The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) is responsible for holding departments and arms-length bodies to account for their handling of fraud in the public sector. The Authority will write the standards for counter fraud work across government and hold public bodies to account against these.
Working in the PSFA offers access to a wide range of stakeholders across government and the opportunity to work with various sectors in a high-profile policy area with high media, parliamentary and ministerial interest.
The Team
As well as being part of the PSFA, a new authority established in 2022, you will also be part of the Government Counter Fraud Function (GCFF). The PSFA is at the centre of this function but a role in this team will make you part of a Counter Fraud Function that spans government and has members in all departments, at all levels, in all sectors. The PSFA is outcome and performance driven, offers a depth and breadth of expertise and works jointly with HMT to tackle fraud in the public sector.
The PSFA, whilst sitting within the Cabinet Office, reports jointly to the Cabinet Office and Treasury Ministers. Maintaining close working relationships with HMT colleagues is key to ensure the PSFA can deliver its mandate effectively. The PSFA is a team of c.140 staff members with locations across the country – including Manchester, York, Glasgow and London. As a result, hybrid working is fully embraced and teams are encouraged to collaborate in the various Cabinet Office Hubs around the country.
Within that team, the Digital Economy Act (271) Debt and Fraud Data Sharing Secretariat, promotes and facilitates debt and fraud data sharing across the public sector and private entities through the DEA gateway. The Team readily and actively collaborates with bodies to manage & reduce debt and to combat fraud.
From conception, scoping to delivery the Team provides expert advice including legislative and data governance support, pilot design and delivery, governance and management of Ministerial permissions/sign offs and further into business as usual.
Role overview
This is a fast-moving and influential HEO role supporting the Cabinet Office’s Debt and Fraud Digital Economy Act (DEA) Secretariat. Working at the heart of government debt recovery and counter-fraud, you will be responsible for promoting and facilitating debt and fraud data-sharing proposals using the powers in the Digital Economy Act 2017.
In this role, you will work with public bodies and third parties to develop data-sharing pilots that combat fraud and reduce debt. You will manage these proposals through the Digital Economy Act Review Board and draft Ministerial Submissions to secure formal approvals. As part of the Secretariat team, you will also help develop policy and legislation related to these powers.
You will be a proactive and confident communicator, capable of staying calm under pressure. You must be able to manage multiple projects and prioritise tasks effectively in a complex environment.
You will be expected to work independently and represent the PSFA both inside and outside the Cabinet Office. Communicating with impact and nuance—orally, in writing, and through public speaking - is essential. You will quickly build strong relationships with senior Civil Servants and technology professionals, balancing various stakeholder needs to deliver results.
This role offers a unique opportunity to understand the full landscape of government counter-fraud and debt management. It provides high-level exposure and responsibility across both the public and private sectors in a complex and evolving department.
Key Responsibilities
- Stakeholder Engagement & Promotion: Actively promote the DEA data-sharing powers across the public sector. You will lead cross-departmental networks and build collaborative partnerships to identify new data-sharing opportunities, confidently challenging barriers and "myths" to encourage adoption.
- Pilot Management & Governance: Manage the end-to-end journey of multiple data-sharing proposals. This includes supporting the development of Business Cases and DPIAs, guiding proposals through the DEA Review Board, and drafting Ministerial Submissions for formal approval. Then following up with interim reports and evaluations and benefits realisation to determine the value of the proposal
- Secretariat & Board Support: Deliver a high-quality secretariat function for the DEA Review Board. You will manage agenda-setting, prepare briefing papers, and ensure accurate record-keeping (minutes), and any other matters arising, handling all matters with confidentiality and sensitivity.
- Policy, Legislation & Capability Building: Support the development of debt and fraud data-sharing policy and legislation. You will help build capability across government by developing guidance, internal communications, and sharing best practices from successful pilots.
- Monitoring & Advice: Monitor live pilots to ensure they deliver against their objectives. You will provide timely, accurate advice to stakeholders (including third-party service providers) on the legislative and governance requirements of the DEA Code of Practice.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Stakeholder Management: Proven experience in building and maintaining strong working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders to deliver shared goals.
- Communication (Oral and Written): Exceptional writing skills with experience drafting high-quality briefings or submissions. Confident in oral communication, with the ability to explain complex or nuanced information clearly to varied audiences.
- Delivering at Pace: Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, prioritising effectively to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Problem Solving & Influence: Ability to work independently, using initiative to overcome obstacles and influence others to support a particular course of action.
Desirable Criteria
- Governance & Secretariat: Previous experience providing secretariat support for a board or high-level working group.
- Project Management: Experience using project management techniques (e.g., maintaining a pipeline or risk register) to track progress across multiple workstreams.
- Data & Legislation Knowledge: An understanding of debt and counter-fraud policy, data protection legislation (e.g., UK GDPR), and/or the Digital Economy Act 2017.
- Policy Development: Experience contributing to policy development, legislative reviews, or the production of official guidance.
Additional information
Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £37,922, Cabinet Office contributes £10,986 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.
Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
Application process
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a number of behavioural statements.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Applications will be sifted on the below behaviours:
- Leadership (lead)
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Leadership.Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Selection process
Interviews will be assessed on the behaviours:
- Leadership (lead)
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
Expected timeline
- Expected sift date – TBD
- Expected interview date/s – TBD
- Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected].
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences.
This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window).
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
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.
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact
Recruitment team
Further information
Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at: [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected]. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.
Attachments
Cabinet-Office-Employee-Offer - Opens in new window (docx, 762kB)
Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 - Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)
