View Vacancy – Intelligence Gathering Officer (ESP21.021)

Due to COVID-19, you may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign. We are working hard to minimise any disruption. You may find more information in the Additional Information section below.

The British Embassy in Madrid is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is looking to recruit an Intelligence Gathering Officer for the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Counter Fraud and Compliance Directorate (CFCD) in partnership with the British Consular network in Spain is looking for an Intelligence Gathering Officer to join their innovative and dynamic team.  

The successful candidate will join a small team of Intelligence Gathering Officers based in Spain who work alongside a larger UK-based International Fraud Team with the joint objective of fighting UK benefit fraud overseas.

The main purpose of the Intelligence Gathering Officer role is to gather intelligence from our ever-growing network of established sources and contacts located around the world. It is a varied and fast-paced role and we encourage creativity and the ability to work autonomously. The caseload of an Intelligence Gathering Officer is diverse and wide-ranging, covering more than 40 countries worldwide, so the jobholder will be expected to be creative in their approach to gathering intelligence and be confident in building relationships with foreign authorities in order to obtain the information we require. Strong analytical skills are essential to analyse the intelligence received, determine its relevance and identify and explore any emerging areas of interest which may assist the investigation.

The role will be based at one of the following locations as chosen by the jobholder:

1) British Embassy in Madrid

2) British Consulate in Alicante

3) or there is the possibility of remote working from anywhere in Spain provided the job holder can work from the British Consulate in Alicante for at least 2 days out of every fortnight (to be agreed after selection process).

Roles and responsibilities:

• Gather intelligence on suspected benefit fraudsters living overseas via our network of established sources located in over 40 countries around the world and in accordance with relevant data protection legislation;

• Analyse intelligence received, translate where necessary, summarise and share with UK colleagues;

• Liaise with and influence foreign authorities to maintain existing intelligence sources;

• Research and explore possible new sources of intelligence and liaise with organisations and contacts to establish a process for obtaining this intelligence;

• Record all casework accurately and keep records and data up to date and in accordance with data retention policies;

• Assist in the regular recording and gathering of statistical information and produce reports in order to measure success and value for money; 

• Receive and process fraud allegations from the public via the Benefit Fraud Hotline in Spain; 

• Assist in the delivery of the team´s communications plan with the aim of deterring and disrupting fraud and generate case referrals for the team;

• Assist and contribute to the delivery of the team’s annual Country Business Plan.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills enabling effective communication with internal and external stakeholders in both English and Spanish (minimum C1 level);
• Minimum of 3 years proven work experience, preferably in office administration and from governmental sector; 
• Excellent attention to detail and strong analytical perspective and problem solving skills; 
• Ability to work autonomously, use initiative and have good organisational skills; 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrating the ability to work collaboratively with and influence colleagues and stakeholders both in the UK and overseas; 
• Proven IT skills (in particular a strong working knowledge of MS Excel is required).