Forensic Accountant

Job summary

Discover what it’s like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

Discover what it’s like to work in a compliance role that makes an impact. Could you help us shape a stronger, fairer future? Your next career move starts here.

Rule keepers - begin your compliance journey.

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.

Job description

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 communicate complex financial issues to non-accountants including investigation teams, lawyers and the courts.

You will demonstrate your ability 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.

Person specification

The successful candidate will:

• 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 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.

Essential Criteria

The candidate will have strong financial accounting experience gained in practice, industry, public sector or private sector and specifically including:

• Experience of analysing and interpreting a range of financial records, of preparing or reviewing financial statements and of considering the appropriate accounting treatment of a variety of specific transactions (applying UK GAAP).
• Commercial knowledge and an understanding of how businesses operate including accounting systems.
• Excellent digital skills including the ability to use Excel and other tools for complex analysis.
• Attention to detail and precise analytical skills; ability to review information, figures and calculations thoroughly to draw clear, concise conclusions and accurately identify accountancy risks.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce high quality written outputs.
• Mandatory Accountancy Qualifications and memberships are required for this role (see below for details).

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of Forensic accounting, Money Laundering issues and Illicit Finance issues would be beneficial to the role.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office Closures

If your location preference is for the following site, it’s important to note that this is not long-term site for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window)

This site is:

• Lynx House, Portsmouth – moving to an alternative office in Portsmouth.

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Qualifications

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.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical statement will be required at application stage.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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.