Senior Officer, Drugs Threat
- Civil Service
- Part Time
- Birmingham
- 51,269
Job Description
Job summary
Information about the Command
Threat Leadership is responsible for the national response to the Serious Organised Crime (SOC) threats. Our role is to work with partners both inside the NCA and externally to set the strategic direction, facilitate effective delivery of the response, and ensure we understand the impact of our activity. Adopting a threat-led and intelligence driven approach, we identify emerging challenges and changes to the threat landscape. A key objective is to tackle SOC threats by maximising the benefit of new capability across the system. This approach means we can achieve more with the resources we have and be more effective developing business cases to enhance our response.
Driving the multi-agency UK 4P (PURSUE, PREVENT, PROTECT, PREPARE) response by agreeing threat priorities, influencing tasking of operational activity across law enforcement, facilitating partner action and informing policy, regulatory and legislative changes to better protect the public. Threat Leadership leads the national response for Organised Immigration Crime (OIC), Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT), Drugs, Firearms, Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and Borders. Threat Leadership is also home to the National Cyber Crime Unit, which combines Cyber threat leadership with an operational response.
Information about the Business Area
The Drugs Threat Leadership Team drive the national strategic response to the drugs threat. We collaborate with partners to identify and understand the threat, deliver innovative responses through a wide range of 4P projects, and establish emerging trends and future risks. We operate across the complete drug supply chain, from source countries, to transit and border crossings; and also monitor at street level.
Job description
The post holder will utilise their knowledge of operational intelligence, investigations, threat leadership and the drugs threat landscape to identify, assess and respond to current and emerging threats across the entire drug supply chain, from source countries and transit routes through to border crossings and street-level supply and criminality. Drawing on subject matter expertise and operational experience, they will interpret and exploit intelligence and other information sources to identify opportunities for disruption, prevention and system-wide threat mitigation. The role holder will support the development of strategic and tactical approaches to targeting the highest harm threats, ensuring activity aligns with national priorities and contributes to the effective delivery of the Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare (4P) framework.
Working autonomously and as part of multi-agency teams, the post holder will lead and support high-profile projects designed to tackle the most harmful drugs affecting the UK. They will develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships across the SOC system, building trust and confidence with partners to enable coordinated responses and maximise operational impact. The role requires the ability to identify gaps in intelligence collection, investigative capabilities and wider system responses, developing recommendations and improvements that strengthen the UK's ability to respond to evolving drug threats.
The successful candidate will assess intelligence, data, information and statistical products from a wide range of sources to generate insight, identify trends and emerging risks, and develop operational opportunities that inform tasking and coordination processes. They will commission intelligence activity to meet strategic and tactical priorities, monitor the effectiveness of national responses and contribute to capability development and wider change initiatives designed to improve the collective response to the drugs threat. The post holder will also be responsible for producing high-quality tactical and strategic reporting, developing briefing material for senior leaders and external partners, and delivering presentations to a range of audiences.
The role includes line management responsibilities and requires the ability to lead, motivate and develop staff while maintaining high standards of performance and professionalism. The successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of the drugs threat in the UK, law enforcement methodologies, prevention techniques and intelligence-gathering capabilities. They will have experience of analysing complex information from multiple sources, applying sound judgement in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, and translating insight into practical action. The post holder will demonstrate excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence, collaborate and deliver outcomes across organisational boundaries in support of the NCA's mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime.
Person specification
Threat Leadership - Lead and coordinate the SOC system response to priority drugs threats, driving activity across partners and ensuring delivery of a coherent and effective 4P approach aligned to national priorities.
Intelligence Assessment - Analyse and interpret operational intelligence, data, information and emerging trends to identify threats, risks and opportunities for disruption, prevention and threat mitigation.
Operational Development - Identify and develop operational opportunities, using subject matter expertise and strategic awareness to inform tasking, coordination and law enforcement activity.
Project Delivery - Lead and support high-profile projects targeting the most harmful drugs affecting the UK, managing priorities and delivering outcomes in a dynamic and evolving threat environment.
Stakeholder Engagement - Build, maintain and influence strong relationships across law enforcement, government, regulatory bodies, international partners and the private sector to coordinate effective threat responses.
Capability Improvement - Identify gaps in intelligence collection, investigative capabilities and wider system responses, developing recommendations and initiatives to strengthen national capability.
Intelligence Commissioning - Commission and direct intelligence activity to meet strategic and tactical requirements, ensuring collection activity supports threat assessment and operational priorities.
Strategic Reporting - Produce high-quality tactical and strategic reports, briefings and assessments that inform decision-making, influence partners and support senior leadership.
Partner Briefings - Represent the Drugs Threat Team at internal and external forums, delivering presentations and briefings that build confidence, shared understanding and coordinated action.
Threat Mitigation - Develop and promote whole-system threat reduction, prevention and safeguarding initiatives that address current and emerging drug threats across the supply chain.
Performance Evaluation - Assess the effectiveness and impact of national responses, contributing to continuous improvement, organisational learning and SOC system change activity.
People Leadership - Provide effective line management, supporting staff performance, wellbeing, professional development and the delivery of high standards of operational excellence.
Threat Leadership - Demonstrates significant experience leading and coordinating activity against complex threats, translating strategic priorities into effective operational outcomes across multiple organisations and partners. ...
