Economic crime affects more UK citizens, more often, than any other criminal threat to our national security. It undermines the integrity of the UK economy, our global reputation as a global financial centre. Finances are integral to trade and investment, and the ease of doing business is vital for our prosperity.
However, our open financial systems and strong economy continue to be exploited by those seeking to generate, move and invest criminal money, from street cash up to the proceeds of the highest levels of bribery and corruption. The National Economic Crime Command consists of three cross-functions that operate independently from one another: the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), the United Kingdom Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) and the Proceeds of Crime Centre (PoCC).
The NECC brings together law enforcement agencies, government departments, regulatory bodies and the private sector, with a shared objective of driving down economic crime in the UK. From targeting corrupt elites to tackling fraud, our work is high profile and focused on the highest harms to protect the most vulnerable.
Information about the Business Area
This campaign is searching for candidates to fill roles in multiple business areas within the NECC Command.
The National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), hosted within the National Crime Agency (NCA), is a unique, multi-agency environment bringing together specialists from across law enforcement, government, and the private sector. As a dynamic and diverse centre, we are committed to developing our people, fostering innovation, and building the capabilities needed to tackle complex economic crime threats.
Our work is high-profile and mission-critical. From disrupting organised fraud to targeting corrupt elites, we focus on protecting the public—particularly the most vulnerable—and safeguarding the integrity of the UK’s financial system. Economic crime affects more UK citizens than any other crime type and poses a significant threat to national security, economic stability, and global reputation. As a leading international financial centre, the UK’s openness and prosperity continue to be exploited by those seeking to generate, move, and conceal illicit funds—from low-level criminal activity to sophisticated global corruption.
As a Deputy Head, Threat Lead, you will play a key leadership role in shaping and delivering our response to economic crime threats. This is a highly visible position requiring strategic thinking, operational insight, and the ability to lead across organisational boundaries.
We are seeking motivated, proactive, and adaptable leaders who are able to build and sustain strong partnerships across agencies, sectors, and disciplines. The ideal candidate will provide clear strategic direction within a fast-paced and evolving threat landscape, demonstrating the ability to prioritise effectively and make sound decisions under pressure. They will also inspire and develop diverse teams, driving them to deliver impactful and meaningful outcomes.
If you are driven by purpose and want to make a tangible impact in tackling economic crime at a national level, we encourage you to apply.
As a Deputy Head, Threat Lead within the NECC, you will play a pivotal role in driving a dynamic, coordinated response to economic crime, helping to protect the public and the communities we serve. This is an exciting opportunity for a high-performing individual to join a thriving and diverse team at the forefront of tackling complex threats. We are seeking a strategic leader with the ability to drive a broad and ambitious portfolio of priorities, while fostering a cohesive, high-performing team. The successful candidate will balance strategic oversight with strong people leadership, ensuring delivery as part of a unified and collaborative whole.
A number of Deputy Head, Threat Lead roles are available across the NECC’s teams. An overview of these teams, along with the respective Deputy Head, Threat Lead positions they support, is provided below:
Fraud Threat Team
Operational Response and Coordination Allocation (ORCA) Team
Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Team
Illicit Finance Threat Team
Please note that all roles will require a minimum of SC (Enhanced) security clearance, while some roles require candidates to obtain DV (Enhanced) clearance within 12 months of commencing the role.
Team Leadership – Provide strong, visible leadership to a multidisciplinary team, driving delivery across policy, strategy, business planning, performance, service delivery, and governance. Promote a culture of high performance, inclusion, and adherence to organisational values, whilst managing performance and conduct matters effectively.
Managing Organisational Change – Lead the delivery of projects, programmes, and departmental initiatives, ensuring performance is effectively monitored and reported against plans. Drive organisational change by planning, implementing, and communicating change initiatives clearly and effectively.
Service Delivery and Strategic Alignment – Ensure all activity is effectively prioritised and aligned with strategic objectives, delivering high-quality outcomes while maintaining compliance with statutory requirements and control frameworks.
Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships – Build and sustain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, enabling effective collaboration across agencies and sectors to deliver coordinated and impactful outcomes.
Cross-Government Engagement – Represent the NECC and NCA at cross-government forums, influencing policy, aligning priorities, and strengthening the UK’s response to economic crime.
Performance and Strategic Impact – Drive improvements in performance frameworks to better measure effort, outcomes, and impact, ensuring delivery against NECC strategic priorities and commitments.
Risk Management and Governance – Oversee delivery against risk frameworks and compliance programmes, providing clear management information and updates to governance boards and stakeholders.
People Development and Coaching – Manage, coach, and develop staff to maximise performance, providing clear direction, feedback, and opportunities for professional growth.
