Senior Digital Forensics Practitioner x2 - FTC - 31st March 2025

Join Police Digital Service as a Senior Digital Forensics Practitioner - starting salary £50,000

This role is currently an initial fixed term until 31st March 2025, with a view to making permanent if funding allows.

About Police Digital Service

Police Digital Service strives to be the go-to partner for technology developments and programmes across UK policing. Our team provides technical advice and delivers services to help policing and law enforcement organisations across the UK prioritise and focus on technology efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide digital forensic subject matter expertise, consultancy and advice on digital forensic tools and methods, validation and accreditation
• Design and deliver forensic tool validation activities for the digital forensic tools within the services portfolio, including tools from Cellebrite, Magnet and MSAB. This will include preparing and drafting documentation, planning, risk assessment, hands on tool validation, root cause analysis, report, and quality assurance.
• Ensure that all validation activities are compliant with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and the Forensic Science Regulator's Codes of Practice.
• Develop, iterate and maintain validation documentation, including but not limited to, ground truth data (GTD) specifications and indices, risk assessments, validation plans, validation reports and statements of completion.
• Manage a database of GTD assets, including devices and extractions. Ensure assets are up to date and active, securely stored, and facilitate the shipment of assets between PDS, police forces, and third parties as needed.
• Support the population and refresh of GTD carried out by third-party suppliers.
• Ensure that all validation materials are up to date and accessible in the validation library. Update and maintain the validation library SharePoint repositories.
• Identify new and emerging digital forensic technologies for inclusion in the tool validation portfolio to best support policing accreditation efforts.
• Identify and assess industry and technology trends, consumer behaviour and policing end-user requirements to determine the specification of GTD and devices required for validation.
• Develop and manage relationships with third parties, police forces, and other stakeholders across the digital forensic landscape.
• Quality assure the work of junior staff (E.g. tender documentation, validation documentation, Validation Library management etc.)
• Work closely with project manager to provide bi-weekly updates on activities, planning, timelines, and progress to completion.
• Input into project management processes such as RAID logs, project plans, and deliverables.
• Liaise with other internal stakeholders, including DDaT, Cyber and commercial teams to ensure alignment across PDS.
• Provide on-site training, development, leadership, and motivation to junior team members.

Key Criteria

• In-depth knowledge of the capture, preservation, processing and analysis of data from mobile phone devices.
• Knowledge of the capture, preservation, processing and analysis of data from mobile phone devices.
• Understanding of how to generate, record and refresh ground truth data on computer and mobile phone devices.
• Strong knowledge of the requirements for accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, ILAC G19 and the FSR Codes.
• Understanding as an end-user the functionality and limitations of commonly used digital forensic tools.
• Attentive to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Self-developer that demonstrates an ability to solve complex problems with well thought-out innovative solutions
• Critical thinking skills and the ability to efficiently gather and process information are required for problem solving and troubleshooting in response to stakeholder queries
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and professional demeanour
• Ability to manage time and prioritise tasks effectively
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and support the team's goals above individual goals
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while handling multiple tasks through to completion