View Vacancy – Local Liaison Support Officer (BGR25.138)

Main purpose of job:

His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is the UK’s tax and customs authority and is responsible for collecting tax revenue on behalf of the UK government, making sure that money is available to fund the UK’s public services.

HMRC is also a law enforcement agency responsible for closing the UK’s tax gap and preventing tax evasion. This involves investigating and tackling tax fraud, excise duty evasion, money laundering and a range of other fiscal offences.

The Fiscal Crime Liaison Network (FCLN) sits within HMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service and manages and coordinates a network of HMRC Fiscal Crime Liaison Officers (FCLOs) based at British Embassies and High Commissions across the globe. FCLOs are responsible for facilitating international co-operation with host countries, this includes a broad range of intelligence diplomacy, capacity building and wider policy work.  

The main purpose of the Local Liaison Support role is to assist the FCLO in maintaining and strengthening HMRC’s relationship with customs, tax and law enforcement agencies in Bulgaria. The Sofia FCLO office is also responsible for HMRC engagement in Türkiye and Georgia, whilst the Support Officer would not normally be expected to travel to those countries, they will be expected to provide office-based support to HMRC activity there.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic office working at the forefront of the fight against international organised crime, gathering intelligence and ultimately protecting the UK revenue from a range of threats including tobacco smuggling, the trade in illicit alcohol, Value Added Tax fraud, sanctions evasion, international money laundering and a range of other fiscal crimes.

The EO grade FCLO Support role will work under the supervision of the HMRC FCLO and will be expected to provide essential administrative and logistical support to assist with the day-to-day office administration, including file management, data inputting, managing budgets and translation duties. The jobholder will need to demonstrate excellent organisational skills with a practical approach to multi-tasking and high attention to detail. This is an exciting and challenging role which will enable the jobholder to develop an understanding of HMRC strategic priorities on fiscal crime and how we are working to promote them within country through international collaboration and diplomacy.

The main purpose of the role is supporting and assisting the Fiscal Crime Liaison Officer in achieving their objectives as set by HMRC and in maintaining and strengthening the relationship between host agencies and HMRC.

Essential on arrival:  

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Bulgarian (minimum C1 level*).
• A flexible approach to work and travel; this may occasionally include travel at short notice, working weekends and on public holidays.
• Excellent IT skills – advanced skills in Microsoft Office.
• Ability to process and understand large amounts of data and information, turning this into concise and accurate reports.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and confidence in dealing with senior figures.
• Constructive, positive and service orientated attitude.
• Excellent organisational skills for document and record management.
• Ability to follow standard operating procedures and written processes, working with minimal supervision and prioritising workloads when required.
• Ability to respect the confidentiality of work issues and understands the personal and professional consequences of lapses in security.