- East Suffolk Council, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA)
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Address: Felixstowe Port, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 3SY
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Salary: £44,075 - £48,226 per annum, Band 8
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Hours: 37 hours per week
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Contract: Permanent
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We currently have an opportunity to join East Suffolk Council's Port Health team as an Intelligence Officer, working in the Port of Felixstowe.
This is an exciting opportunity to help protect public and animal health by tackling illegal imports, supporting enforcement activity, and developing intelligence-led ways of working across one of the UK’s busiest ports.
The successful candidate will work closely with Port Health Officers, Official Veterinarians and other partner agencies to identify risks, analyse intelligence, and support operational activity linked to illegal trade and non-compliant imports.
Your role
As Intelligence Officer, you will lead on developing and managing intelligence activity within Port Health.
You will identify trends, risks, and emerging threats linked to illegal imports and organised non-compliance, helping operational teams target inspections and enforcement activity effectively.
The role will support both day-to-day operational decision-making and longer-term strategic planning, helping ensure Port Health remains intelligence-led, resilient, and prepared for emerging threats at the border.
You will also play a key role in building strong relationships with partner agencies and ensuring intelligence is handled lawfully, professionally, and securely.
Key Responsibilities
You will:
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Develop and maintain threat and risk assessments linked to illegal trade and non-compliant imports
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Identify emerging risks, smuggling methods, and trends in trade activity
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Support intelligence-led targeting of inspections and enforcement activity
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Work closely with operational teams and external agencies to coordinate intelligence activity
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Maintain intelligence records, databases, and case management systems
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Ensure intelligence is handled in line with legal and information governance requirements
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Produce intelligence briefings and reports for operational teams and senior managers
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Support operational planning, tasking meetings, and post-operation reviews
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Help develop intelligence procedures, policies, and working practices
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Promote an intelligence-led culture across Port Health
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Support incident response and high-risk operational activity
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Contribute to funding opportunities, business cases, and intelligence-related projects
What you will need
Essential:
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Experience working in intelligence, enforcement, investigations, compliance, border control, or a similar field
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Experience analysing information and identifying trends or risks
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Strong communication and report-writing skills
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Good organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities
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Experience building strong working relationships with partners and stakeholders
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Good IT and data management skills
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Ability to work independently and as part of a team
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Experience handling intelligence in an operational environment
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Knowledge of local government or border control operations
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Experience developing intelligence-led programmes of work
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Experience working with partner agencies
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Budget or project management experience
Desirable:
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Experience handling intelligence in an operational environment
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Knowledge of local government or border control operations
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Experience developing intelligence-led programmes of work
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Experience working with partner agencies
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Budget or project management experience
Why work for us?
East Suffolk Council is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access. To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council, take a look at our video and hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work (youtube).
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Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays)
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Local government pension scheme
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Flexible working arrangements
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Learning and development tailored to your role
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A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.
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Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services.
Find more information about what we offer in our benefits brochure (pdf).
Most of our teams are working in an agile way, with a mixture of home and office working, depending on individual preferences and service requirements. If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate, please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.
For more information
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Ian Cobain, Compliance Manager at Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority, by either emailing [email protected] or calling 0845 6461310.
Please note that only full applications will be considered. CVs (Curiculum Vitae) are not accepted. Applications are subject to a point scoring process against the Personal Specification and Job Description. Successful candidates will be contacted to arrange an interview.
Closing date: 11.30 pm, 19 June 2026.
Interview date: Week commencing 6 July 2026.
How to apply
Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job Description and Person Specification (Word).
Step 2 - Complete the Supporting Statement template (Word). Your statement needs to indicate how you meet each of the criteria contained within the Person Specification. Please use the template provided (other formats will not be accepted).
Step 3 - Complete the online application and upload your statement. Please note, CVs are not accepted.
For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our Career Site.
East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people’s lives, delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.
We hugely value our staff and know that in order for us to remain successful, it is essential for us to recognise talented employees, developing and retaining them within the organisation. We are therefore committed to investing in our staff and providing first-class support to ensure a positive culture and rewarding careers.
To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council and to hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work, take a look at our video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWedQksWt0
