Job Description

As a TEI Dev Ops Engineer you will be employed by Northumbria Police, attached to the NEROCU, but will sit within the UK-wide TEI network of like-minded individuals who thrive on leveraging technology to solve complex problems with a passion for public safety:As no two operations are the same, your days will be extremely varied and fulfilling.

Band 8-9 \xc2\xa333,039 - \xc2\xa345,546

Fixed Term/Secondment Until March 2026

Based: Sunderland

Working for: North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (\xe2\x80\x9cNEROCU\xe2\x80\x9d)

The North East Regional Organised Crime Unit is one of ten Regional Organised Crime Units (\xe2\x80\x9cROCU\xe2\x80\x9d) in England and Wales who lead the regional response to tackling serious and organised crime whilst supporting local and national delivery. The ROCU network continues to expand and Home Office funding through police officer uplift and increased police staff capacity presents exciting opportunities to further enhance service delivery and positively impact on our partners and the public. The Home Office Serious and Organised Crime Strategy defines ROCU as leading the regional fight against Serious and Organised Crime and NEROCU have a critical role in leading, connecting and co-ordinating delivery across our region in all four P\xe2\x80\x99s of the strategy; Pursue \xe2\x80\x93 prosecuting and disrupting people engaged in serious and organised criminality. Prevent \xe2\x80\x93 preventing people from engaging in serious and organised criminality. Protect \xe2\x80\x93 increasing protection against organised crime. Prepare \xe2\x80\x93 reducing the impact of serious and organised crime where it takes place. NEROCU comprises of specialist teams delivering across intelligence, operations, investigations, cyber, economic, technical and digital capabilities. Criminals are using increasingly complex methodologies to evade law enforcement. Policing is developing and deploying new and innovative methods to remain ahead of the threat. The Investigatory Powers Act 2016 provides policing powers to use TEI (Targeted Equipment Interference) to interfere with a range of devices to identify criminality. Since this legislation was introduced, use of TEI capabilities has risen significantly. To ensure that all 43 forces have access to TEI knowledge and skills, we are rapidly expanding the network and are looking for a broad spectrum of people to join us at what is an exciting time in policing.

The role

As a TEI Dev Ops Engineer you will be employed by Northumbria Police, attached to the NEROCU, but will sit within the UK-wide TEI network of like-minded individuals who thrive on leveraging technology to solve complex problems with a passion for public safety:As no two operations are the same, your days will be extremely varied and fulfilling. Depending on the complex operations at hand, you will always need to think outside the box to deploy creative capability solutions.Day-to-day you will collaborate with like-minded individuals developing technical capabilities. You will collectively work alongside project managers and associated technical subject matter experts.

You can learn more about the role in our

What will I be doing?

Capability development: to meet operational requirements you will be working alongside other Engineers to carry out capability development. This will include utilising existing capability, adapting and uplifting current capability, or developing new technology to respond to new challenges. You will use a variety of prototyping methods to design, build and integrate solutions into existing systems, ensuring they are fit for operational use.

Innovate: you will work with the wider network and commercial suppliers to create new, bespoke innovative solutions, and partake in product research and proposals to push existing boundaries. Where required, you will identify opportunities to optimise development processes and deliver service improvements. Fulfil operational requirements needs: you will ensure all capability development (and associated documentation) is in line with project specifications to meet operational requirements. Utilising yours and your team\xe2\x80\x99s technical expertise, you will work collaboratively with capability users to understand their needs and guide the user to the most suitable solution.

Provide technical guidance: supported by your Manager and Team, you will respond to technical questions and make recommendations around the best technology to utilise in specific operations.

Highlight operational gaps: you will analyse business requirements to identify unmet operational demands and intelligence requirements / opportunity areas for future investment in capability development.

Protect sensitive equity: to keep covert policing safe during live operations, you will ensure equity protection guidelines are followed and covert policing techniques are adhered to.

What do I need?

