Drugs & Firearms Licensing Compliance Officer
| Posting date: | 21 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,300 to £44,191 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 30 July 2025 |
| Location: | Croydon |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 412996/1 |
Summary
The Public Safety Group’s role is to keep the public safe by cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our police, fire and rescue services are as efficient and effective as they can be in delivering front line public services. We work with our partners in other government departments, local government and the voluntary sector to develop and implement policy, provide funding, and deliver legislation.
The Drugs and Firearms Licensing Unit (DFLU) is part of the Crime Reduction Directorate in the Public Safety Group of the Home Office. It is responsible for enabling the licit use of controlled drugs, whilst preventing their diversion to the illicit market.
We are recruiting to this exciting and varied post, offering an ideal development opportunity for existing operational managers (or those with experience of people and operational management) looking for a new challenge where you can make a real difference to a great many, and to diversify your skills in this outward-facing regulatory field, of Ministerial interest. This is a post with a significant technical casework element.
The unit is responsible for issuing licences for controlled drugs (import/export and domestic) and for prohibited firearms possessed by registered firearms dealers, freight companies, maritime armed guards, clubs and museums. The drug and firearms licensing regimes operate under separate legislative frameworks, but there are clear operational synergies.
The unit is also responsible for the operational policy which governs the licensing regimes and engages with a wide range of stakeholders such as pharmaceutical, care, health, research, wholesalers, airlines, the National Crime Agency, the police, shooting organisations, regulatory bodies and other government departments.
This is a reputationally important role, interacting with varied stakeholder groups, some of whom can be challenging. The UK has a strong regulatory reputation for Controlled Drug and Precursor Chemicals; this role is the public face of the ‘inspection regime’.
The role itself is challenging and diverse focusing on operational delivery with responsibility for delivering a ‘real world’ response to the drug strategy, including a licensing regime that enables the legitimate use of drugs and precursor chemicals, whilst preventing their diversion into the illicit market. Always ensuring that public safety and excellent customer service are at the heart of what we do. The post-holder will join a team of up to 14 compliance officers and does not presently have any line management responsibility, but this may change in the future.
A typical working week will require you to undertake multiple visits which may include overnight stay(s) working away from home. You may be working from home on a Monday until midday travelling to Penzance in the afternoon conducting one visit staying overnight and then travelling on to Truro and Newquay the following day to carry out visits before returning home on Wednesday evening. On a Duty Officer week, you will most typically be in the Croydon office Monday to Wednesday and working from home Thursday and Friday.
Successful candidates will be expected to complete the ‘Bond Solon Advanced Professional Certificate in Investigatory Practice Qualification’ within their first 18 months of the role (DFLU will meet the cost of one cycle of assessments). Should candidates fail this assessment they will be required to meet the cost of any further lessons and/or assessments. Candidates should note that relevant policies relating to poor performance may apply where this qualification is not achieved.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver robust, timely and proportionate licensing recommendations and undertaking professional inspection or compliance visits to licensees. ‘Business as usual’ delivery of technical licensing casework, including paper-based consideration of applications and ‘inspection’ visits to prospective licensees.
- Effective management of caseload of around 50 cases. Ensuring tight management of all stages of the case, effective customer management, to reduce throughput times and to ensure the continuous improvement of customer service standards.
- Triage and risk-assessment of applications. Ensuring applications meet minimum standards, are appropriately allocated, prioritising where necessary and high-risk applications immediately escalated.
- Thematic licensing reviews to audit compliance in specific ‘high risk’ licensees- to audit licensing practices and policies as they apply to high-risk groups, ensure legislative compliance; build and develop information sharing and support networks to provide best value for the fee-paying public.
- Deliver high-quality customer service ensuring correspondence, including that from licensees, Minister’s, and trade bodies, via email, post or telephone and dealt with in a timely and professional manner.
- Establish and maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders ensuring the team works collaboratively and flexibly and liaises and shares information, where appropriate, with other Government Departments, other Competent Authorities or Regulatory Bodies.
- Have a good understanding or an ability to gain an understanding of all relevant legislation, including Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971 and associated Misuse of Drugs Regulations (MDR) 2001, European Precursor Chemical Regulations & International Conventions – including gaining an effective knowledge of licensees, their areas of business and working knowledge of licensing processes.
Working Pattern
Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis.
Training
During your training phase, which could last for up to six months, you should expect to be based in the Croydon office.
Travel
The role requires significant weekly domestic travel, with all travel and subsistence covered by the business area (in line with the appropriate policy). To undertake regulatory inspection visits throughout the UK and a requirement to take on a Duty Officer role, in the Croydon office with some working from home as agreed by the line manager in line with business needs.
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