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Head of National Rural Crime Unit
| Posting date: | 07 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £73,194 to £82,293 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 July 2025 |
| Location: | National |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Northumbria Police |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 31052 |
Summary
Salary: Band 13, £73,194 - £82,293
Location: There is a requirement for national travel in support of this portfolio.
Hours/Contract: 37 hours per week, fixed term / secondment until End of 2028 (align with unit funding)
Foreword from Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison, National Rural and Wildlife Crime Lead:
Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of the National Rural Crime Unit, a challenging, important, and extremely rewarding role.
The National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) was established to support police forces in England and Wales with rural crime matters, and to lead on these specific issues from a national position. The unit is hosted by Northumbria Police and offers the benefit of direct force support twinned with leading a team with national responsibility.
The Head of NRCU role is crucial for advancing our efforts to lead in this space, which comes under political scrutiny and is characterised by cross-border, often serious and organised criminality.
Thank you for your interest in this role, and I wish you success with your application.
Working for the Team
Although this is a national role, you will be supported by Northumbria Police.
The role
As the Head of National Rural Crime Unit, you will be the sole senior manager for this national unit, the individual is responsible for strategic and operational business delivery supporting all 43 forces and ROCUs.
You will lead in sourcing, obtaining, and managing external funding and budgets for the unit. Additionally, you will be responsible for the implementation of the NPCC rural crime strategy, including machinery theft, in collaboration with all 43 forces.
You will work directly with government departments, ministerial leads, Police and Crime Commissioners, and various partners to achieve NPCC strategic objectives, share best practices, and introduce new legislation. You will also have overall responsibility and active involvement in the unit's investigations, including the annual seizure of over £10M in stolen equipment, financial cases, and POCA cases.
What you’ll do
Provide strategic business oversight, leadership, and direction on all matters related to Finance, Procurement, Resourcing, and Fleet, ensuring alignment with NRCU and NPCC strategic objectives.
Lead financial planning, bid writing, budgeting, and procurement to secure high standards of public and private finance, upholding principles of regularity, propriety, and value for money across all budget provisions.
Provide strategic ownership and accountability for designing and delivering an effective and efficient national operational and strategic support function to UK police forces.
Act as the strategic lead for national rural crime policing operations that span multiple forces and regions, chairing national tasking meetings and liaising with force leads.
Serve as the strategic lead for NRCU financial investigations, responsible for liaison and agreement with ROCUs and police forces, including SMT oversight of the NRCU ARIS account with the Home Office.
Influence and implement the national strategic direction for rural crime, supporting regional and local forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in setting their strategic priorities and policing plans.
What you’ll bring
Educated to Degree Level or equivalent experience.
Senior Leadership Policing Experience.
Understanding and competence across SOC threats and operating with across the UK and Europe and North America.
Understanding and aptitude for wide array of tracking technologies both police and public, digital investigation tools and techniques and crucially forensic marking of machinery).
National, Regional and Local Project Board and/or project steering groups responsibilities.
Strategic planning of specialist resource aligned to anticipated demand and support to NPCC Exec Lead to inform budget/investment decisions.
Strategic responsibility for distinctly different policing functions.
Responsible for ensuring that capabilities anticipate and identify threats and opportunities to create solutions to the varied threats.
Prioritise investigative opportunity and provide resource to police forces so they can provide an effective policing response.
Deputising for the NPCC lead at national and Government level when needed.
Interested to learn more? For further information about the role please contact Vicky Wallace, People Partnering and Wellbeing Lead by email at vicky.wallace@northumbria.police.uk
The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by ‘a face to face interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.
Terms of appointment
This is a fixed term role subject to a six-month probationary period.
If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Location: There is a requirement for national travel in support of this portfolio.
Hours/Contract: 37 hours per week, fixed term / secondment until End of 2028 (align with unit funding)
Foreword from Deputy Chief Constable Nigel Harrison, National Rural and Wildlife Crime Lead:
Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of the National Rural Crime Unit, a challenging, important, and extremely rewarding role.
The National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) was established to support police forces in England and Wales with rural crime matters, and to lead on these specific issues from a national position. The unit is hosted by Northumbria Police and offers the benefit of direct force support twinned with leading a team with national responsibility.
The Head of NRCU role is crucial for advancing our efforts to lead in this space, which comes under political scrutiny and is characterised by cross-border, often serious and organised criminality.
Thank you for your interest in this role, and I wish you success with your application.
Working for the Team
Although this is a national role, you will be supported by Northumbria Police.
The role
As the Head of National Rural Crime Unit, you will be the sole senior manager for this national unit, the individual is responsible for strategic and operational business delivery supporting all 43 forces and ROCUs.
You will lead in sourcing, obtaining, and managing external funding and budgets for the unit. Additionally, you will be responsible for the implementation of the NPCC rural crime strategy, including machinery theft, in collaboration with all 43 forces.
You will work directly with government departments, ministerial leads, Police and Crime Commissioners, and various partners to achieve NPCC strategic objectives, share best practices, and introduce new legislation. You will also have overall responsibility and active involvement in the unit's investigations, including the annual seizure of over £10M in stolen equipment, financial cases, and POCA cases.
What you’ll do
Provide strategic business oversight, leadership, and direction on all matters related to Finance, Procurement, Resourcing, and Fleet, ensuring alignment with NRCU and NPCC strategic objectives.
Lead financial planning, bid writing, budgeting, and procurement to secure high standards of public and private finance, upholding principles of regularity, propriety, and value for money across all budget provisions.
Provide strategic ownership and accountability for designing and delivering an effective and efficient national operational and strategic support function to UK police forces.
Act as the strategic lead for national rural crime policing operations that span multiple forces and regions, chairing national tasking meetings and liaising with force leads.
Serve as the strategic lead for NRCU financial investigations, responsible for liaison and agreement with ROCUs and police forces, including SMT oversight of the NRCU ARIS account with the Home Office.
Influence and implement the national strategic direction for rural crime, supporting regional and local forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in setting their strategic priorities and policing plans.
What you’ll bring
Educated to Degree Level or equivalent experience.
Senior Leadership Policing Experience.
Understanding and competence across SOC threats and operating with across the UK and Europe and North America.
Understanding and aptitude for wide array of tracking technologies both police and public, digital investigation tools and techniques and crucially forensic marking of machinery).
National, Regional and Local Project Board and/or project steering groups responsibilities.
Strategic planning of specialist resource aligned to anticipated demand and support to NPCC Exec Lead to inform budget/investment decisions.
Strategic responsibility for distinctly different policing functions.
Responsible for ensuring that capabilities anticipate and identify threats and opportunities to create solutions to the varied threats.
Prioritise investigative opportunity and provide resource to police forces so they can provide an effective policing response.
Deputising for the NPCC lead at national and Government level when needed.
Interested to learn more? For further information about the role please contact Vicky Wallace, People Partnering and Wellbeing Lead by email at vicky.wallace@northumbria.police.uk
The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by ‘a face to face interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.
Terms of appointment
This is a fixed term role subject to a six-month probationary period.
If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
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