Cyber Forensics Unit Assurance Manager

Salary: London from £73,700 to £119,800 per annum - Salary offered will be based on skills and experience
The team/department
The Enforcement Intelligence & Specialist Services Directorate (EISS) sits at the heart of Enforcement & Market Oversight (EMO) and provides strategic and highly specialised central support to EMO and the wider FCA.
The Cyber Forensics Unit (CFU) within EISS provide comprehensive digital evidence services to Enforcement and Market Oversight providing strategic forensic investigative techniques for the acquisition, preservation, recovery, and presentation of digital evidence.
The Forensic Science Regulator Act (2021) Code of Practice requires the regulation of forensic science activity (FSA), undertaken as part of criminal proceedings, to operate effective quality management process and procedures, meeting the requirements of the code. Compliance is demonstrated by having accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025. The Quality Management Team manage this accreditation process. In order to fulfil the requirements for ISO17025 accreditation (clause 5.6), the Quality Management Team is recruiting an individual responsible for:
a) Implementation, maintenance, and improvement of the management system
b) Identification of deviations from the management system or from the procedures for performing laboratory activities
c) Initiation of actions to prevent or minimize such deviations
d) Reporting to laboratory management on the performance of the management system and any need for improvement
e) Ensuring the effectiveness of laboratory activities
What you will be doing (the role)

• Managing the Quality Management Team including development and planning of the team strategy and priorities, being responsible for direct reports' development and appraisals, and ensuring optimal performance by managing any cases of poor performance or conduct in a timely manner


• Supporting the Senior Accountable Individual to ensure compliance with the Forensic Science Regulator Act (2021) Code of Practice and acting as a subject matter expert in ISO17025 and its application in a digital forensics' environment, acting as a point of contact for quality matters and accreditation. Preparing submissions and paperwork for UKAS assessments and visits


• Management of the internal audit and assurance process of the Quality Management System (QMS) including the creation and monitoring of an audit programme and the coordination of the delivery of all required audits. Management of post audit activities including management of audit non-conformance, risks, opportunities, and improvements


• Overseeing Method Development and Validation Exercises to demonstrate robust scientific methodology


• Identifying potential risks which may result in inaccurate, unreliable, misleading, or unclear results that could impact the Criminal Justice System


• Forging and maintaining relationships with external providers and stakeholders such as the Forensic Capability Network, CACI


What you will get from the role

• Strategic leadership of quality management across the FCA laboratory


• Liaison with external agencies such as the Forensic Science Regulator


• Responsibility for adherence to the Forensic Science Regulator Act 2021 Code of Practice


• The opportunity to work with senior leadership across the FCA


Our competitive flexible benefits scheme gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifecycle. You can use this allowance to purchase additional benefits such as dental or cycle to work or you have the option top up your base salary by taking this as cash.
Core benefits that you will receive as standard are:

• 28 days holiday per year plus bank holidays


• Private healthcare with Bupa


• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8% of basic salary each month (there are several contribution levels that increase depending on your age - up to 12% a month once you reach age 35)


• Life assurance of eight times your basic salary


• Income protection


We support hybrid working which means you will be able to work from home up to 60% of the time over a month with the remainder of your time in our London office.
The skills and experience you will have
Minimum
We are a signatory to the Government's Disability Confident scheme. This means that we will offer an interview to disabled candidates entering under the scheme, should they meet the minimum criteria for a role.

• Experience of the ISO17025 accreditation journey and maintenance


• Thorough working knowledge and experience of International Standards and relevant guidance material: ISO 17025:2017, ILAC G19 and Forensic Regulators Codes of Practice


• Previous people management experience, with proven evidence of monitoring/reviewing performance and coaching and mentoring to support development, The FCA regulates the conduct of nearly 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. We do this to make sure markets work well for individuals, businesses and the economy as a whole. For more information on what we do, our three-year strategy can be found

here.
The FCA's Values & Diversity
Our ambition is to cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation - one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better regulation.
The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisations. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, disabled and minority ethnic candidates for our manager role.
Flexible working
We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements. Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours, and job shares. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want but we won't judge you for asking.
Useful information
Applications for this role close at 23:59 on 2nd June 2024
This role is graded as Manager - Regulatory
The role is based in London
On-line application: please submit your CV and answer the following:
(i) Can you describe a situation where you successfully led a team through a challenging project or task? What was your approach and what were the outcomes?
(ii) Describe a project where you had to work closely with colleagues from different departments or disciplines. How did you ensure effective collaboration, communication, and confidence across teams?
Your answer should relate to the criteria listed above, covering your relevant skills, knowledge, and experience with no more than 250 words for each answer. Your application will not be accepted without both your CV and your answer.
Got a question?, We want to remove any possible barriers and are committed to providing a wide range of reasonable adjustments so that you can keep the focus on your conversations and be at your best.
If you have an accessibility requirement, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter to discuss this further. Our aim is to make your application as easy and comfortable as possible, and your recruiter will be happy to work with you to make any necessary arrangements where possible.
Security Clearance/Vetting
The successful candidate will hold or will be required to obtain Security Clearance (SC) level vetting.
Please note that all applications must be submitted through our online portal, applications sent via email will not be accepted.


• Experience of delivering training in ISO 17025 standards


• Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to form effective relationships at all levels internally and externally


• Ability to contribute to the strategy of the departmental management team and wider division


• Experience of bespoke SharePoint development including Power Automate and PowerApps


• Excellent planning, reporting and project management skills. Ability to perform under pressure, managing competing priorities whilst delivering multiple outcomes to challenging deadlines


• Auditing experience - Trained Quality Management System Lead auditor