Principal Investigative Lawyer

Serious Fraud Office

Apply before Monday 1st July 2024

The closing date for applications is Monday 1st July 2024, however applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so you may be shortlisted and invited to interview before the advertised closing date.

Reference number: 336993

Salary: £55,317 - £64,260

Staff applying on promotion within the Civil Service will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or receive a 10% increase on their existing salary. Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary. Applicants from outside of the Civil Service should be aware that starting salaries will normally be at the band minimum and you should not expect to receive a higher salary.

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job grade: Grade 7, Band B

Contract type: Permanent

Type of role: Investigations, Legal Services, Operational Delivery

Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed hours

Number of jobs available: 11

Contents:

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location:

The role will be based at our offices at 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BS, in central London, however please note that we are due to move to Canary Wharf in 2024. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. We are operating hybrid working arrangements that require staff to be in Cockspur Street 40% of their working pattern.

About the job:

Job summary

The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption, and pursues the proceeds of crime, and compensates victims where possible.

We are unique in the UK because we both investigate and prosecute our cases. We have specialist powers because these kinds of cases are complicated and lawyers and investigators need to work together closely from the outset.

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, you will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution by providing strong leadership to drive cases forward delivering high quality outcomes by collaborating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders worldwide.

Job description

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, your job will include:

• Drafting case strategy, key decisions, team building and outcomes
• Contributing to organisational learning following innovative resolutions and legal precedents
• Drafting search warrants, attending searches, interviewing witnesses, identifying asset recovery options in tandem with our Proceeds Of Crime team and engaging counsel for trial and disclosure work.
• Engagement with overseas law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, with possible travel
• Enhancing your technical skills through working with digital evidence (training to use our software will be provided)
• Working on more than one case at a time where needed and the probability of working on a variety of cases to expand your career experience.

Person specification

See above and attached Candidate Pack

Qualifications

You must be a barrister authorised by the Bar Council to practice in England and Wales OR a solicitor, admitted by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and authorised to practice in England and Wales with a minimum of 2 years PQE

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits:

• Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years' service plus an additional day in recognition of the King's Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days' leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.
• Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.
• Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.
• Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.
• Opportunities for learning and development.
• Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.
• Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.
• Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.
• Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:
  • Discounts with high street retailers
  • Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
  • Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
  • Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
  • Instant vouchers
• Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years' service plus an additional day in recognition of the King's Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days' leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.
• Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.
• Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.
• Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.
• Opportunities for learning and development.
• Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.
• Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.
• Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.
• Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:
  • Discounts with high street retailers
  • Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
  • Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
  • Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
  • Instant vouchers

Things you need to know:

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to apply

As part of the application process you will be required to provide:

• A CV setting out your career history and covering any relevant qualifications you hold to demonstrate the essential technical This is the LEAD criteria for the role and only candidates who meet this will have the remainder of their application considered.
• A personal statement of up to 500 words that explains how your skills and experience meet essential and desirable criteria as listed in the Candidate Pack. Desirable criteria will only be taken into account where it is necessary to further shortlist for interview.

The candidates shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process will be those who have clearly demonstrated that they meet the essential experience and technical criteria for the role.

The interview stage

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to sit a short scenario-based assessment to test your legal knowledge and skills. You will also be interviewed to explore the behaviours, strengths, and experience in more depth.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

The closing date for applications is Monday 1st April 2024, however applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so you may be shortlisted and invited to interview before the advertised closing date.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security Check

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 202
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Please note that all applicants must supply appropriate right to work documentation and complete a successful practicing body check to ensure there are no findings or conditions relating to their ability to practice Law in the UK.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact:

• Name: Sellick Partnership

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.