Chief Scientific Officer

This is a 2 year fixed term contract.

We are seeking a Chief Scientific Officer to join our senior leadership team. Policing London is a privilege and serving the diverse communities who call London home is at the heart of this privilege. Come join a team who protect a city that can rival any in the world for its history, vibrancy, diversity and culture.

Sir Robert Peel founded the Met in 1829 on the basis of policing by consent. That holds as true today and underpins our vision to rebuild policing by consent. This is a role where you have a once in a generation opportunity to be at the forefront of delivering the reform the Met has promised to London.  

We have made progress in delivering more trust; less crime and high standards. We know there is more to do.  

Our Chief Scientific Officer will ensure that science and evidence are at the heart of how we reduce and prevent crime; how we build trust amongst Londoners and supporting our officers use their powers precisely based on data and technology. Innovation and bringing outside thinking in will help make even further progress against our priorities of community crime fighting; culture change and fixing our own foundations.   

Use your skills to protect Londoners, keep the capital safe and set the people of the Met up to succeed for London. 

The role

The Chief Scientific Officer will provide independent, objective and timely advice to the Commissioner and Management Board on science, analysis and research matters relevant to both the London and national policing context. The CSO will also identify new or developing science related opportunities and threats to policing; and work collaboratively across a range of policing agencies and external partnerships to bring insight and influence to future policing policy. 

The CSO will have particular responsibility for advancing the values of precision and evidence across the full range of New Met for London (NMFL) initiatives, including the following:

• Creating evidence-based systems for prioritizing resource allocation
• Designing innovations based on best evidence to reduce harm to Londoners
• Designing and implementing impact evaluations for innovations
• Communicating and explaining key scientific perspectives on policy decisions   
• Developing systems for tracking and assessing delivery of NMFL objectives.

In this role you will act as Head of Profession for staff within areas of science and technology, shaping how owners of data collaborate on how information is used and what to collect, working with the wider network of Chief Scientific Advisors to address cross government issues and representing the Met nationally.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone who will work tirelessly to drive the Met’s day-to-day performance by exploiting data, insight and tech, adapting to a fast-changing world. 

The successful candidate will be an excellent strategic leader, operating at a senior level, with a breadth of experience gained whilst working within the policing sector.  They will also satisfy the following essential criteria:

• Credibility as a scientific leader of international renown in policing and law enforcement.
• Demonstrated success at implementing and delivering innovations and testing by working in a similar role with other democratic police organisations, either in long-term partnership from an academic base or as a full-time employee of one or more police services.   
• Demonstrated success at using science & technology to deliver innovations that changed practice in ways that increased trust, reduced crime or raised standards. 
• A record of high-quality strategic thinking and rigorous, evidence based problem-solving that has made a major difference in law enforcement practice and policy.
• Significant experience of bringing dynamic leadership to a diverse group of highly, capable and experienced people. Demonstrated leadership skills that inspire and mobilise teams towards a common goal, with excellent organisational skills to strategically prioritise a wide portfolio of work.  
• A proven track record of seeking out opportunities for innovation and able to build capability and manage rapid change to drive transformation.
• Flexibility and personal resilience to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances in an environment of regular scrutiny by the media, public and others.  

How to apply 

If you are interested in finding out more about this role and would like to receive an
application pack, please email us to request a Candidate application pack:
HRMailbox-.SeniorAppointments@met.police.uk

To apply for this post, you will need to submit the following documentation by
11.55pm 18 February 2024 

• Your current CV
• A personal statement (maximum 2 x A4 pages). This must set out a summary of your
evidence of experience and your suitability for and interest in the role.
• A completed additional information form.
• A completed diversity monitoring form (all monitoring data will be treated in the strictest
confidence and will not affect your application in any way).

The Met is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from ethnic minority groups and females.

As a Disability Confident employer, the Met has committed to making disability equality part of our everyday practice. We ensure that people with disabilities and those with long term health conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. 
If you consider yourself to have access, workplace or reasonable adjustment requirements that need to be accommodated, we ask that you include this information within your application form. All matters will be treated in strict confidence and will not affect any recruitment decisions.
Read our full disability confidence statement.