Apprentice Technical Officer

Gillingham (Kent) - These posts will be based in the Rochester/Gillingham area of Kent for the period of the apprenticeship. You will also be expected to attend events across the country as part of your development programme, with days / nights away. On completion of the apprenticeship, and you are offered a fulltime post, these positions could be at one of our sites in Kent, Warrington, Leicester or North Yorkshire., This is a Technical Apprenticeship like no other. As well as acquiring electronic and engineering skills, you will be at the heart of the UK's fight against serious and organised crime. Working in the NCA's Technical Operations Dept, you will be helping pursue and bring to justice those criminals who present the highest risk to this country.
This exciting programme starts in September 2024 and offers a mix of classroom learning and practical experience, including a variety of research, development, and project work. You'll be taking on real world business challenges that will stretch and develop your expertise in areas such as electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering., You will be working towards becoming a G5 Technical Officer on successful completion of the apprenticeship, if you are offered a permanent post.
This role is - To deliver technical solutions, in high risk environments, employing modern technology and sensitive tactics, in order to develop intelligence and acquire evidence which contributes to cutting serious and organised crime affecting the UK. Support the operational lead in deploying technical capabilities on behalf of the NCA to the highest standards. To develop, modify and adapt innovative technological solutions which enable the delivery of covert investigative activity against agreed strategic objectives. Provide information and advice on new technologies / equipment to ensure the organisation utilises the latest covert technical capabilities. Comply with H&S legislation, including risk assessments in line with operational procedures. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders in order to foster productive working relationships and collaborative working. Represent Technical Operations at a local
level, technical conferences and other specialist law enforcement forums.
Please note; This is a full time post but will require flexibility from successful candidates as we will take you to training locations across the country. This training will include realistic scenarios which can be conducted during the day or throughout the night in all weather conditions.
On successful completion, you will have gained the following:
+, Level 2 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Foundation Competence), You will be asked to complete a CV as part of the application process. Your CV should set out your career history including training and qualifications, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure that each entry of your career history also has a few sentences outlining a description and the key elements of that role, and that you provide reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Please ensure the dates of any accreditations you are relying on are entered onto the CV. Experience criteria can also be assessed from CV.
+ CV – Enter your CV details setting out your educational qualifications AND grades, as well as career history, including key responsibilities and achievements. It is essential that your CV reflects the role that you are applying for. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any employment gaps within the last two years.
+ 4x Technical / Experience skills via a 250 word Statement of Suitability per criteria, as listed 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:
+ Information Technology skills which demonstrates proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, and other web based platforms.
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 17th June 2024.
Candidates who are successful at shortlisting will be required to undertake the Bennetts Aptitude Test. You will be required to pass this test in order to progress to the interview stage. Further details will be provided to those successful at shortlisting.
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, where 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.
The NCA is a law enforcement agency & as such we are part of the Criminal Justice System. Therefore if you are going into an operational role we need to be aware if any of our officers have, either before they join us or afterwards, any of the following:
+ Any criminal conviction (including by Court Martial), or caution or fixed penalty notice for disorder or theft;
+ Any adverse judicial findings;
+ Any charges or summonses where the proceedings are not complete;
+ Any misconduct or gross misconduct findings or where proceedings are not complete.
You will be asked to complete a declaration form covering the above if offered a role with the NCA.
Each case will be considered on its merits and a positive declaration does not automatically mean that your application will not be progressed. However, should you fail to disclose a relevant matter then your application or employment will be adversely affected. If in doubt, please declare it at this stage.
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.
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
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 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., + 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)., 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

+ Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Competence) – Technical Support
+ Level 3 Diploma or Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge).
+ Level 4 HNC in General Engineering, These posts will be based in the Rochester / Gillingham area of Kent for the period of the apprenticeship. You will also be expected to attend events across the country as part of your development programme, with days / nights away. On completion of the apprenticeship, and you are offered a full time post, these positions could be at one of our sites in Kent, Warrington, Leicester, or North Yorkshire.

• To be considered, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance before commencing the role., During the 4 years of your apprenticeship you will be working towards gaining a L3 qualification on a Technical Support Technician course and Engineering BTEC L4. Your 1st year will be almost full time at our chosen training providers location. For the remaining 3 years you will have one day a week day release, with the remaining time learning skills of our trade. You will meet and engage with other members of the community, suppliers and practitioners with numerous days and nights away., The following qualifications/skills are essential to the role and proof will be required at interview:

• 5x GCSE passes including grade A
• - C (or equivalent) in Mathematics, English, and a technology or engineering subject., + Developing Self and Others


Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
+ Information Technology skills which demonstrates proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, and other web based platforms.
+ Good analytical and technical problem solving skills - fault finding, rectification and repairing.
+ Ability to write up and describe with detail project work.
+ Technology aptitude Mechanical/Electrical/Electronic engineering which includes developing, designing, and/or modifying technology.

Alongside your salary of £24,557, National Crime Agency contributes £6,630 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