Description
The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) plays a critical leadership role at the forefront of the UK’s fight against serious and complex economic crime.
As head of a unique specialist agency, the Director is responsible for tackling the most significant cases of fraud, bribery and corruption, safeguarding the UK’s economic integrity and maintaining public confidence in the justice system.
The SFO occupies a unique position within the UK criminal justice landscape in that it both investigates and prosecutes its cases. It involves multidisciplinary case teams of lawyers, investigators, forensic accountants and other experts working together from the very outset of investigations.
The Director has ultimate accountability for the SFO’s operational and corporate functions, working closely with the rest of the Executive Committee which comprises the Chief Operating Officer, Director of Operations and Director of Legal Services. They also work with the SFO Board, including four non-executive directors, the Audit Risk and Assurance Committee and other governance structures.
To succeed in this role, you will need to lead the organisation through an ongoing period of change and maintain the momentum it has gained in recent years. First and foremost, the role requires good leadership, a clear vision and a strong ability to deliver results through a variety of teams.
The Director is also responsible for deciding which criminal investigations the SFO should open and which of those cases should be prosecuted. These decisions are supported by robust advice, including legal counsel, from the Executive Committee and operational staff.
They are accountable to the Attorney General for the exercise of their functions and accountable to Parliament, as Accounting Officer, for the expenditure of public funds.
Job description
In this exciting, varied, and challenging role, the Director’s responsibilities include:
- Setting the direction and priorities of the SFO in collaboration with the senior leadership team.
- Being accountable for the overall performance of the SFO and ensuring its functions are delivered effectively.
- As Accounting Officer, working with the AGO to safeguard public funds while ensuring that the SFO is sufficiently resourced to take its cases through their entire lifecycle from intelligence referral to post-conviction asset recovery.
- Championing a culture of excellence, integrity and inclusion across the organisation, ensuring the SFO attracts, develops and retains exceptional talent and promotes continuous learning and improvement.
- Developing, strengthening and achieving results through constructive relationships with partners across Government, domestic and international law enforcement, the wider public sector, civil society and the private sector to support casework delivery and improve confidence in the SFO.
- Being the public face of the organisation, communicating the SFO’s work effectively to the press and social media audiences to generate interest, trust and support for the SFO’s work.
- Ensuring the SFO contributes to Government policy and strategy to tackle serious and complex economic crime, sharing their unique knowledge and expertise.
Person specification
To be appointed to this role, you will need to provide clear evidence of meeting the following criteria:
- Experience of effective executive level decision-making on both complex operational delivery and strategy, showing an ability to manage risk and make difficult decisions.
- Experience of challenging the status quo and of proactively instigating and leading change in an operational environment, including using technology to drive organisational efficiency and performance.
- Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders at the highest levels of seniority.
- Proven ability to engage staff at all levels of an organisation, delivering through high-performing teams of leaders across different disciplines.
- Experience of leading investigatory or legal functions in any of the following sectors: law enforcement, criminal or civil litigation, public sector organisations.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £199,000, Serious Fraud Office contributes £57,650 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%