Vetting Researcher

**Salary: Band 5, £24,360 - £25,353 (Increasing to £24,558 - £25,560 from September 2023, following a transitional pay award period) Pro Rata**

**Location: Bedlington & Home working**

**Hours/Contract: 18.5 hours, part-time, Permanent**

**Working for #TeamNP**

Northumbria Police is one of the largest police forces in the country, serving a population of 1.5 million people from a wide range of various communities, covering an area of more than 2,000 square miles.

There are around 5,800 people working at Northumbria Police and 488 more who contribute by volunteering for one of our various volunteer schemes.

A career at Northumbria Police is like no other, it’s our people that make it an exciting and inclusive place to work - a place where you can let your skills shine. We are passionate about where we live and what we do, we deliver exceptional support to our communities, and we work together to make our local area a safer place for us all. Every single person at Northumbria Police is valued for their amazing contribution - and we are all part of something truly special.

**What we offer**
- 26 days’ leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays - (Pro Rata)
- Enhanced Maternity, Shared Parental and Adoption leave
- Flexi Time - allowing you to fit your working hours around your individual needs
- Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours)
- Agile working - option to work from home, your team zone, and spaces across the force
- Fantastic market leading public sector pension scheme
- Corporate Travel schemes - local rail, bus services and metro
- Access to Private Healthcare and Eye Test Vouchers
- Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets
- To take care of your physical and mental well-being, we’ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service and access to gyms in some stations
- Sports & Social Club - join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel
- Cycle to work scheme

**The role**

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively, think you have what it takes to help us make a difference? This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Professional Standards Department as a Vetting Researcher.

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Vetting Unit as a Vetting Researcher. Our busy team carry out and investigate vetting for all new colleagues joining the Force, Contractors and current employees. We make difficult decisions that protect our Force and maintain public trust - ensuring that we operate with the utmost integrity and professionalism.

We’re looking for a self-motivated individual to add to our growing medium sized team. This is a varied role where no 2 days or cases are the same, a role where you’ll be providing a high standard of vetting service that meets the needs of the organisation and reduces risk. This is an important role where you’ll need to work to a high standard and be able to make sound decisions. You’ll be researching, collating information, and making decisions in line with Vetting Practice, guidance, and local force policies. You’ll need to be a problem solver who enjoys collating and using information to deliver effective results.

This role will give you the opportunity to develop your investigative skills and you’ll get an amazing sense of achievement knowing that you are part of a team that make the North East a better place to live, work and visit.

**What you’ll do**
- Carrying out risk assessments using the information gathered and ensuring auditable rationale is produced for vetting decisions
- Liaising with external stakeholders to ensure vetting is carried out fairly and consistently
- Sharing information in accordance with the College of Policing Code of Vetting Practice and authorised professional practice to ensure relevant information meets standard
- Identifying cases where information needs further assessing prior to decision making
- Preparing vetting reports to the highest standard, issuing clearance and escalating when relevant - then recording these accurately on the vetting database
- Supporting other forces with vetting requests

**What you’ll bring**
- The ability to problem-solve and make robust decisions using information you have researched and collated
- Strong planning and organisation skills - you’ll have a busy workload that will need to prioritise and deliver on
- Be a confident communicator, both orally and in written reports
- Possess and maintain high levels of integrity and confidentiality, demonstrating a responsible attitude towards information gathered
- You’ll be good at working as part of a team but also able to adapt to working al