Intercept Operations

London

• and Warrington. For London based roles your contractual place of work will be Stratford. However, as that site will not be operational until early 2025 in the interim period you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall, or such other reasonable location, on a temporary basis. For the avoidance of doubt as your contractual place of work is Stratford, the move from any temporary place of work will not give rise to any entitlement to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy., Intercept Operations is a key part of the NCA’s Intelligence Directorate.

Operating within the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 Intercept Operations officers target and intercept criminal communications. Officers apply their specialist skills to analyse the content of communications, identifying tactical and strategic intelligence which drives the Agency’s response.
Working collaboratively with NCA Investigations, other intelligence departments, UKIC and broader Law Enforcement partners, Intercept Operations are at the forefront of NCA operations tackling Serious and Organised Crime., This role is for experienced Interceptors only, responsibilities will include:
+ Management and leadership of G5 Intercept Operations Officers - ensuring their development;
+ Leadership of fast paced operational support, gathering, analysing and disseminating intercept intelligence in accordance with legislation and policy;
+ Identification and mitigation of risk;
+ Coordination of the workload of other Intercept Operations Officers and other Intelligence staff, authorising work requests in order to ensure that resources are directed in the most appropriate and effective way to support priorities;
+ Management of the quality, secure handling and dissemination of intelligence, maintaining confidentiality, sensitivity and a duty of care in line with legislation and policy;
+ Completion of Warantry and Communications Data applications, as required, for the purpose of intelligence gathering;
+ Development of intelligence, research and analysis in support of the NCA’s Annual Plan, National Control Strategy and other identified priorities in the fight to cut serious and organised crime;
+ Identification and dissemination of high quality tactical and strategic intelligence relating to serious and organised crime affecting the UK;
+ Leading by example to embed the NCA culture, identity and values.

• To be considered, you will need to successfully complete DV STRAP clearance before commencing the role. Applicants must be willing to undergo DV clearance and STRAP induction and be full UK Nationals or Dual Nationals, of whom one component is British may be considered on a case by case basis.


