Covert Surveillance Officer

Covert Surveillance Officer - various locations in England, Scotland and Wales: £29,500 - £33,979. Plus 28.97% pension contributions, and flexible/hybrid working.

We are hiring Covert Surveillance Officers for our brilliant DWP Counter Fraud team.

We tackle fraud within the welfare system - we use covert surveillance to gather evidence to prove or disprove offences.

We help make sure that that people aren’t unfairly exploiting the benefits that DWP pays, and unfairly taking taxpayers money.

Our work maintains the integrity of DWP payments relating to health, disability and working benefits, so that the people that really need our support can continue to get the help they need.

You don’t need to have a background in surveillance. You don’t need special skills.

We’re looking for people like this:

• You're flexible – you may need deploy at short notice. You might work unsocial hours, or sometimes need to stay away from home.
• You're fit – you’ll need to be able to cover distances, sometimes for a long period, and at different speeds while you’re on surveillance.
• You have have good observation skills – you’ll need to be able watch and describe what is happening, and you might not be able to take notes.
• You have good hearing – you could be wearing covert audio equipment, and you’ll often be getting lots of information and instruction while in the field.
• You hold a full current driving licence – some of your surveillance work will be done in a vehicle.

You’ll be learning the role with a team of experienced experts. And we’ll train you.

There is specialist training to get you where you need to be before you’re deployed, including:

• RoSPA Defensive Driving
• Foot surveillance tactics
• Mobile surveillance tactics

You’ll also become a member of Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP).

What’s the job?

You’ll be responsible for gathering evidence to prove whether persons or groups are committing benefits offences, or not.

You’ll plan and carry out surveillance, and produce packages of evidence like witness statements and audio and video. You could also be called as a witness in court.

We rely on great team-work to get the job done. We make real-time decisions often in pressurised situations, so you’ll need a cool head.

It’s a job that will get your adrenaline pumping and get under your skin. We love our job – our team-mates in surveillance and investigations roles usually build a long career here.

Once you’ve done a job like this it is hard to leave behind and go back to the 9-5. We’ll support you with ongoing training and opportunities to make sure you get the most out of your skills and career, as you become a specialist in surveillance.

Nothing that is worth doing is easy.

We want to be honest. This is a demanding role.

You’ll make difficult decisions in real time. Sometimes you’ll be the Officer in Charge, directing the team around you.

You’ll be on surveillance operations that might mean you need to start early and finish late. You might work at the weekend or at night, and you’ll go where the person under surveillance goes.

You’ll need to be organised and prepared. You’ll need to study the intelligence, attend the briefing and make a plan - before you even get into the car, or step out on to the street.

We know you’re working hard for us and being flexible, and we’ll do the same for you. We’ll treat you with respect and give you autonomy over your work and how you do it.

You had to finish late last night? You might choose to start late the next day, or use your flexible working hours to take a day off.

You’ve been out on surveillance for a few days in a row? You might work at home for the next few days as part of our hybrid working model.

It is demanding work. But its hugely rewarding and exciting. There are few other jobs that are so directly connected to real, tangible results. So few other jobs where your decision, right now, really matters.

If you’re up for it – we’d love to hear from you.

This isn’t a job for any one type of person - if you think you can do it, please apply.

We’re really interested in applications from women, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

We want to make sure the people on our team, doing this important work, represent the communities we work in and the people DWP serves.

Pay and benefits

Pay for this role is £29,500.

If you’re in Inner London it is £33,979. Outer London is £32,692.

You’ll also be eligible for unsocial hours payments and overtime may be available.

Some of our great benefits include:

• You'll get a Civil Service Pension, with employer contributions of 28.97%. That’s worth over £8,500 per year.
• Annual leave starting at 23 days per year. This rises to 25 days after 1 year, and up to 30 days over time.
• You'll also get a day off for the King’s Birthday which can be used flexibly, as well as all the usual public holidays.
• Flexible working hours, including up to 3 flexi days off per month.
• Employee discount schemes for money off bills, holidays, shopping and more
• Free well-being support

Click apply now for more information and to start an application on Civil Service Jobs.