Surveillance Planner Team Leader - Counter Terrorism Policing

West Midlands Police; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A law enforcement agency is looking for a highly motivated Surveillance Planning Team Leader in Birmingham. The ideal candidate will manage the planning of covert surveillance operations, ensuring regulations are followed and providing tactical guidance to senior investigators. Strong communication and problem-solving skills are essential. This full-time role offers a competitive salary between £42,897 and £48,894 annually, with additional security clearance requirements.

Qualifications

• Experience in covert policing operations is essential.
• Familiarity with legislation affecting covert investigations.
• Ability to operate effectively at various levels of partnership.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of surveillance planners.
• Ensure compliance with RIPA and other legislation.
• Deliver operational briefings and supervise deployment planning.

Skills

Covert policing operations

RIPA and CPIA knowledge

Communication skills

Problem-solving abilities

Organisational skills

Negotiation skills

Independence

Commitment and flexibility

Job description

Closing date: 2nd November 2025, 11:59pm

Salary: £42,897 - £48,894

Grade: 7

Type: Full time

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is a collaboration of UK police forces working with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and our national security by preventing, deterring and investigating terrorist activity.

The Counter Terrorism Policing West Midland (CTPWM) Surveillance department sits within the Pursue section of the 4 P's. Whether investigating a highly sophisticated international plot, or a lone individual preparing an attack, our teams of professionals are ready to deploy a wide range of skills, including utilising expertise in Surveillance.

We are looking for a dynamic and highly motivated Surveillance Planning Team Leader based in our modern offices near to Birmingham Airport to manage a team who are responsible for the planning and co‑ordination of CT Surveillance assets, ensuring deployments provide the maximum benefit to the investigation.

You’ll be required to work Monday – Friday between the hours of 7am to 6pm. Due to operational reasons, there may be short notice changes to hours, including the possibility of working away from home. You’ll also be required to be part of the “on call” rota.

The role

As a Surveillance Planning Team Leader, you’ll become the surveillance subject matter expert to Senior Investigating Officers (SIOs) and partner agencies during the planning, research and briefing phase of covert operations and regularly be the interface between the CTU departments and partner agencies.

You’ll provide specialist advice and tactical guidance to senior law enforcement managers and partner agencies on the feasibility of surveillance deployments, and proposed covert surveillance operations. Based upon complex, sensitive case specific requirements, the recommendations given will be used to formulate deployment objectives, tactical options, potential technical opportunities and advise on threat/risk assessments.

You’ll coordinate the tasking of local, regional and national surveillance assets against CT subjects of interest, ensuring each shift has maximal benefit to the operation, balancing the operational requirement with financial constraints and welfare needs of the Officers.

Responsibilities

• Supervising a team of surveillance planners.
• Ensuring each surveillance deployment is compliant to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), the Police Act 1997 and other relevant legislation, including CPIA.
• Supervising, and be responsible for, evidential capturing and exhibiting all product from surveillance deployments, including the timely dissemination of evidence gathered during these operations to ensure its listing in appropriate schedules.
• Identifying and implementing best practices in planning surveillance operations, briefing, exhibits storage and disclosure issues.
• Delivering operational briefings to experienced surveillance teams and specialist audiences, ensuring the intelligence picture, operational objectives, threat and risk issues, community impact and operational awareness are clearly communicated at an appropriate level.
• Supervising the planning and research of all information relevant to a deployment, by leasing closely with CTPWM departments and prepare appropriate briefing material.
• Liaising with partner agencies, both nationally and regionally, to ensure each operational requirement is met to a standard that is acceptable to the Senior Investigative Officer.
• Conversant with all items of technical equipment necessary to undertake surveillance operations. To maintain knowledge of surveillance techniques and capabilities and to keep abreast of current technological developments.
• Any other duties commensurate with the role or band/grade.

Skills and competencies

Essential

• Previous experience in covert policing operations, with a sound operational knowledge of RIPA, CPIA and other relevant legislation.
• Working knowledge of legal issues affecting Covert Investigations and surveillance.
• Proven communication and negotiating skills, with the ability to operate effectively at a variety of levels, including planning meetings, and with partner agencies.
• Firm problem‑solving abilities, working under considerable pressure, within tight timeframes.
• Solid organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, from different departments.
• Ability to condense, analyse and select relevant information from a large amount of research material.
• Proven negotiation and briefing skills with the ability to work with a number of different departments and partner agencies.
• To have the ability to work on own initiative and without supervision.
• Demonstrate a high degree of commitment, dedication and flexibility.

Desirable

• Possess previous experience of working within covert investigations including where surveillance has been utilised.
• Possess proven investigatory experience, as well as having performed roles as an Exhibits and/or Disclosure officer.
• Knowledge of Counter Terrorism work.
• Knowledge of current developments/advancements in surveillance technology and techniques.

Additional information

Security Clearance

⚠ This role requires British Nationality (some dual nationalities may be ineligible) and Enhanced Developed Vetting. You will need to undergo additional security clearance checks, with the offer of employment being conditional on obtaining all of the necessary security clearances. There are limitations on travelling to a small number of countries once in post.

Diversity & Inclusion

We maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities, whilst protecting them from harm. Counter Terrorism Policing is always working to build upon our diverse workforce to reflect the country we serve. An inclusive culture enables us to do things differently, working in ways that meet individuals’ needs, flexing working patterns to ensure work‑life balance is healthy so that we deliver the best for the organisation. We are a Disability Confident Leader – the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a Disability Confident Interview Scheme – all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.

Advertisement Closing Date

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if the maximum volume of applications has been reached. Candidates with unsubmitted applications will not be informed prior to the advert closing. Please do not attach a CV/covering letter as these will not be used during the application process.