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LAA Job Description Template V7

Job Title & Grade:

EO Counter Fraud & Intelligence Duty Officer

Contract Type:

Permanent

Salary range (depending on location):

National - £29,303 to £31,061

London - £33,551 to £35,564

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.

Location:

Liverpool, Nottingham, London

Directorate:

Contract Management & Assurance

Team:

Counter Fraud & Intelligence

Working Pattern:

The post is supported by the MOJ flexible working policy and includes colleagues who work flexibly, remotely (as part of hybrid working), part time or as part of a job share etc.

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that in order to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 28.96 hours and to cover 4 days of the week

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

Reporting to:

HEO Counter Fraud Pursue & Prevent Manager

Closing date for applications

Friday 7^th November 2025

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

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.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Contract Management & Assurance

We work collaboratively with other LAA departments to interpret and apply the Contract to the providers which we manage. We ensure that Providers deliver quality legal aid services in accordance with contractual requirements and relevant legislation. We interpret and analyse data to effectively manage risk and to influence providers to improve performance and effectively deliver change. We also engage with the wider Justice System to promote partnership working and influence provider behaviour.

The Corporate Centre helps shape and enable the priorities of the Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team and People Committee to be delivered.

Counter Fraud & Intelligence

The Counter Fraud and Intelligence (CFI) team has responsibility for developing intelligence to investigate fraudulent activity against the Legal Aid fund; the two primary areas of focus being Provider and Client based fraud. The team works with partners internally and externally to take appropriate enforcement and/or regulatory action against those committing fraud and to support the recovery of funds; examples of external partners being Solicitors Regulation Authority, DWP, HMRC and Police.

The team also has a wider functional responsibility supporting allegations of fraud across other MOJ agencies; this includes reports of internal fraud, bribery or corruption. All MOJ employees are required to act honestly, with integrity and to safeguard the public service delivery for which they are responsible. MOJ will not tolerate fraud, bribery or corrupt practices and the CFI team will always strive to respond robustly to reported matters.

The People & Capability Team work closely with our Internal Communications team to support our leaders and deliver our People Plans to ensure the right action is taken so that the LAA is a great place to work, for everyone, every day.

Job Summary

This role involves the receipt, assessment, evaluation and accurate recording of information and allegations of fraud against the Legal Aid Fund. You will be a single point of contact and the first line of advice to colleagues on fraud matters.

The duty officer manages CFI’s Central Record of Investigations which serves a critical audit function. Day to day, the duty officer establishes key facts to corroborate information and ascertain the veracity of allegations received as well as ensuring all records held are compliant with GDPR obligations and managed lawfully. This is an important role which enables operational decision making and is integral to the tasking process. Duty officers are expected to make informed and substantiated recommendations to CFI management through established processes.

Key Responsibilities:

You will support change by implementing new policies, procedures and systems where required or directed.
You may be required to undertake a wider range of tasks which will see you exercise initiative, professional judgement and discretion.
You will be an effective communicator at all levels and able to present cases persuasively to senior grades including the drafting of articulate, well-reasoned and accurate reports.
You are expected to prioritise your personal workload, adjusting to accommodate urgent work items where required, ensuring all triage matters are well managed and progressed in a timely, efficient and proactive way, with a clear audit trail.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills	Being highly organised and diligent, able to collate evidence from a range of information sources to identify potential fraud and recommend appropriate action. Ability to work with a range of stakeholders, building effective working relationships both inside and outside of the organisation. Ability to work in a structured, methodical manner, managing large volumes or complex information at pace. Proven ability to make effective and informed decisions. Confidence to challenge and be challenged in relation to recommendations made to senior managers. Ability to work under own initiative in an organised manner in an organised manner, prioritizing workload according to business requirements. Experience of using Microsoft 365 applications Effective written and verbal communication skills, including proven drafting and report writing ability.
Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills	Experience of working in a counter fraud, investigative, regulatory or intelligence arena. Experience and/or knowledge of investigatory legislation and procedures. Experience and/or knowledge of Legal Aid policies. Working knowledge and understanding of GovS:13 Counter Fraud, Corruption and Bribery
Person Specification	You are able to collate evidence from a range of information sources to identify potential fraud and recommend appropriate action. You are confident when delivering difficult messages and able to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing. You are a self-starter, able to motivate yourself whilst also playing a key role in the wider team. You enjoy working with a range of stakeholders and build effective working relationships both inside and outside of the organisation. You demonstrate tact, discretion and integrity whilst working in a sensitive environment. You understand the importance of following process and can evidence your decision making.

Assessment approach

Application Process

To apply please provide a statement of suitability showing how you meet the essential criteria in no more than 1000 words.

Your statement should demonstrate your ability to do all of the essential criteria listed, using examples can help strengthen your application.

Please note we do not require a CV.

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

Strengths relevant to the role
The following Behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing
- communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing
- take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money
- interact with others in an enthusiastic way
- express ideas clearly and with respect for others
- listen to and value different ideas, views and ways of working
- respond constructively and objectively to comments and questions
- handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity
Delivering at Pace
- regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives
- identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs
- follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work
- ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs
- have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks
- regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary
- ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging
Making Effective Decisions
- take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner
- analyse and research further information to support decisions
- talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed
- explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing
- demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements

Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important to them and to where they work. Examples of action they have taken (in or outside of work) to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding) or improve inclusion for others will increase the strength of their answer.

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 10/11/2025

Interviews are planned for week commencing 01/12/2025

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact - Nadia Driscoll Nadia.Driscoll@justice.gov.uk

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing LAARecruitment@justice.gov.uk initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.

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