Job Description

Principal Investigative Lawyer
Serious Fraud Office

Salary: £59,971 - £69,666

Reference number: PR/002805

Staff applying on promotion within the Civil Service will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or receive a 10% increase on their existing salary. Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary. Applicants from outside of the Civil Service should be aware that starting salaries will normally be at the band minimum and you should not expect to receive a higher salary.

A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28%

Job grade: Grade 7, Band B

Contract type: Permanent

Type of role: Investigations, Legal Services, Operational Delivery

Working pattern: Applications from candidates wishing to work full-time, part-time or with flexible working arrangements (including job share arrangements) will be considered.

Contents:

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location:

The role will be based at our offices at 2-4 Cockspur Street, London, SW1Y 5BS, in central London. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. Informal hybrid working arrangements apply and there is an expectation that staff will attend the office regularly. Work patterns and office attendance will be agreed with successful candidates.

About the job:

Job summary

The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex fraud, bribery and corruption, pursues the proceeds of crime, and compensates victims where possible.

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, you will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution by providing strong leadership to drive cases forward delivering high-quality outcomes by collaborating with a variety of internal and external stakeholders worldwide.

Job description

As a Principal Investigative Lawyer, your job will include:

• Providing advice in relation to prosecutions and Deferred Prosecutions Agreements
• Drafting search warrants, attending searches, interviewing witnesses, identifying asset recovery options in tandem with our Proceeds Of Crime team and engaging counsel for trial and disclosure work
• Engagement with overseas law enforcement and prosecuting agencies, with possible travel
• Enhancing your technical skills through working with digital evidence
• (training to use our software will be provided)
• Drafting case strategy, key decisions, team building and outcomes
• Working on a variety of cases to expand your career experience

Person specification

To view more information, please see the link at the bottom of this advert.

Qualifications

You must be a barrister authorised by the Bar Council to practice in England and Wales OR a solicitor, admitted by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and authorised to practice in England and Wales with a minimum of 2 years PQE

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits:

• Alongside your salary, the Serious Fraud Office contributes towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme. For further details, click here /pensions
• Generous annual leave provision of 25 days (excluding bank holidays) which increases to 30 days after five years' service plus an additional day in recognition of the King's Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days' leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.
• Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies
• Generous maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements
• 24-hour access to Employee Assistance Programme - a confidential helpline offering advice on legal, financial, personal and work-related issues
• Interest-free loans to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or new bicycle under our cycle-to-work scheme
• Assistance towards meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented accommodation
• Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles
• Access to a range of savings and discounts offered via the My CPS
• Access to a range of discounts through membership of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club.

Things you need to know:

Selection process details

This vacancy uses Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours and experience.

How to apply

As part of the application process, you will be required to provide:

• A CV setting out your career history, covering any relevant qualifications you hold to demonstrate the essential technical requirement. This is the LEAD criteria for the role and only candidates who meet this will have the remainder of their application considered.
• A personal statement of up to 500 words that explains how your skills and experience meet essential and desirable criteria. Desirable criteria will only be taken into account where it is necessary to further shortlist for interview
• The candidates shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process will be those who have clearly demonstrated that they meet the essential experience and technical criteria for the role.

The interview stage

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to sit a short scenario-based assessment to test your legal knowledge and skills. You will also be interviewed to explore the behaviours, strengths, and experience in more depth.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

A reserve list of candidates who pass the interview will be in place for 12 months.

Security Check

If successful, you will be willing to obtain SC-level security clearance. More information about the vetting process can be found by visiting: /guidance/united-kingdom-security-vetting-applicant

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries
• European Economic Area (EEA) nationals with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EEA or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant (European Union) EU and Turkish nationals.
• Please note that all applicants must supply appropriate right-to-work documentation and complete a successful practicing body check to ensure there are no findings or conditions relating to their ability to practice Law in the UK.

Apply and further information:

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

You can view more about the SFO by viewing their candidate pack here: /uploads/principalinvestigativelawyer-candidatepackfinal2026

Contact point for applicants

Job contact:

• Name: Sellick Partnership
• Email:

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.