HM Revenue & Customs
Somerset House - one of several HMRC offices in London.
More than just "The Taxman"
Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is a new Government Department which brings together the Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise. This merger brings the promise of modernisation, but we expect much of the long history of the two old Departments to be retained.
HMRC offers you the opportunity to work at the core of central Government. Not only are we responsible for funding of Government expenditure through the collection of over £300 billion of tax and National Insurance Contributions, but also for ensuring the National Minimum Wage and collection of Student Loans. We are also responsible for enforcing the law at the country's frontiers, detecting and preventing smuggling and the illegal importation of drugs, weapons, etc.
We are also responsible for Tax Credits and Child Benefit giving us an essential role in helping to meet the Government commitments on reducing poverty and improving education. We are a huge organisation with a nation-wide network of offices and about 100,000 employees. Operational Research in the HM Revenue & Customs
Our work can be broken down into six major areas.
- Strategic tax policy, policy development and maintenance - providing insight into how the overall tax system affects individuals and business, and how well it meets the objectives of ministers and parliament. We can predict possible impacts of specific measures, the likely behavioural response and the probable exchequer cost or yield.
- Forecasting and monitoring revenue and spending - monitoring progress, giving insight into emerging trends and creating annual and daily forecasts.
- Strategic Compliance [ "Compliance" means ensuring that taxpayers and benefit recipients pay the right amount of tax or receive the right benefits] - supporting compliance strategy by measuring aspects of the payment gap [The payment gap is the difference between forecast and actual revenue], helping devise, measure and monitor reductions, and measuring the yield on strategic compliance initiatives.
- Tactical Compliance - providing a better understanding of risk and working with our enquiry teams to improve deployment of resources.
- Customer Experience - providing insight into the factors affecting the customer, in particular our enabling initiatives; helping devise, assess and monitor compliance costs and other factors that make up HMRC's Public Service Agreement Target for Customer Experience
- Performance Measurement and Management - helping devise and monitor performance measures for HMRC's business at all levels. We also support central service functions such as Finance and Human Resources.
HMRC headquarters on Parliament Street, Westminster.
In many of these areas, there is a strong focus on operations and the interaction between our staff and customers (taxpayers, tax credit claimants, etc). Our customers expect good service, supported by efficient procedures and processes. We expect them to comply to their legal responsibilities, and most do, but those who cheat, commit fraud or smuggle need to be dealt with! Operational Research is particularly strong in supporting these areas, but we are also growing in the strategic areas, where the focus is more towards the Treasury's interests of Government funding.
What to expect
Staff development is a high priority and training is provided when required. We expect our staff to develop skills in the following areas: interpersonal, consultancy, technical OR, and IT. We also encourage our staff to learn more about both the Department and Government. Promotion is based on individual competencies and we seek to promote people as they become ready.
We are a large group, spread around the country with offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Telford and London.
The work is varied and interesting and is characterised by team working with fellow analysts (OR and non-OR), and Departmental clients. Considerable freedom is given to staff to show innovation and take initiative wherever possible. We utilise a variety of hardware and software tools including spreadsheets, databases, statistical packages and a Departmental mainframe. We use a variety of techniques including spreadsheet modelling, simulation, statistical analysis, risk analysis, systems dynamics, sampling, forecasting, data mining and distributional analysis. However, the emphasis is on meeting client needs and adopting a flexible approach to problem solving, rather than a rigid application of hard OR techniques.
And it's not all noses to the grindstone either: we are a friendly bunch of people. Social events are a regular feature - for example pub outings for all and, in London, pool, rounders, cricket and football games for the sports-minded. In Manchester and Liverpool there are some keen runners, we have country walks, barbecues, restaurant, cinema and theatre trips.
Back to site navigation links