime. With opportunities for professional growth and development in a diverse and inclusive culture, employees are empowered to make a meaningful impact through cutting-edge science and technology initiatives. Located in vibrant cities such as London, Birmingham, and Belfast, the NCA provides a unique chance to engage with industry leaders and contribute to national security efforts while enjoying the benefits of a supportive workplace.
Contact Details:
Government Digital & Data Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation, Science and Technology Manager - National Crime Agency - SEO
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
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✨Use Your University’s Resources
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We think you need these skills to ace Innovation, Science and Technology Manager - National Crime Agency - SEO
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at Government Digital & Data that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at Government Digital & Data and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at Government Digital & Data
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at Government Digital & Data, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show Government Digital & Data that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At Government Digital & Data, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
