HR Officer

Role overview

The National Crime Agency is looking for proactive HR professionals to strengthen its growing people function. In this post, you will help deliver effective HR services to managers and employees, working in a busy environment where priorities can shift quickly and continuous improvement is encouraged.

The role may be placed within different HR areas depending on business demand, such as employee relations, recruitment, HR operations, workforce planning, specialist HR services, learning and development, wellbeing, pay and reward, or partnering with leaders. Some appointments may also require a psychological assessment before starting.

Key areas the role may support

• Recruitment and workforce planning, including end-to-end hiring activity, pre-employment checks, attraction work, and planning insight.
• Specialist HR support for complex matters such as grievances, disciplinary issues, long-term sickness, policy advice, health and safety, and tribunal-related matters.
• Learning and development activity to help build capability and meet workforce needs.
• Wellbeing and clinical support coordination, including occupational health referrals, psychological support, and workplace adjustments.
• Pay, reward, and policy work, including frameworks, allowances, recognition schemes, negotiations, and policy review to support compliance and consistency.
• HR advisory and service-centre support through a centralised HR business liaison function.
• Operational standards quality assurance support for investigations and intelligence activity.
• Talent, leadership, and development partnership work to help attract, grow, and retain officers.

Core responsibilities

You will provide accurate, professional HR support across a varied workload. This may include policy and governance work, diary and administration support, data handling, and reporting. You must manage confidential and secure information carefully and follow NCA standards at all times.

• Advise managers and staff on HR policies and procedures and help them apply them correctly.
• Handle a range of HR queries and casework, aiming for timely and consistent outcomes.
• Support operational HR activity such as recruitment, employee relations, workforce, and wider people initiatives.
• Keep HR records accurate and ensure work complies with policy and employment law.
• Develop effective working relationships with internal stakeholders across the organisation.
• Contribute to service improvements and broader HR projects.
• Where needed, gather and review HR data to support reporting and decision-making.

Person specification

The successful candidate should be able to deliver strong customer service, communicate clearly in writing and verbally, work collaboratively, manage time well in a fast-moving setting, build productive relationships, and handle sensitive personal data securely and accurately. A sound understanding of HR functions, procedures, and employment legislation is essential, along with strong administration skills and resilience when balancing competing priorities.

Location

The role may be based across the following locations: Belfast, Birmingham, Bridgend, Bristol, Crawley, Exeter, Gartcosh, Leicester, London, Normanton (Calder), Nottingham, Slough, Winchester (Solent), Stevenage, Sunderland, or Warrington.

Pay and benefits

The salary is £36,057. In addition, the National Crime Agency contributes £10,445 towards membership of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

New starters receive 26 days of annual leave, increasing to 31 days after 5 years of continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays. Where eligibility rules are met, joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community may have previous service counted for annual leave continuity purposes only, up to a maximum of 31 days leave including 1 privilege day.

• Flexible working options, including flexi-time, compressed hours, and job sharing where business needs allow.
• Family-friendly policies that go beyond the legal minimum.
• Access to learning and development opportunities.
• Interest-free loans and advances, including support for season tickets, childcare, and rental deposits.
• Key Worker housing schemes.
• Discounts and savings through schemes such as Cycle to Work, Smart Tech, dental insurance, gym discounts, and everyday spending offers via Reward Gateway, Edenred, and Blue Light Card.
• Staff support groups and networks.
• Sports and social activities, including Civil Service Sports Council membership.

Application and assessment information

Applications must show experience in an HR role and a solid understanding of core HR processes such as employee relations, recruitment, HR operations, workforce activity, or other people processes. Applications that do not meet this requirement will not be taken forward.

A CIPD Level 3 qualification, or progress toward one, is desirable and may be used only as a tie-breaker.

The application stage is assessed using your CV. You are expected to include your full employment history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, achievements, and any gaps in employment over the last two years, with accurate accreditation dates.

Applicants may be shortlisted using a longlist process if there are many applications. A minimum pass mark may apply to the lead criterion, which focuses on experience of working in a fast-paced environment, handling competing priorities, and meeting tight deadlines.

Assessment will take the form of an interview based on Success Profiles. The assessed behaviours are Delivering at Pace, Working Together, and Managing a Quality Service. The technical area assessed will be experience of working in an HR role with a strong grasp of core HR processes.

Successful candidates may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months if an immediate vacancy is not available. Reserve lists may be used for similar roles across the Agency where the criteria match. If there is a tie at assessment, roles will be offered in merit order using the lead criteria, then any desirable criteria if advertised, and finally sift scores if required. Feedback is only provided to candidates who attend assessment.

All appointments are subject to vetting and pre-employment checks.

Artificial intelligence guidance

AI tools may be used to support an application, but all examples and statements must be truthful, accurate, and drawn from the candidate’s own experience. Misrepresentation or plagiarism, including use of AI-generated content as personal experience, may lead to withdrawal from the process and disciplinary action for internal candidates.

Additional information

Further information is available through the NCA website and the agency’s applying and onboarding guidance. The job is a full-time opportunity and may involve deployment across different HR teams depending on operational need.