Find out everything you need to know about investigator roles, including where you could work, the skills employers look for and what security clearances you may need.
Investigator roles span a wide range of positions that involve uncovering facts, analysing information and supporting justice, compliance or security outcomes. These jobs play a critical function in both public and private sector organisations, with positions ranging from traditional policing and fraud detection to cybercrime and corporate investigations.
Demand for skilled investigators is particularly high as organisations need to react to a wide variety of issues, including growing threats to national security, rising cybercrime and increasing regulatory scrutiny. As a result, employers across government agencies, law enforcement bodies, defence contractors and private firms are keen to hire individuals who can be trusted to handle sensitive information, think critically and act with integrity at all times.
Investigative careers offer variety, purpose and strong long-term prospects, with options to match a range of interests and experiences, including digital forensics, intelligence analysis, financial crime investigations or safeguarding. For those with curiosity, resilience and an eye for detail, this path presents an engaging and meaningful way to contribute to public safety and organisational resilience.
Investigators play a crucial role in uncovering facts, solving problems and supporting decision-making. While specific responsibilities will vary depending on the sector and specialism, most roles involve collecting and analysing information to identify wrongdoing, confirm suspicions or prevent potential threats.
Focuses of investigations may involve tackling organised crime, tracing fraud or protecting sensitive data. Typical day-to-day tasks may include:
Investigators are employed in a range of settings, from police forces and government agencies to private security firms, banks, insurers and tech companies. While the majority of roles are office-based, some may also involve fieldwork. Investigative work is varied, purposeful and increasingly essential to public safety and business integrity.
Investigator careers span a wide range of specialisms, with opportunities available across both public services and the private sector. Roles may focus on areas such as digital security, criminal activity, financial fraud or internal misconduct. Depending on the setting, investigators may be tasked with prevention, detection or response.
This diversity offers a flexible and resilient career path with strong long-term demand and the potential for specialisation. Below are some of the most common fields where investigative skills are in demand.
Tony Samuel from SecurityClearedJobs.com notes: “As a Job Board, we are seeing an increase in the need for investigation skills driven by the amount of online crime nowadays. The move to ecommerce has provided a platform for thieves to operate within and so the need for investigation skills is in demand.”
Police and law enforcement investigators play a central role in solving crimes, gathering evidence and supporting prosecutions. Within UK police services, investigators may work across a range of specialist areas, including criminal investigations (CID), forensic analysis, intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism and organised crime units.
Typical responsibilities often include interviewing witnesses, securing crime scenes, managing evidence and preparing case files. Many investigators are experienced officers who move into these roles through structured career progression, although civilian police staff investigators are also employed in some forces. These roles are vital to the justice system and often form the foundation of wider investigative careers.
Private investigators are employed by a wide range of businesses, but common examples may include law firms, insurance companies and debt recovery agencies. Their work can be very diverse and could involve surveillance, conducting background checks, tracing individuals, fraud investigations and gathering evidence for civil or criminal cases.
Although the UK has no formal licensing system for these professionals, many employers look for individuals with police or military experience, strong investigative skills and a working knowledge of legal procedures. Qualifications in criminology, law or security studies can be beneficial, as can membership of professional bodies like the Association of British Investigators (ABI).
Digital and cyber investigators specialise in tackling cybercrime, data breaches and digital fraud. Their work involves identifying how attacks occur, analysing compromised systems and tracing digital evidence through techniques such as digital forensics, malware analysis and network monitoring. These roles exist across both public sector bodies like the National Crime Agency and private firms in finance, tech and cybersecurity.
As cybercrime continues to rise, demand for skilled investigators is growing rapidly. Employers typically seek candidates with strong technical skills in areas like networking, operating systems and scripting. Qualifications such as CompTIA Security+, CISSP or a degree in cybersecurity can all be highly useful when searching for jobs in this field.
Fraud investigators detect, investigate and prevent fraudulent activity. They are often employed by banks, insurance companies, government bodies like the Serious Fraud Office and private firms and their work typically involves reviewing financial records, interviewing claimants or witnesses, liaising with law enforcement and compiling evidence for legal or disciplinary action.
Common areas of focus include corporate and financial fraud, benefit fraud and suspicious insurance claims. These roles require a strong eye for detail, excellent analytical skills and the ability to spot inconsistencies or suspicious patterns. A background in finance, law enforcement or auditing is often beneficial, along with qualifications such as Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) or other relevant financial certifications.
Investigator roles require a unique mix of technical knowledge, critical thinking and personal integrity. Whether working in law enforcement, cybersecurity or the private sector, professionals must be able to gather, interpret and act on information in a methodical, lawful and objective manner. While each specialism has its own requirements, certain core skills and qualifications are consistently valued by recruiters. These include:
Integrity and trustworthiness are fundamental to all investigator roles, particularly in environments where individuals handle confidential or classified information. In the public sector especially, security vetting is often a legal or operational requirement, as investigators may access personal data, sensitive case files or national security material. This makes robust background checks essential.
As a result, many roles require candidates to hold or be eligible for government security clearance. The most common security clearance levels that may be used for government agencies and other public sector bodies include Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and Security Check (SC). Roles working with the police will also require specialist police vetting.
Private sector roles involving government contracts may also demand clearances such as SC. Candidates who already hold valid security clearance, or who have previously worked in cleared roles, are often viewed favourably by employers. This can streamline the hiring process and demonstrate a proven track record of working securely and responsibly in high-trust environments.
Investigator roles offer good potential for career development, with opportunities to progress into senior, specialist or leadership positions over time. Many professionals begin in entry-level roles focused on data gathering, case administration or assisting with evidence review. With experience, individuals can move into more complex investigative work, manage cases independently or specialise in areas such as cybercrime, fraud, intelligence or safeguarding.
Long-term prospects in this field are strong, especially as demand continues to grow across both public and private sectors. What’s more, this field helps professionals develop a broad set of transferable skills, including critical thinking, risk assessment, regulatory compliance and digital literacy. These can also be helpful in supporting transitions into related areas like security management, compliance, legal services or consultancy.
Cross-sector mobility within the investigative field is also common. Experience in policing, government or military roles are highly valued in private sector investigations, which can allow skilled professionals great opportunities to enter new sectors and increase their salary. This flexibility, combined with the essential nature of investigative work, makes it a resilient and rewarding career path.
Finding the right opportunities in the investigative field can be challenging without the right platform. Specialist job boards like SecurityClearedJobs.com greatly help with this. Our board helps connect trusted candidates with employers who need high levels of integrity, discretion and, in many cases, require applicants to have or be able to obtain security clearance. We cater specifically to roles where national security, classified information or sensitive operations are involved.
By focusing on security-cleared careers, SecurityClearedJobs helps applicants showcase their clearance status or eligibility and makes it easier for employers to identify suitable professionals. This targeted approach saves time for both candidates and recruiters, while increasing the chances of a strong match.
View the latest investigator vacancies on SecurityClearedJobs
Investigator roles provide a varied and future-proof career option for individuals with the right combination of skills, experience and personal integrity. With positions across both public services and the private sector, there are many opportunities for individuals to find a role that suits their skills, experience and interests.
Success in this field depends on core competencies such as analytical thinking, attention to detail and legal or technical knowledge. Security clearance is also essential or highly advantageous in many cases. Investigative careers are in strong demand and offer long-term opportunities for those prepared to meet the responsibilities of these trusted roles.
© 2007 - 2024 SecurityClearedJobs.com
Would you like to meet your next employer face-to-face?
Network with 100s of hiring managers looking for your skills and clearance level!
