Economic Crime Indirect Tax Specialist

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 299683**Salary**:

- £41,782 - £44,932- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Business area**:

- HMRC - CCG - Fraud Investigation Service**Type of role**:

- Investigation**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Homeworking, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 2Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Gartcosh, Ipswich, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, SalfordAbout the job

**Job summary**:
HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service** (FIS) **is responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigations.

FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to tackling the most serious tax evasion and fraud. FIS is home to a wide range of people with a variety of skills and professional backgrounds - including accountants, cybercrime specialists, criminal justice professionals, tax professionals and operational delivery support teams to name but a few.

We use a range of powers and approaches to protect funding for UK public services, investigating the most harmful tax cheats and helping to ensure that nobody is beyond our reach.

The Economic Crime (EC) deputy directorate forms an integral part of the HMRC Serious Fraud Strategy. Working closely across the department and the wider Law Enforcement community, using specialist expertise and modern technology we put illicit finance at the centre of operations. Our teams tackle the financial aspects of cases that will ultimately deter, disrupt and remove assets from tax fraudsters.

**Job description**:
You will be providing high quality technical and operational input to a variety of civil and criminal cases aimed at disrupting fraudulent activity, and targeting the recovery of criminal assets.

This can be a wide-ranging role: one day they might be being cross-examined in Crown Court about calculations they’ve completed in support of a criminal case; the next they might be scrutinising a VAT repayment claim for evidence of fraud or taking counsel through the legislation and evidence which supports the raising of a VAT assessment against a seriously non-compliant trader, as part of a targeted civil recovery strategy.

**Person specification**:

- You will be responsible for providing technical advice to colleagues on risks, using knowledge, judgement, and experience to make sound recommendations on complex/contentious issues.
- You will take ownership for the progression of the VAT/Indirect side of the case, up to and including making assessments, and preparing statements to support them in court and/or Tribunal. This will include supporting recovery and enforcement strategies for liabilities established. Such cases may include, but are not limited to, Supply Chain and Organised Labour Fraud (OLF) cases.
- You will play a leading role in developing a clear understanding of themes, identifying risks and emerging trends to inform the overall picture of VAT and other Indirect Tax risk in the Economic Crime customer base.

The role will include you contributing to the development and delivery of up-to-date technical training and guidance for Indirect Tax in conjunction with product and process owners and other stakeholders.

By taking a senior role within Economic Crime, you will also;
- Support and coach colleagues across FIS, EC and the wider HMRC, including mentoring other Investigators and trainees and sharing expertise.
- Liaise with other Law Enforcement Agencies, promoting the use of civil tax interventions, providing advice and support on indirect tax (predominantly VAT related) issues Advising as to whether case is suitable for civil or criminal intervention.

**Essential Criteria;**
- Applicants must be fully VAT trained - eg VAT Routeway/VAT Foundation Training/Basic VAT Training or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and understanding gained through experience.
- Applicants must have comprehensive recent experience of working in a VAT compliance role (excluding training periods), where that has involved carrying out face-to-face compliance interventions (eg full VAT assurance visits, criminal investigations) into non-compliant customers.
- Applicants must display confidence and ability to rapidly make VAT assessments, in line with statutory requirements, on basis of limited evidence, as part of a fast-paced (and rapidly changing) investigatory environment.

**Desirable criteria;**
- ** **Up-to-date knowledge of current VAT case-working practices and systems.
- Experience of working on involved VAT casework or issues.
- Knowledge of a non-VAT Indirect Tax regime.

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

- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership

**Technical skills**:
We'll assess you against these technical skill