Head of Enforcement and Intelligence

Immigration Advice Authority
Remote

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Job details

Permanent | Full-time
£68,331 - £72,419 a year
13 days ago

Benefits

Company pension

Qualifications

Law
Presentation skills
Communication skills

Full job description

Details

Reference number

469898

Salary

£68,331

The starting salary for the role is £68,331 per annum, increasing to £72,419 after successfully completing 6 months employment.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Audit
Intelligence
Investigation
Operational Delivery
Senior leadership

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Remote working (anywhere in the UK)

About the job

Job summary

Job purpose

This is a high-impact leadership role at a critical point in the IAAs development. The Head of Enforcement and Intelligence will lead the IAAs enforcement agenda and intelligence capability, driving a step change in how the organisation tackles illegal immigration advice-giving and associated abuse of the immigration system.

The postholder will lead the move to a more proactive, intelligence-led and disruption-focused model, ensuring the IAA is better equipped to protect advice seekers, target the highest-risk activity, and increase its impact through stronger operational delivery, smarter use of intelligence, and more effective partnership working.

The role will be central to delivering major change over the next two years, including implementation of the IAAs Enforcement Strategy, introduction of new enforcement powers, modernisation of enforcement and intelligence systems and processes, and implementation of the Intelligence Review.

As a senior leader, the postholder will set direction, drive improved efficiency and performance, build capability and ensure the IAA has the tools, governance and partnerships needed to become a more confident, modern and intelligence-led regulator.

Job description

Key responsibilities

Lead the IAAs enforcement and intelligence agenda

Provide strategic leadership for enforcement and intelligence across the IAA, setting a clear vision, direction and standards. In line with the IAAs Enforcement Strategy, the role will lead the creation of a more proactive, intelligence-led and disruption-focused approach to tackling illegal advice-giving and advertising.
Lead the next phase of the IAAs enforcement transformation, ensuring the organisation is equipped to protect vulnerable advice seekers, strengthen deterrence, and respond effectively to the growing risks posed by unregulated advisers and professional enablers of immigration abuse.
Ensure enforcement and intelligence activity is aligned to the IAAs mission, business plan and wider strategic priorities, with resources focused on the areas of greatest threat, harm and opportunity for deterrence and disruption. This will include ensuring that the role of intelligence and enforcement in supporting the integrity of the wider immigration system and tackling abuse of the system is fully recognised.
As the senior operational leader for these functions, bring together strategy, operational delivery, capability-building and business change to deliver measurable improvement in disruption outcomes, performance and impact.
Oversee the embedding and effective use of a new digital case management system for management of intelligence and enforcement cases, utilising the opportunities for increased efficiency, standardisation and continuous improvement

Oversee all criminal enforcement activity

Oversee and manage the IAAs enforcement function, including criminal investigations, disruption activity, operational decision-making, performance, policy, processes and capability. This will incorporate investigations against unregulated advisers and investigations into any criminal activity by the IAAs regulated advisers, including oversight of all the IAAs prosecution cases (including acting as Senior Investigation Officer / Senior Authorising Officer as required).
Set and maintain professional standards for enforcement activity, ensuring investigations, disruptions and prosecution activities are lawful, proportionate, intelligence-led and focused on public protection and deterrence.
Drive significant improvements in operational effectiveness and efficiency, including stronger case handling, clearer governance, improved workflows and better use of data, technology and management information.
Provide leadership across the IAA, influencing and coordinating activity beyond the direct management chain to ensure a consistent and effective enforcement approach.
Lead work to strengthen the IAAs response to illegal advertising of immigration advice, including through collaboration with external partners and digital platforms where appropriate.

Implement new enforcement powers

The IAA will acquire major new enforcement powers against unregulated advice-giving via the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act (BSAI) 2025. Once secondary legislation has been implemented, the IAA will be able to impose financial penalties and require repayment of fees and payment of compensation to victims. The IAA will also shortly be granted Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) powers.

This role will:

Lead the operational implementation of new enforcement powers against unrelated advice-giving introduced through the BSAI Act and related legislation;
Ensure the IAA is operationally ready to use these powers effectively, lawfully and consistently, including development of internal guidance, processes, governance, training and assurance.
Work closely with policy, legal, regulatory and operational colleagues to shape delivery models, contribute to policy thinking and ensure alignment across the organisation.

