Job summary
This is an exciting time to join Companies House as we have new opportunities within our Compliance & Enforcement team.
As well as delivering on an organisational wide digital transformation, Companies House is seeing the biggest changes to the way that it has operated since it was established. We have already implemented the new Register of Overseas Entities as a result of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement Act) 2022 and will now be moving forward to implement the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
Our extensive programme of legislative reform will see us exercising extensive new powers to improve the integrity of the companies register, but also to place Companies House at the heart of the fight against Economic Crime.
This is a new role, working with the Lead Prosecutor within the Compliance & Enforcement (C&E) Service. This new service focuses oncompliance and enforcement of Companies Act legalrequirements and will be a central part of our transformation.
As a prosecutor you will be responsible for reviewing Criminal prosecution cases,� presenting cases in court and assisting the lead prosecutor with identifying changes and improvements to your service.� This is a key role in developing the future direction of Companies House and ensuring we develop a Compliance and Enforcement Service that is fit for our new role in government.
If you are interested in joining us, please apply!
Companies House offers a flexible and welcoming culture that promotes a healthy work life balance as well as a proactive approach to wellbeing that allows us to be our best at work. We recognise that people are the key to our success so offer a fantastic benefits package including flexible working with no core hours, 30 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 1 privilege day as well as enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme with a contribution rate averaging 28%.�
Job description
The role will involve prosecuting companies and individuals for offences under the Companies acts as well as under the Register for Overseas entities regime. As part of the prosecution process you will need to decide appropriate charges, consider whether prosecution is the appropriate path and if so, attend court to prosecute the offences. Working within the Compliance and enforcement service you will ensure that statutory requirements aremet,andnon-compliance is dealt with robustly and proportionately. The service also ensures that we seek to promote the new objectives of the registrars.�
The Registrars objectives are:
1. To ensure that any person who is required to deliver a document to the registrar does so (and that the requirements for proper delivery are complied with).
2. To ensure that information contained in the register is accurate and that the register contains everything it ought to.
3. To ensure that records kept by the Registrar do notcreate a false or misleading impression to members of the public.
4. To prevent companies and others from: Carrying out unlawful activitiesFacilitating the carrying out of unlawful activities
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The prosecutor will work with the Lead Prosecutor in the following areas:
5. Prosecution, this currently includes our existing activities to prosecute directors for the non-filing of accounts and confirmation statements but going forward will include a broader range of offences, some that we are directly responsible for prosecuting and some that will be escalated to the Insolvency Service or CPS to prosecute.
6. Reviewing cases in line with the code for crown prosecutors, reviewing representations from defendants and defence legal teams and making decisions as to whether prosecutions are appropriate.
7. Attending the Magistrates courts to prosecute cases. This will involve presenting cases but also conducting trials where defendants are contesting the charges.
8. Advising on the suitability of financial penalties under the ECCT Act 2023. This act gives Companies House new powers to impose financial penalties instead of prosecution where it is deemed appropriate in line with the compliance framework.
9. Attending case conferences within Companies House but also with outside agencies to discuss and advise on potential prosecution cases.
10. Providing advice and training on enforcement issues to Companies House colleagues and external partners.
11. Attending panel meetings to consider representations under the financial penalty and \ or ROE schemes.
12. Understanding the full suite of enforcement powers available to Companies house such as annotation, expedited strike off and removal that will help us disrupt criminals who use companies for illicit activity.
To be eligible for this role you also need to meet our Nationality requirements which are outlined below and also successful candidates must meet the security requirements for Security Clearance (SC) before they can be appointed. To gain (SC) clearance you will need to have been a UK resident for a minimum of 3 years.�
Further information can be found below.�
Companies House also cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.
Person specification
We are looking for an exceptional lawyer with strong intellectual and analytical skills and sound legal judgement. You must have an appreciation of the prosecution process and the ability to advocate in the magistrates court. You will be able to find legally sound solutions that factor in the wider context and tailor advice so that it is appropriate and comprehensible to the audience and situation. �You will be able to develop effective relationships with a range of colleagues and be committed to delivering excellent timely legal services to meet the needs of Companies House.� You will need to be flexible and deal with and prioritise competing demands successfully.
This is an exciting opportunity to join us as we�re in the middle of a legislative programme of change that has given us significantly enhanced powers. Good quality legal advice will be needed to underpin the way forward.
The successful candidate will also need to:��
13. Be qualified to practice as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales having completed a training contract or pupillage.
14. Have an understanding of prosecution process and application of relevant codes of practice etc.
15. Be able to draft documents ( Skeleton arguments, criminal charges)
16. Be able to give high quality, accurate and timely legal advice and guidance on a range of policy, legislative and operational matters to colleagues across Companies House;
17. Be able to advise policy colleagues on proposed changes to services or policies.
18. Support Companies House�s transformation agenda;
19. Provide training and support to colleagues on relevant legal issues;
20. The ability to develop effective working relationships and engage with staff and a range of stakeholders at all levels�to achieve the desired service outcomes.��
Qualifications
Qualified Solicitor or Barrister
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
21. Making Effective Decisions
22. Delivering at Pace
23. Managing a Quality Service
24. Working Together
25. Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �53,988, Companies House contributes �15,640 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we�re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.�
Head to� to find out more about the fantastic benefits package we have at Companies House.��
We celebrate diversity...�
As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity, being committed to ensuring we�re representative of the citizens we serve and creating an inclusive environment. Everyone in Companies House brings something different, and so will you. To fulfil our commitment to recruiting and attracting diverse talent we welcome applications from underrepresented groups. We also welcome applications from Welsh speakers.�
We are proud to be a disability confident leader. Our recruitment process is fully inclusive and we can make adjustments as needed through our process. These could include having an interview buddy, extra time at interviews/assessments and receiving interview questions in advance, to name a few. We will be happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments, please contact us by emailing �
Where will you be working?�
You will be aligned to our Cardiff Office, where we are currently using a hybrid approach to the way we work. Our approach to hybrid working provides opportunities for you to be adaptable in the way you work so that you can achieve a healthy balance between your work and home life. The degree of choice you have will depend on business need, your role and your day-to-day work activities and will be discussed at offer stage. You will also be expected to attend court which will be around 2 days a month.�
Please note that due to the nature of the role, for part time requests, we can only offer a minimum of 4 days or 30 hours a week.