Vacancy Information
This role is within a unit where Surrey Police and Sussex Police work in collaboration, whilst continuing to be two separate legal entities/employers with different terms and conditions.
Both Surrey Police staff and Sussex Police staff are employed in this unit on their own force terms and conditions.
Successful candidates may be appointed on the terms and conditions of employment of either Surrey Police or Sussex Police, depending on organisational requirements. A discussion will be held with the successful candidate to confirm the details of location, salary, allowance and hours.
Division / Department - Specialist Crime
Status - Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent
Grade - Surrey Police Grade H / Sussex Police Grade 11
Salary Grade Range - Surrey Police £35,028 - £41,464 / Sussex Police £35,223 - £38,856
Politically Restricted -
Unsocial Hours Allowance -
Location - Multiple Locations
The starting salary for this role will usually be at the bottom of the salary range and will be pro-rata if the working hours are less than full time.
The Role
Surrey & Sussex Digital Forensic Investigations are offering a full time opportunity to coordinate the implementation of ISO accreditation requirements. The role includes the development of Standard Operating Procedures with subject matter experts, the design and organisation of validation testing against a range of hardware and software components and to act as the point of contact on training and competency of staff. This includes authority to sign off staff competency against defined career development milestones. This role will also provide support to the investigation of customer complaints and actions arising from audits and non-conformance reports. ISO 17025 is an internationally recognised quality standard applicable to testing and calibration laboratories - this includes Digital Forensic laboratories. Accreditation to international standards provides assurance that the systems and processes necessary to minimise the risk of errors and continuously improve service provision are in place. This is a key role which has a high impact upon the quality of work undertaken and the post holder will have significant capability to influence both senior managers and Police Officers with a need to have some degree of strategic awareness to provide best advice in the application of accreditation requirements against ‘real world’ operational need. As such the post holder will be capable of applying their considerable technical expertise and assessing risk to the service in consideration of best practice processes against the needs of the customer. The post holder is expected to coordinate the activity for the implementation and continuous improvement of the entire quality management system for Digital Forensics under the direction of the Quality Management structure. Their ability to influence change through communication and negotiation will be key to their success in this role. The changes needed to meet and maintain the requirements of ISO 17025 are considerable and the challenging timescales imposed will require the post holder to be an effective change manager and to be able to influence and challenge working practices to ensure they are effective and meet the needs of the customer. The post holder is required to work closely with the Quality Manager and their Digital Forensic Team colleagues in order to interpret legislation, statutory requirements and the published standard (ISO17025) and apply their skills, knowledge and experience as a subject matter expert to ensure that not only are the processes and procedures fit for purpose (validation) but that the staff are trained, competent and able to demonstrate their ability to deliver work to the quality required by the standard (audit). This is achieved through: • The design, implementation, extension and maintenance of the Digital Forensic Quality Management System • Planning and managing a complex programme of work focussed on achieving and maintaining accreditation for an agreed scope of activity The post holder is an authority for all quality related matters as they apply to their field of technical expertise and as such they are likely to be consulted frequently. There is an expectation that the post holder may be asked to become a trained auditor for the purposes of conducting auditing across Forensic Investigations. This requirement is particularly challenging, as the concept of this role and undertaking activity within a controlled Quality Management System is very new to Digital Forensics.
Key Responsibilities
To manage, and be responsible for those undertaking work as required within an accredited laboratory, to ensure that they are clear regarding their objectives and roles, are supported, mentored and developed appropriately and held to account for their performance. To be responsible for promoting technical performance improvement across the Digital Forensic business area. Through risk based analysis of processes, ensure that all relevant corrective and improvement actions are completed in a timely manner. To be responsible for identifying relevant competence / training needs and ensure delivery of effective training programmes. To be responsible for ensuring validation of software and hardware, and that tests and procedures are properly understood, executed and evaluated. To be responsible for the assessment and review of products and services provided and ensure that product services and specification meet with the needs of the customer. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all appropriate internal and external stakeholders.
Skills & Experience
The applicant will have previous experience in the Digital Forensic field having been a Digital Forensic Analyst. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written are essential. To be successful in this role the post holder will have a good standard of education, to degree level or previous demonstrable experience in digital forensics within a law enforcement environment. The post holder will be expected to have a broad knowledge and understanding of digital forensic techniques and have experience in motivating and developing others, whilst maintaining their confidence. The post holder have experience of working collaboratively with staff and stakeholders across multiple Police Forces. The post holder must be supportive to colleagues and be approachable in developing positive working relationships. The post holder must be able to explain things well focussing on key points and in a language that can be easily understood. They will listen and ask questions to clarify points, expressing views positively and constructively in order to persuade and influence by stressing the benefits of a particular approach. The post holder will require a high degree of empathy, emotional intelligence and patience to address specific needs and concerns
Further Information
For further information on the role, please contact Jill Wheeler or Mark Buttifant Professional Leads for Digital Forensics team on 07967 986221 / 07786 021792.
This vacancy will be based at Haywards Heath Police Station, Sussex or Surrey Police Headquarters, Guildford. Please note that in 2024 Surrey Police Headquarters is due to move to Leatherhead.
Additional Information
Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding noreply@surreysussexpolice.as.recruitmail.com to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police work together in collaboration for this role, however they remain two different employers, with differing pay scales, allowances and terms and conditions including hours of employment.
If you are an internal candidate and are conditionally offered the role your attendance record and any reasonable adjustments already in place will be discussed with yourself and your current line manager. If you are successful in your application, you may be required to resign and transfer your employment, taking on the Terms & Conditions and pay scales of the Lead Force (if this is not your existing Home Force).
This post is being advertised in parallel with Force redeployment processes. Any redeployees who are identified will be given preference. This may result in the post being withdrawn at any point during the recruitment process.
Surrey Police and Sussex Police Special Constables, Volunteers and Agency Staff (excluding self employed workers) covered under the Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) are eligible to apply for internal advertised posts.
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