Lead intelligence capability and implementation of the Intelligence Review

The IAA is in the process of transforming its intelligence function, including implementing recommendations from a review undertaken in March 2025. This transformation will include significant changes to improve the organisations capability to process and utilise the intelligence it receives and become truly intelligence-led in its operational activity.

This role will:

Provide strategic oversight of the intelligence team, building capability, resilience and credibility in a function that will be central to the IAAs future success.
Lead delivery of the Intelligence Review, implementing its recommendations across people, process, governance, information and technology, and building a stronger and more effective intelligence function for the IAA.
Deliver both tactical and strategic intelligence capability, ensuring intelligence is used not only to support individual cases, but also to drive prioritisation, tasking, resource allocation and the organisations overall enforcement strategy.
Lead the development of a strategic intelligence function, including the ability to produce strategic intelligence assessments, threat assessment, problem profiles, control strategies and intelligence requirements to ensure National Intelligence Model (NIM) compliance.
Ensure intelligence processes are redesigned end to end, from intake and triage through to development, tasking, investigation and feedback, so that the IAA operates as a coherent intelligence-led organisation.

Build partnerships and external influence

Act as the IAAs national lead for enforcement and intelligence engagement, building strong operational and strategic relationships with the Home Office, law enforcement agencies, regulators and other key partners.
Strengthen partnership working to improve intelligence flows, referrals, deconfliction, joint operational activity and multi-agency disruption.

Person specification

Essential criteria

Significant senior experience in an enforcement, investigation or compliance environment, including leadership and management of criminal investigations or comparable law enforcement activity.
Strong track record of leading operational teams and improving performance, quality, efficiency and outcomes in a complex delivery environment including leading significant change agendas.
Significant experience of leading or overseeing intelligence functions, with an excellent understanding of how intelligence should support both operational delivery and strategic decision-making.
Experience of the National Intelligence Model and handling criminal intelligence within a law enforcement environment, leading intelligence reform and building strategic intelligence capability, including threat assessments, control strategies or intelligence performance frameworks.
Ability to analyse complex, sensitive and sometimes incomplete information quickly and make sound operational and strategic judgements.
Proven ability to think strategically, set direction and translate ambition into clear delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
Excellent communication, influencing and partnership-building skills, with experience of working with senior leaders, partners and stakeholders in complex or politically sensitive environments.
Experience of using or implementing POCA powers, or strong experience of financial investigation and asset-focused disruption in an enforcement context.
Ability to work flexibly, prioritise effectively and maintain delivery in a fast-moving environment with competing demands
Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in law, regulation, criminology, intelligence, public policy, investigations or a related field.
Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to operational leadership, enforcement or intelligence.
PIP Level 3 / 4, or equivalent significant professional experience.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,331, Immigration Advice Authority contributes £19,795 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

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 average employer contribution of 28.97%

An information pack on the IAA is attached to this advertisement.

Things you need to know

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV and completed application form (available for download via advert on CSJ) to [email protected] by 5pm 19th July 2026. Please note that if you do not meet the essential criteria outlined in the application form, your application will not be progressed. We therefore encourage you to review the criteria carefully before applying.

Please note: We do not accept applications submitted via Indeed or through recruitment agencies. Applications will only be considered if they are submitted using the official application form accompanied by a CV sent directly to [email protected].

If you have any issues please contact [email protected]

As you apply you will be invited to complete an Equality and Diversity Questionnaire. This is to assist the IAA in ensuring its recruitment processes are fair to all. The questionnaire is not seen by anyone involved in the selection process. Completing the questionnaire is not mandatory. Please send to [email protected]

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 security check .

See our vetting charter .

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)
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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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.

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 .

Apply and further information

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 :

Name : [email protected]
Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

Email : [email protected]

Apply Now

Details

Reference number

Salary

Job grade

Contract type

Type of role

Working pattern

Number of jobs available

Contents

Location

About the job

Job summary

Job description

Person specification

Benefits

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Selection process details

Security

Nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

Diversity and Inclusion

Apply and further information

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Recruitment team

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