Financial Conduct Authority

Accredited Financial Investigator, Proceeds of Crime Team

Division – EMO

Team - Proceeds of Crime Team

Salary - National (Leeds) ranging from £43,100 to £53,700 and London £47,300 to £59,000 per annum (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

About the FCA

The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. Follow this link to find out more About the FCA.

The Proceeds of Crime Team is a specialist unit within the FCA, made up of Accredited Financial Investigators, Financial Intelligence Officers, Confiscators and professional support staff. Together, we deliver expert financial investigation capabilities that help the FCA meet its responsibilities under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).

Our work plays a vital role in the FCA’s credible deterrence agenda, supporting the prosecution of criminal offences that fall within our statutory remit under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Financial Services Act 2012.

As a dedicated financial investigation function, we focus on:

• Tracing, restraining and confiscating the proceeds of criminal conduct, removing illicit gains from convicted individuals
• Compensating victims of financial crime wherever possible
• Enforcing confiscation orders, using the full range of powers available to ensure compliance
• Using civil recovery powers under Part 5 of POCA and related legislation to identify and forfeit criminal assets

In this role, you’ll work as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team delivering complex investigations under POCA, while also contributing to wider enforcement and regulatory projects.

The role will necessitate some travel within the UK with a potential requirement to stay overnight on occasions. The role will also involve the exercise of civil powers under Part 5 POCA. Training will be provided.

What will you be doing?

As an Accredited Financial Investigator, you will play a key role in delivering financial investigations that run alongside criminal cases led by our Enforcement Division. Your work will primarily focus on cases involving insider dealing, unauthorised business activity and other financial misconduct.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Undertaking confiscation investigations under POCA, using your investigative powers to identify, trace and evidence criminal benefit and realisable assets — including assets held overseas
• Analysing, presenting and evidencing complex financial data to support enforcement outcomes and ensure the effective recovery of illicit gains
• Drafting legal documentation, including witness statements to support Restraint Orders under Section 41 POCA, Statements of Information under Section 16 POCA for confiscation proceedings, applications for freezing and recovery orders in civil cases
• Supporting FCA Counsel during legal proceedings and, where required, giving evidence in the Crown Court, High Court, or Magistrates’ Court.
• Monitoring and policing restraint / freezing orders once granted to prevent the dissipation of assets

What will you get from the role?

• The opportunity to work in a fast paced, growing, specialised role and team, supporting colleagues across the organisation to deliver the FCA’s commitment to fight financial crime
• You will be recognised as a subject matter expert, guiding and advising colleagues, both junior and senior, on matters relating to proceeds of crime work
• Access to ongoing professional development to expand your skills and knowledge in areas such as proceeds of crime, investigation techniques, supervision of financial services and markets, technical and IT skills (especially in developing areas such as crypto assets and AI), either through the FCA’s inhouse course catalogue or via our FCA access to LinkedIn Learning
• The opportunity for career progression, either within the Proceeds of Crime Team or across the wider FCA

Which skills are required?

We are a Disability Confident Employer; therefore, disabled people or individuals with long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. (To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here)

Minimum

• Currently accredited by the Proceeds of Crime Centre (NCA) as either:
  • a Financial Investigator and Confiscator exercising Part 2 and Part 8 POCA powers, or
  • a Financial Investigator exercising Part 8 POCA powers

You must also be actively working in these roles (i.e. your accreditation is not suspended) and have demonstrable experience leading investigations under POCA. Successful candidates who are not currently trained as a confiscator (under Part 2 POCA) will be expected to achieve this accreditation once in post.

• Proven experience of working on complex, serious financial crime or criminal investigations (e.g. NIM Level 3) involving confiscation, asset tracing, or proceeds of crime, including setting investigation strategies and reporting to stakeholders
• Good working knowledge and practical application of relevant legal frameworks and investigative tools, including:
  • CPIA, PACE, RIPA/IPA, MLAT
  • Different areas of jurisprudence such as trust, contract, property, company, insolvency law
  • Secondary legislation such as the Criminal and Civil Procedure Rules and Statutory Instruments

Essential

• Experienced in the use of mainstream financial intelligence tools (e.g. Moneyweb, ARENA and consumer credit databases)
• Use of Altia software or similar tools to analyse data and manage disparate unstructured financial information
• Able to exercise sound judgment and use your own initiative, including making and justifying recommendations to team management
• Strong analytical and investigative skills, with the ability to communicate complex matters clearly in both written and verbal formats
• Resilient and proactive, with a “can-do” attitude and the ability to perform under pressure and meet tight deadlines

Our Values & Diversity

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views and experiences. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better regulation.

Within the workplace you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions.

Did you know? 50% of our Executive Committee were the first in their family to attend university.

Benefits of working at the FCA

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)
• Private healthcare with Bupa
• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age – up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)
• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary
• Income protection

We also have a competitive flexible benefits scheme which gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle.

We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements. Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours and job shares. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want but we can explore what might work best for both sides.

Follow this link to see what life is like at the FCA - Life at the FCA

Application Support

We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition requiring changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter using the details below and they will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Useful Information and Timeline

• This role is graded as Level 8 Associate (Regulatory)
• SC Clearance is required for this role (SC Guidance) - you will hold or will be required to obtain Security Clearance (SC) level vetting
• Advert Closing Date: 2nd November
• CV Review/Shortlist: 3-4th November
• First Round Case Study Assessment: 7th November
• Competency Based Interview: w/c 24th November

Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time.

Got a question?

If you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact Raimonda at Raimonda.Stankute@fca.org.uk

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.

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