Senior Complex Investigator

Lead end-to-end specialist investigations involving high complexity, sensitivity, independence or organisational risk. Manage matters such as senior or executive conduct, whistleblowing, criminal or regulatory-sensitive concerns, and issues with UK or international dimensions. Operate effectively in ambiguous, high-pressure or high-profile circumstances while balancing legal, regulatory, reputational and business considerations. Maintain accuracy in case records and ensure investigations align with internal standards, employment law and regulatory expectations. Maintain strong knowledge of UK requirements including the Equality Act, Employment Rights Act, ACAS Code, SYSC18 whistleblowing obligations and related expectations. Communicate complex issues clearly for senior leadership and executive audiences, upholding independence and objectivity throughout verbal and written outputs.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigations end-to-end, prioritising across multiple complex cases and escalating risks, dependencies and resource pressures as needed.
• Act as the point of contact for external or third-party investigation support when required.
• Analyse complex or conflicting information to identify key facts, assess risk and articulate conclusions.
• Apply professional judgement to produce objective, proportionate and well-reasoned investigation reports with clear facts, analysis and findings.
• Provide clear communication to senior leadership and executive audiences, maintaining defensibility and independence in outputs.
• Collaborate with HR, Legal, Risk and other specialist functions as a trusted partner at executive levels.
• Identify opportunities to improve investigation practices, processes and outcomes, and contribute to shaping team capability through coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Support a learning culture and knowledge sharing to drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications and experience

• Strong investigations skills leading complex, sensitive or high-risk internal investigations end-to-end.
• Excellent professional judgement with the ability to operate independently in ambiguous, high-pressure or high-profile situations while maintaining pace, quality and fairness.
• Ability to analyse complex, incomplete or conflicting evidence, identify key facts, assess risk and reach objective conclusions.
• Excellent written communication skills to produce clear, structured, evidence-based and defensible investigation reports for senior audiences.
• Strong verbal communication and stakeholder management skills to engage effectively with senior leaders, HR, Legal, Risk and other functions while maintaining independence and objectivity.
• Good working knowledge of relevant UK employment law, regulatory expectations and industry practice, including the Equality Act, Employment Rights Act, ACAS Code and SYSC18 whistleblowing obligations.
• Ability to manage and prioritise multiple complex investigations, balancing risks, deadlines and resource pressures.
• High standards of integrity, independence and professional courage, with the confidence to challenge where required.
• Experience handling executive-level, board-sensitive, criminal, whistleblowing, regulatory-sensitive, or internationally complex investigations.
• Experience acting as a point of contact for external investigators, legal advisers, consultants or other third-party support.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or upskilling other investigators and contributing to investigation standards or capability-building.
• Experience bringing external insights or best practices into investigation practice from other organisations or sectors.
• Experience working in regulated financial services, professional services or similarly complex corporate environments.

About the department

Workplace Resolution & Investigations (WRI) is a centre of excellence within People & Places, supporting colleagues and managers with conduct and Speak Up matters from concern to resolution. Investigators provide clear, evidence-based findings to support fair, defensible decisions by business leaders or hearing managers, operating with integrity and fairness to keep the colleague experience central. The team aims to shift towards earlier, more informal resolution where appropriate, strengthen governance and build a data-driven, insight-led function.