Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Manager

HMRC; Chatham; Hybrid; CAD 36,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Join HMRC's Tactical Surveillance Group as an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Manager, overseeing operational UAS capabilities. Utilize innovative technology to support complex investigations into financial crimes while ensuring compliance with aviation regulations. The position offers a competitive salary, a robust pension contribution, and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous leave allowance starting at 25 days

Family friendly policies

Flexible working arrangements

Pension contributions of 28.97%

Qualifications

• Experience in training and coaching UAS pilots.
• Preparation of mandatory CAA Operations Manuals.
• Ability to operate in high pressure and dynamic environments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the UAS tactical capability for HMRC.
• Maintain compliance with CAA regulations.
• Train and develop UAS pilots.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Adaptability

Education

CAA General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC)

Operational Safety Training (OST) permit

Job description

£36,320 + Flex Payment (see attached JD doc) + £10,521 Pension P.A (STC)

Shift Work (See JD) + Flexitime + 25 days holidays + More

To learn more and apply please do so before role closes 11:55pm 8/7/25

Are you passionate about using innovative technology to combat serious crime?

Do you have the UAS piloting skills, qualifications and resilience needed to deploy in high-risk, demanding situations?

If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join HMRC's Tactical Surveillance Group (TSG). As our Unmanned Aerial Systems Manager you'll be part of one of the most advanced and dynamic investigative teams in Europe, using cutting-edge technology to safeguard the UK’s tax system.

About HMRC

HMRC is the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority and we have a vital purpose: we collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support.

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. This enables the Department to deliver against the strategic responsibilities across all the taxes and duties it administers. This includes 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 a host of other fraud attacks targeted at the tax system.

Job Description

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 ensuring nobody is beyond our reach.

Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within HMRC’s wider Fraud Investigation Service (FIS). Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.

About the Team

This is an exciting opportunity to join the TSG as our Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Manager.

The TSG are a specialist team within the FIS Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE). The team strive to provide innovative solutions to complex and often highly challenging scenarios where the collection of intelligence or evidence is key to the progression of an investigation and traditional techniques would likely fail.

TSG’s work is diverse, challenging and frequently involves deploying into high-risk environments. The team comprises of surveillance professionals with a diverse range of skill sets.

Person specification

About the Role

The role of the UAS Manager will oversee and care for all facets of maintaining UAS as a tactical capability within HMRC. Reporting to the accountable manager for UAS the successful candidate will be expected to:

- Contribute towards and maintain HMRCs UAS PDRA01, Operations Manual & operating safety case ensuring all mandatory requirements with the CAA are met.

- Contribute towards and maintain HMRC standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policy for UAS use.

- Ensure all UAS pilots are maintaining and recording appropriately the mandatory requirements of their qualifications as mandated by CAA, HMRC policy and SOPs, ensuring they would be fit for audit by the CAA.

- Fly UAS in an operational law enforcement environment.

- Arrange training courses with external providers for new pilots to obtain their GVC UAS license.

- Facilitate ongoing continuous professional development, training and upskilling of new and established UAS pilots.

- Be prepared to consult on use of UAS as a tactical solution to operational objectives in an investigation environment.

- Oversee the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of UAS systems and associated kit.

- Be prepared to assist in developing UAS as a capability by writing business cases looking to secure funding for UAS innovations across platforms and kit.

- Be prepared to represent HMRC in person at cross government and law enforcement forums for UAS.

- Other duties at the direction of line management As the UAS Manager the post holder will have an important role working alongside stakeholders within CODE and operational case teams to coordinate and achieve evidence or intelligence gathering objectives.

The UAS Manager will regularly deploy into challenging, hostile and/or remote areas of operation often in adverse weather to conduct operations often for prolonged periods of time. Ability to respond & adapt & make sound decisions in high pressure &/or time critical scenarios will be routinely expected.

Candidates must be prepared to undertake a Psychological Resilience Assessment. If successful in being appointed, you will be required to attend & engage fully in annual psychological well-being & resilience assessments.

Frequent overnight stays & travel throughout the UK will be necessary, often at little or no notice. Many deployments take place during unsocial/anti-social hours, the successful applicant must also be prepared for the need to work long hours as the working environment often necessitates working time regulations extensions or curtailments, which are unavoidable due to the nature of the role.

You will be placed on work a One in Four week on call roster. This role can be undertaken from Leeds & or Gillingham- Kent.

Essential Criteria

All applicants must:

• Be qualified to and hold a current Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) and have practical experience as a pilot of UAS systems using visual line of sight flying of UAS (VLOS).
• Have experience in the writing and preparation of mandatory CAA UAS Operations Manuals, Pre-site and On-site surveys and Risk assessments.
• Have experience of and performed training and coaching.
• Have Criminal Justice “Authorised Officer” status.
• Possess a full UK driving licence.
  
  We recognise that some people cannot drive due to a disability or underlying health condition and may not be able to meet this requirement. Where this applies, you can apply but will need to declare that you require a reasonable adjustment at the point you receive a provisional offer. The vacancy holder will then discuss your specific requirements to consider if this can be reasonably accommodated in this role.
  
• Hold a current operational safety training (OST) permit.
• EST 1 Foot Surveillance permit or equivalent.
• Be able to work in a demanding role which requires a high degree of flexibility & able to respond under pressure.
• Have the organisational skills to deliver in a dynamic environment.
• Be in good physical fitness.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience as an UAS Manager within an organisation.
• Trained as an Auditor in Aviation to the CAA standard.
• Experience of Beyond Visual Line of Sight UAS flight (BVLOS.)
• Experience as a team leader and of managing individuals.

Security Vetting

• Have or be capable of obtaining a security vetting of SC as a minimum. All job offers are provisional until security vetting is successfully proven or attained.

Training:

Determined based on the qualifications / experience of the successful candidate.

Licences

A full UK driving licence

Qualifications

Be qualified to and hold a current Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC) and have practical experience as a pilot of UAS systems using visual line of sight flying of UAS (VLOS).

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,320, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £10,521 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments.We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension- We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRCbenefitsand find out what it’s really like to work for HMRChear from our insidersor visitThinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is usingSuccess Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history.
• A 750-word personal statement. Your personal statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at sift or interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelineshere.

Sift

At sift your CV, and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be asked questions based on the behaviours listed below to explore in detail what you are capable of.

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.