A2/AO Financial Investigation Unit Support Officer

The Insolvency Service; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job description

Manchester

Job Summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

The post sits within the Financial Investigation Team (FIU), which is part of the Investigation and Enforcement Services (IES) Directorate. The team provides expert Asset Recovery work under the Proceeds Of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) supporting criminal and Intelligence investigation teams, to the wider agency and external partners. Team members are located across the country.

The post would also provide support to the new FIU teams.

The postholder would need an inquisitive mind, be a self-starter, be able to gather information from multiple sources and work within tight deadlines.

No prior financial intelligence knowledge is required as training will be provided on the job and there will be support within the team who have a wealth of experience.

This post is a great opportunity for the postholder to start their journey on the Financial Investigation training Pathway and for them to build and develop their skills in other more specialist areas. The postholder would be required to demonstrate outstanding aptitude and willingness to undertake accreditation with the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, through our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

Job Description

The FIU Support Officer would be able to work closely with Accredited Financial Investigators (AFI) and Financial Investigation Team Managers and would undertake searches of various internal systems including Cyclops, Wisdom, and external datasets such as Companies House, Experian Investigator Online, Experian Autocheck, Land Registry.

Financial intelligence about subjects would be provided by the FIU Support Officer to the AFI’s and Managers enabling responses to be made to both internal and external stakeholders.

The FIU Support Officer would be allocated and be able to provide a financial intelligence report upon request.

The FIU Support Officer would undertake ad hoc requests from AFI’s and Managers to upload banking material into Altia and produce Altia reports.

The FIU Support Officer would also be responsible for updating internal databases, ensuring systems are maintained accurately and in a timely manner, and that the data and information collected is stored securely in the appropriate area for future retrieval.

The FIU Support Officer will be able to work within tight deadlines and provide support to the FIU POCA Team.

Responsibilities

• Work with requests for information from a wide range of internal and on occasion external stakeholders.
• Manage inbox in receipt of financial intelligence requests.
• Access financial intelligence systems and understand handling of personal financial intelligence.
• Update and maintain agency databases in relation to FIU Asset recovery.
• Liaise with AFI’s and AFI manager in relation to financial information requests.
• Assist with ad-hoc Financial intelligence projects and assist in the preparation of Financial intelligence reports.

Person specification

• An ability to work well as part of a team.
• A keen eye for detail to ensure accuracy of information.
• Awareness of accessing and handling sensitive financial intelligence, and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Confidence in decision making.
• The ability to use initiative and find solutions to problems.
• Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks.
• Resilience and be adaptable to changeable situations and an ability to learn from experience.
• Good communication skills to confidently deal with a range of stakeholders, both internal & external.
• Good IT skills, particularly in the use of MS Office applications (Outlook, Word and Excel).

Essential Criteria

• Candidate will need to obtain and maintain SC clearance.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – w/c 5/5/2025

Interview – w/c 19/5/2025

Location - 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [e-mail] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via [e-mail] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

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