Intelligence Officer

• East Suffolk Council, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA)


• Address: Felixstowe Port, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 3SY


• Salary: £44,075 - £48,226 per annum, Band 8


• Hours: 37 hours per week


• Contract: Permanent

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.

We currently have an opportunity to join East Suffolk Council's Port Health team as an Intelligence Officer, working in the Port of Felixstowe.

This is an exciting opportunity to help protect public and animal health by tackling illegal imports, supporting enforcement activity, and developing intelligence led ways of working across one of the UK's busiest ports.

The successful candidate will work closely with Port Health Officers, Official Veterinarians and other partner agencies to identify risks, analyse intelligence, and support operational activity linked to illegal trade and non compliant imports.

Your role

As Intelligence Officer, you will lead on developing and managing intelligence activity within Port Health.

You will identify trends, risks, and emerging threats linked to illegal imports and organised non compliance, helping operational teams target inspections and enforcement activity effectively.

The role will support both day to day operational decision making and longer term strategic planning, helping ensure Port Health remains intelligence led, resilient, and prepared for emerging threats at the border.

You will also play a key role in building strong relationships with partner agencies and ensuring intelligence is handled lawfully, professionally, and securely.

Key Responsibilities

You will:

• Develop and maintain threat and risk assessments linked to illegal trade and non compliant imports


• Identify emerging risks, smuggling methods, and trends in trade activity


• Support intelligence led targeting of inspections and enforcement activity


• Work closely with operational teams and external agencies to coordinate intelligence activity


• Maintain intelligence records, databases, and case management systems


• Ensure intelligence is handled in line with legal and information governance requirements


• Produce intelligence briefings and reports for operational teams and senior managers


• Support operational planning, tasking meetings, and post operation reviews


• Help develop intelligence procedures, policies, and working practices


• Promote an intelligence led culture across Port Health


• Support incident response and high risk operational activity


• Contribute to funding opportunities, business cases, and intelligence related projects

What you will need

Essential:

• Experience working in intelligence, enforcement, investigations, compliance, border control, or a similar field


• Experience analysing information and identifying trends or risks


• Strong communication and report writing skills


• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities


• Experience building strong working relationships with partners and stakeholders


• Good IT and data management skills


• Ability to work independently and as part of a team


• Experience handling intelligence in an operational environment


• Knowledge of local government or border control operations


• Experience developing intelligence led programmes of work


• Experience working with partner agencies


• Budget or project management experience

Desirable

• Experience handling intelligence in an operational environment


• Knowledge of local government or border control operations


• Experience developing intelligence led programmes of work


• Experience working with partner agencies


• Budget or project management experience

Benefits

• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays)


• Local government pension scheme


• Flexible working arrangements


• Learning and development tailored to your role


• A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.


• Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services.

Closing date: 11:30 pm, 19 June 2026.

Interview date: Week commencing 6 July 2026.