Forensic Accountant

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Are you a qualified accountant who loves problem solving, analysing financial records and developing your own independent opinion?
Do you want to showcase your accountancy expertise to UK Criminal courts?
Do you want to be part of a team where flexible working is the norm?
If the answer is Yes, then we can offer you a leadership role with your work principally providing independent accountancy opinion on HMRC Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) cases. FIS is responsible for both civil and criminal investigations in tackling the most serious tax evasion and fraud.
Our Forensic Accountants enjoy a wide range of work, primarily relating to criminal prosecutions and anti-fraud interventions. You will play an active role in high-profile issues and ultimately your work will touch the lives of everyone in the UK.
Some experience of Forensic accounting, Money Laundering issues and Illicit Finance issues would be beneficial to the role.", As a Forensic Accountant you will give objective, independent and professional advice relating to criminal investigations and anti-money laundering interventions. We want you to use your knowledge and experience to understand and explain financial and accounting transactions to investigators, lawyers and the courts.
You will provide clear and concise analysis of relevant accounting, financial and transactional information to clearly communicate complex financial issues to non-accountants including investigation teams, lawyers and the courts.
You will demonstrate your abilities to utilise your accounting knowledge and commercial experience to identify risks, critically assess financial evidence and provide expert opinion.
You will support litigation, acting as an expert witness or witness of fact and will proactively assist others involved in criminal prosecutions or civil investigations of tax fraud and Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) interventions including confiscation orders and cash seizures. You will prepare and review professional reports with both factual and opinion evidence, attend case conferences, meetings and court acting with professionalism, integrity and independence.
Our team undertakes regular Continuing Professional Development. We will provide you with opportunities to share knowledge, develop and provide quality accountancy training to both colleagues and tax professionals., Provide objective and independent accounting advice relating to criminal and civil investigations and anti-money laundering interventions, including acting as an independent expert witness.
Support activities targeting alcohol, supply chain and duty evasion fraud utilising your commercial experience.
Communicate, meet with and advise internal and external stakeholders.
Develop, support and provide quality bespoke accountancy training to key partners.
Coach and mentor colleagues.
Share knowledge and best practice, using innovative methods and digital tools.
Demonstrate expertise, experience, and authority to credibly engage with courts, tribunals, accountants, colleagues, customers, and senior HMRC officers., Detail any key achievements and the impact your work has had, tailor this to showcase how your experience aligns with the advertised role and essential criteria.
Qualifications: List all relevant qualifications required for the role as outlined in the job advert and essential criteria.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
The sift will be carried out against the CV, 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.
Technical Assessment
If you are successful at sift you will be invited to an accountancy based technical assessment (to include both a presentation and a written output) – unless you have an exemption.
Interview
If you are successful in the technical assessment, you will be invited to an interview which involves:
Experience questions to understand your suitability for the role advertised.
Questions seeking examples of the selected behaviours ‘Communicating and Influencing’ and ‘Delivering at Pace’ and you will be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.
This is an example of a strengths-based question:
“It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
Interviews and technical assessments will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Technical Assessment Exemption Criteria
You may be eligible for an exemption from sitting a technical assessment as part of the interview process for this post if you demonstrate you fulfil one of the following criteria:
1) You are a, current member of the HMRC Advisory and Forensic Accountants (AFA) Profession and previously passed the technical assessment at Grade 7 level or in any campaign after 1 January 2024., A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
+ Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.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.
Additional Security Information
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window)., Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.
In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@hmrc.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.

The candidate will have strong financial accounting experience gained in either practice, industry, public sector or private sector and specifically including:
Analysing and interpreting a range of financial records; and preparing or reviewing financial statements;
Considering the appropriate accounting treatment of a variety of specific transactions; and
Delivering high quality written and verbal accountancy outputs to key stakeholders, Some experience of Forensic Accounting, Money Laundering issues and Illicit Finance issues would be beneficial., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Delivering at Pace

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ An accountancy based technical assessment (to include both a presentation and a written output) – unless you have an exemption., 2) You were, within the last 3 years, (from the closing date of the advert you are applying for) a member of the HMRC AFA Profession and previously passed the technical assessment at Grade 7 level or after 1 January 2024.
3) You successfully passed the Grade 7 technical assessment in the last 3 years (or any AFA technical assessment after 1 January 2024) as part of a previous HMRC AFA recruitment campaign. You should submit proof that you previously passed the technical assessment, this may be in the form of written interview feedback you received or confirmation information from Civil Service Jobs.

You must already have full and complete qualification from, and continuing membership of, one of the following professional accounting bodies:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI)
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
Please Note: Part qualified accountants are not eligible for these posts., Alongside your salary of £61,253, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £17,744 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 HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service