Person specification
Within the department specialist skilled Officers exploit intercepted communications to direct response to the highest harm criminals impacting the UK.
The NCA’s pursuit of criminals operating upstream, overseas and online requires an intercept capability that can produce live-time tactical intelligence to operational teams. Officers apply their expert knowledge to intercepted product to produce timely tactical and strategic intelligence. This mission critical capability underpins operational activity, whether it is identifying and disseminating intelligence around a firearms, cash or drugs handover or an opportunity to identify a person of interest, Interceptors ensure that NCA operations are directed to achieve the greatest impact.
Working alongside a number of the NCA’s other covert intelligence capabilities Officers play a pivotal role, drawing intelligence from a range of sources to determine the required response.
This is a challenging but rewarding role unlike any other, the position afforded to Interceptors means you will gain an unparalleled insight and understanding of Serious Organised Crime.
As well as directly contributing to operational results you will manage high-pressure situations and apply your training to deliver the national Kidnap response, working with operational teams to recover hostages and arrest those responsible. You will also respond to threat to life situations, ensuring that whether as a result of a drug dispute or exploitation of trafficked migrants, life is preserved and the public is protected.
As the nature of criminal communications and technology continues to develop the skills of Intercept Officers must also adapt. Significant focus is placed on the development of new ways to target and exploit content., + 3x Technical / Experience skills via a 250 word Statement of Suitability per criteria, as listed in the Person Specification above.
For further application guidance please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/applying-and-onboarding
Once submitted your application will be acknowledged by the Government Recruitment Service.
Please note depending on the volume of applications a Longlist at sift may be conducted on following criteria:
+ Decision making, with accountability for decisions made.
Candidates must pass this criteria for their application to be progressed.
A panel will then assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Entry Criteria section.
Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
Sift results are expected to be released w/c Monday 10th June 2024.
Interview Details
You will then be asked to attend an interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence.
There will be one round of interview, and you will be assessed on the Behaviour and Technical criteria, as listed above.
Interviews will take place throughout June and July 2024 - locations to be confirmed. Please be advised that the type of interview (eg. virtual/face-to-face) may be subject to change and successful candidates will be notified of this prior to attending. However the interview is conducted, the interview criteria will remain as detailed within this advert.
The above sift and interview dates are an indicative timeline.
Should you be successful at sift but cannot attend on the interview date(s) listed the recruitment team cannot guarantee an alternative date. Please contact the recruitment team.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.
Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Any instances of plagiarism including copying of examples/answers from internet sources will result in a withdrawal of your application. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.
Interview Outcome
Candidates will be alerted of the outcome of their interview via their CS Jobs Portal. We will be retaining a candidate pool of successful applicants to draw from as vacancies arise for up to 12 months.
If your application is successful and we are unable to offer you a post immediately, you will be invited to join our reserve list. If over the next 12 months we are able to offer you a position, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Once we make you an offer you will then go through our vetting and pre-employment checks processes.
All Appointments will be made in location merit order.
Multi-Location
Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.
Please be aware that you can be posted to any location that you put in your preferences. If you would only like to be posted to one location, please confirm one location only. If you are posted to a location that you have requested and you do not accept that location, you may not be offered another role.
Please note, only advertised location can be offered. Notes populated in a free text box will not be taken into consideration.
Near Miss
If you are not found appointable at the advertised grade you may be offered the lower grade role if you are considered to meet the skills, experience and behaviours for the lower level. The benchmark for appointing to the lower grade is set at the start of each campaign. All offers will be made in merit.
If you are found appointable at the higher grade but there are no positions available you may be offered an appointment at the lower grade.
Hybrid Working
Here at the NCA we have a hybrid working arrangement in place enabling officers to work a proportion of their role remotely. Eligibility and the degree of home working will vary depending on the requirements of the role. Further details can be discussed at offer stage.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. As part of our application process you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process that you may need. If you have a disability or long-term condition (a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, 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 ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 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.
Inclusion and Accessibility
We are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we are committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. For details of the available group please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers/benefits-and-support
In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy, the NCA require certain personal details about you on submission of your application. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application. You will be asked to complete an E-consent survey asking for permission to share this data with the NCA to be used for statistical/monitoring purposes only, refusal of consent to share the information will not impact your application.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Additional Information
+ The NCA is a 24/7 organisation, and working patterns must support business requirements. Some roles may require you to respond at short notice or outside of core hours.
+ Individuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.
+ Successful candidates may be required to undertake a medical. If required, the medical will take place in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.
+ If you are an internal candidate who has passed interview but is undergoing an internal investigation or have a written warning in place preventing a post move you may not be able to be posted until this investigation is concluded or restriction lifted. You will remain on the reserve list for a max of 12 months.
VETTING REQUIREMENTS SC
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require SC clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
+ Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
+ UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
+ Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
+ Security Services records
VETTING REQUIREMENTS - DV
All security clearances require you to provide evidence of your UK footprint where you have been physically present in the UK.
The requirement for DV is to have been present in the UK for at least 7 of the last 10 years.
Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.
If you require DV clearance you will need to provide evidence of the below requirements.
Checks will be made against:
+ successful completion of the BPSS
+ UK criminal record and identity checks
+ credit reference checks
+ relevant personnel and medical checks (if required)
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA careers page for further information please visit https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/careers
If you have any specific queries about the role that are not covered by the candidate pack, please contact:
ncarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint in relation to any stage of the recruitment and selection process please email Central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk. please ensure that you refer to the campaign reference number. If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your complaint you have the right to contact the Civil Service Commission to pursue it further.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints

+ Changing and Improving

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Decision making, with accountability for decisions made.
+ Effective communication with a wide range of stakeholders.
+ Ability to analyse information from a number of sources.

Alongside your salary of £45,057, National Crime Agency contributes £12,165 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
All officers in the NCA are members of the UK Civil Service. You will be eligible for:
+ Civil Service pension scheme
+ 26 days annual leave rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service