Criminal Investigator - Strategic Exports and Sanctions Enforcement in Croydon

HMRC is one of the UK's largest organisations, with around 60,000 employees, collecting over £605 billion in tax revenue. 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.

About Fraud Investigation Service

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 and deliver against the strategic responsibilities across all the taxes and duties it administers. FIS works on a wide range of cases, including 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 other fraud attacks on the tax system.

This is a Band HO role eligible for a Flexibility Payment (FP) at Level 2, worth £14,400 per annum (National) and £15,300 per annum (London). In return, you’ll work your hours flexibly, including out‑of‑hours, at weekends and on public holidays, and be able to change your work pattern at short notice. You’ll also undertake periods of on‑call and work additional hours. FP is paid in addition to the basic salary and is dependent on successful completion of training.

FIS fulfils the principal export control enforcement function on behalf of the Department for International Trade and the UK Export Licensing Authority. This role is on the team responsible for export licensing control enforcement and counter‑proliferation (CP) activity. The team’s job is to detect breaches of UK export controls and other counter‑proliferation legislation (including trade sanctions) and take appropriate enforcement action to promote compliance within the UK exporter community, including reporting cases to the Crown Prosecutor Service for consideration of criminal proceedings.

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

• Develop intelligence in relation to suspected breaches of export controls.
• Have recent criminal justice experience as a law‑enforcement professional working in operational intelligence development.
• Possess at least SC security clearance.
• 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. There may be appearances in court; you will be required to make decisions and activities within the criminal justice system, which will be subject to scrutiny and inspection by external authorities.

Person specification

• Ability to lead and progress complex criminal and/or civil investigations, taking ownership of decisions and outcomes.
• Strong investigative judgement, with the confidence to make defensible decisions under pressure.
• Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to review large volumes of information and identify risks, patterns and evidential opportunities.
• Experience producing clear, accurate and legally compliant written material, such as case files, warrants, interview records and reports.
• Effective communication skills, including the ability to work confidently with senior stakeholders and external partners and give evidence in court.
• Proven ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple tasks to deadlines.
• Operational capability to lead or support enforcement activity, managing risk and securing best evidence.
• Strong leadership skills, including coaching others, managing performance and supporting colleague wellbeing.
• Confident use of Microsoft Excel and the wider Microsoft 365 suite.
• Resilience, integrity and professionalism, with flexibility to meet operational demands.

Essential Criteria

• Utilisation of criminal justice procedures including knowledge and experience of:
• Rules of chain of evidence.
• The PEACE model of interviewing.
• Keeping contemporaneous evidential notes.
• Taking witness statements.
• Execution of search warrants and production orders.
• Use of powers within the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (England and Wales), Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (Northern Ireland), and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 & Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Scotland).
• Understanding Property Interference as defined within Police Act 1995 and the utilisation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Act 2000 and/or Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016.
• Applied knowledge of Criminal Procedure & Investigation Act 1996 (CPIA 1996), ensuring strong standards of Disclosure Practice.
• Experience of creating or assuring investigative strategies, applying technical competence to identify relevant lines of enquiry, including the day‑to‑day management of criminal investigation cases.
• Command & Control support, securing best evidence, understanding crime‑scene control, systematic search techniques and risk management.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, supporting evidential submissions to the Crown Prosecutor Service (and where applicable, the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland) through the appropriate manual of guidance forms and applied quality standards.
• Management of others, either operationally or HR people management.
• A full UK driving licence.
• A valid licence and willingness to drive official vehicles is an essential requirement; evidence of a licence will be requested at the pre‑employment stage.

Working Arrangements

Work hours are flexible to meet business needs, including night‑time, weekends and public holidays, and the pattern may change at short notice. Be on‑call throughout the day and night for one week out of every four, and work a specified number of additional hours. The role’s attendance requirements mean it is not suitable for a fixed hybrid working arrangement, but Flexibility Payment support may allow working from home some of the time. Discuss any flexible working needs before accepting the role. Candidates must provide one location preference only. Only one offer will be made for the selected location; additional notes will not be considered.

Training

A comprehensive training programme is provided. You will attend a four‑week face‑to‑face training programme, which includes three consecutive classroom weeks followed by up to three weeks return to the office, and a final one‑week exercise. Successful completion of the training is essential for continuing in the role. Those without prior arrest powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 will receive training before the final exercise. You must also complete Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST), a PASS/FAIL event that includes digital and face‑to‑face training and practical scenario‑based exercises. All officers must obtain a valid occupational health certificate to undertake regular physical training. A one‑day refresher training event occurs at least every six months post‑training. Failure to meet required standards will result in termination of the appointment and potential redeployment or assignment to the HMRC Redeployment Register.

Additional Security Information

Successful candidates must hold or be willing to hold Security Check (SC) clearance.

Licences

A full UK driving licence is required. People who cannot drive due to disability or health restrictions may apply but must declare a need for a reasonable adjustment at the point of provisional offer.

Technical skills

We will assess you against the following technical skills during the selection process: Application and working knowledge of law‑enforcement procedures and policies.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,682, HMRC contributes £10,916 toward your Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. HMRC offers a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by one day for each year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days. Pension contributions: at least 28.97% of salary. Family friendly policies. Personal support. Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and the working environment, visit our dedicated information resources.