The types of technology we use are extremely broad and we do not expect you have experience working with them all, but you should have knowledge to understand how three of the following impacts data collection capabilities:

• Vulnerability research.
• Exploit development.
• Penetration testing.
• Operating System internals (windows, iOS or Android).
• Database Architecture.
• Low level languages development (Assembly).
• Electronics Engineering.
• DevOps.
• Cloud Architecture.

You have an interest in technology that would demonstrate knowledge or interest in the following:

• Involvement in CTF events and similar platforms.
• OSINT.
• Anonymising technologies and techniques.
• Digital and/or analogue electronics, including microcontrollers.
• Virtualisation technologies.
• Systems Engineering.
• Practical Red/Blue teaming concepts.

You have experience or interest in researching and developing technology-based solutions. You have a passion for learning and growth and a desire to learn new skills; you are committed to specialist development while in post. You also regularly keep up to date with the latest developments in technology, including industry standards. You understand that the nature of investigations can be very fluid and evolving and there could be times where longer or unsocial hours may be required. You are qualified/or in your final year of a degree in a Computer Science related discipline or possess equivalent high-level experience of Computer Science fundamentals. You have experience in common programming languages e.g., C, Python. You enjoy working collaboratively. You take pride in your strong interpersonal skills, and your ability to communicate and build impactful relationships. You are able to work under pressure, prioritising workloads and working to tight timescales within a dynamic environment. The role will be a full-time dedicated agile role based within the ROCU in the vicinity of Sunderland. Travel around the region and the UK may be required as dictated by operational demands. A UK Driving Licence will be required.

Training & Development: The threat we face is ever-changing, we must adapt our technical capability to stay ahead of adversaries. We are committed to investing in your skills and providing you with the opportunity to continuously develop both breadth and depth of capability. We will enable and encourage you to use the training and continuous professional development opportunities available to support you in becoming an expert in your field.You will be required to obtain MV and SC Vetting. A job offer is conditional on achieving SC vetting (willingness to undertake DV may be required but can be during employment). Due to the nature of ROCU funding (three year rolling funding arrangement) this post is for an initial two-year fixed term contract with funding expected to support the rolling funding of this post. This post would suit a graduate who can meet the above criteria. A development pathway is in place to support a graduate over the initial 2 years, Once the stages of the pathway are met supervised by a senior engineer and TEI manager, an increase in salary will be rewarded within the current banding.

What we offer

• 26 days\xe2\x80\x99 leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays
• Enhanced Maternity, Shared Parental and Adoption leave
• Flexi Time - allowing you to fit your working hours around your individual needs
• Fantastic market leading public sector pension scheme
• Corporate Travel schemes \xe2\x80\x93 local rail, bus services and metro
• Access to Private Healthcare and Eye Test Vouchers
• Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets
• To take care of your physical and mental well-being, we\xe2\x80\x99ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service and access to gyms in some stations
• Sports & Social Club \xe2\x80\x93 join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel
• Cycle to work scheme

Vetting Level

Management Vetting (MV) Security Check (SC). A job offer is conditional on achieving SC vetting (willingness to undertake DV is required but can be during employment). Applicants must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references. If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team by email at careers@northumbria.pnn.police.uk. All staff including those appointed on fixed term contracts must successfully complete their probationary period before they are eligible to apply for a Northumbria Police vacancy. Due to the nature of ROCU funding (three year rolling funding arrangement) this post is for an initial two-year fixed term contract with funding expected to support the rolling funding of this post.

Vacancy Contact

Interested to learn more? If you would like to learn more please contact careers@northumbria.police.uk fully supports a policy of equal opportunities, and we welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Appointments are based on merit alone.

Application

Candidates should provide a 500-word response to the below question: "Tell us why you are suitable for the position and why you are applying. "Candidates should refer back to the criteria provided in the job description when forming their answers. They should support their comments by using appropriate evidence and examples. They should also remember to include skills and achievements relevant to the role gained both inside and outside of work.

This may include details of:

• Participation in capture the flag (CTF) activities.
• Open-source projects.
• Previous experience.

This should be used by candidates as an opportunity to sell themselves. Should you be successful, you will be invited for a written technical aptitude test and interview.

Northumbria Police