Information Management – Ensure the secure handling, quality assurance, and effective dissemination of information in line with Agency policies and legal requirements.
Operational Leadership (ORCA Team only) – Lead national intensifications, coordinating activity across local, regional, and national partners to disrupt illicit finance threats and deliver tangible operational outcomes.
Leading and Managing a Team – Demonstrated experience of leading teams and managing resources, while overseeing and supporting large, complex operational functions to maximise service delivery.
Strategic Thinking – Ability to align initiatives and activities with organisational priorities, anticipate future challenges, and develop innovative, forward-thinking strategies that drive organisational success.
Effective Decision-Making – Proven ability to make sound, timely decisions in complex and fast-paced environments, balancing risk, data, and stakeholder needs.
Overseeing Service Delivery – Strong capability to ensure activity is effectively prioritised, aligned to strategic objectives, and delivered efficiently in compliance with statutory and control requirements.
Relationship Management – Highly developed ability to build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.
Managing Resources – Experience of planning and allocating resources effectively to meet demand, deliver value for money, and respond to changing business needs.
Systems Thinking – Ability to understand organisational interdependencies, recognising how actions in one area impact the wider system, and managing these interactions holistically.
Business Planning – Experience of developing, implementing, and delivering strategic and business plans to achieve organisational outcomes.
Monitoring Team Performance – Track record of driving high performance, promoting organisational values, and managing performance and conduct issues effectively.
Business Awareness – Strong understanding of the wider business environment, industry practices, and relevant organisational or sector-specific context.
Risk Management – Experience of delivering against risk frameworks and compliance programmes, with the ability to interpret and communicate risk effectively to stakeholders.
Corporate Governance – Good understanding of governance frameworks, including policy, legislation, and guidance, and how these apply in practice.
Information Management – Ability to oversee the secure handling, quality assurance, and effective dissemination of data in line with organisational policies.
Report Writing – Strong written communication skills, with experience producing clear, concise reports for a range of audiences, including senior leaders and cross-government stakeholders.
Audit Compliance – Experience of working with audit functions to support audit planning and delivery, ensuring compliance with organisational standards and requirements.
All NCA employees are members of the UK Civil Service and eligible for the Civil Service pension scheme, alongside your salary the NCA contributes £21371. Further information on the benefits of the scheme is available on the Civil Service Pension Website.
New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.
If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).
Other benefits include:
Further information is available on the NCA Website.
CV
Please include your full career history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, and achievements. Explain any employment gaps in the last two years. Ensure all accreditation dates are accurate.
Details of what is expected within your CV are as follows: Please submit an up-to-date CV that clearly demonstrates how your skills, knowledge, and experience meet the requirements outlined in the person specification. Your CV must include your full employment history and any relevant qualifications or professional accreditations. Any gaps in employment over the past five years must be fully explained.
Longlist
In the event of a high number of applications, we may operate a longlist. Applicants will need to meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria.
– Demonstrated experience of building and sustaining effective partnerships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared objectives and deliver outcomes. .
Candidates who do not meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria will not progress to having their other criteria assessed. Applications must meet the minimum criteria to be progressed to the assessment stage.
You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.
We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.
Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.
The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.
In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:
Where multiple locations are advertised, appointments will be made in merit order for each location.
Please indicate up to three location preferences clearly. Only your first three preferences will be considered. You may be allocated to any of the locations you select. If you decline an offer for a location you have selected as a preference, a further offer may not be made.
If you choose to reject an offer and no alternative preferred location can be offered, you will not be able to return to the process or be placed on a reserve list.
Only the advertised locations are available; any additional notes added to the application will not be taken into account.
If you meet the criteria for a lower grade, you may be offered that role if not appointable at the advertised grade.
Conversely, if found appointable at a higher grade but no posts are available, you may be offered a lower-grade role.
All offers are made based on merit.
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.
We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. If you’re neurodiverse, have a disability, or live with a long-term health condition, we encourage you to let us know about any reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process.
If you experience accessibility issues with the advert or require reasonable adjustments, please contact our Recruitment Team at Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk before the advert closing date.
Please ensure you complete the ‘Equal opportunities’ and ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ sections in the application form to inform us on what support you may need in the recruitment process.
For more on our Disability Confident commitment, visit Disability Confident Scheme | Civil Service Careers.
Visit NCA Benefits and Support for more details.
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
In order to monitor the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy, we require certain personal details about you on submission of your application for statistical and monitoring purposes only. Please note that this will be treated in confidence and will not impact your application.
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit on merit through fair and open competition, in line with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
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.
If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference).
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.
Name : Central Recruitment Team
Email : Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk