HMRC is the UK’s tax, payments and customs authority and we have a vital purpose: we collect the money that pays for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support.Covert Operations, Digital Exploitation (CODE) sits within HMRC’s wider Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) responsible for the department’s civil and criminal investigation work. FIS ensures that HMRC has an effective approach to taking on the most serious tax evasion and fraud.Working across Law Enforcement and government, CODE provides investigative tools and covert techniques to front-line investigations and works with key partners to develop and provide access to new technology and systems to enable investigators to respond to serious and complex tax evasion and crime.This role sits within a Branch of CODE called Covert Operations.See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert. This is an exciting opportunity to lead on a new Specialist Surveillance Unit within Covert Operations. The Unit will have national coverage but will be split between two locations, one in Gillingham, Kent the other in Leeds, West Yorkshire. As a Higher Surveillance Officer you will be expected to conduct mobile, foot and static surveillance in pursuit of serious and organised crime investigations led by HMRC. You will gather evidence and intelligence on subjects of investigations in order to help the Fraud Investigation Service deliver against it’s strategic and tactical objectives.This is a field role and successful applicants, once trained, will be working in the operational field throughout the UK.As a Higher Surveillance Officer you will be expected to line manage up to 7 members of staff.Candidates must live within reasonable daily travel of Gillingham (Kent) as all the required equipment and vehicles will be stored in this location, which for these mobile posts is two hours by car each way.This role is initially offered on a two-year fixed term appointment with the potential to secure permanent employment with HMRC.Serving members of HMRCServing permanent members of HMRC cannot have more than one job in HMRC if each of these requires a separate HMRC contract of employment.This means that serving permanent members of HMRC staff who apply for externally advertised FTA vacancies will, if successful, be offered a variation to their existing contract of employment in line with the temporary promotion policy and the employment will be treated as a temporary promotion for the purposes of pay and other terms and conditions.Serving members of other government departmentsServing permanent members of staff from other Government departments are eligible to apply for externally advertised fixed term appointments. However these posts are temporary and if successful they must be offered the post as a loan opportunity. Manager must notify the HRSC that this is a loan, and that the individual will return to their home department at the end of the period of employment.Training:Training will depend on the any qualifications / experience already held. Please discuss with the vacancy holder.