Analyst: AI Growth and Economic Preparedness

Job summary

At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.

We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.

We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.

We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.

We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.

Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.

Our Inclusive Environment

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.

Please note

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. This role will be within the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST). This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

Job description

You will lead analysis to shape policy on AI adoption, growth and economic preparedness, working closely with other analysts and the AI Growth and Economic Preparedness policy team. You will also engage with stakeholders within and outside government to strengthen the evidence base and drive analytical impact beyond the team. You will help shape policy questions, test assumptions and translate findings into practical advice that improves policy design and delivery.

Your main responsibilities may include:

• AI Adoption Survey: Leading analytical work to redevelop the AI adoption survey, drawing on specialist methodological expertise where needed and working with policy colleagues and analysts across government to identify the evidence needed to inform decisions. You will help improve how we measure businesses’ use of AI, barriers to adoption and associated changes to business performance and workforce practices.

• AI-driven local growth: Leading analysis and research to inform place-based AI adoption and growth initiatives, including understanding local business needs, opportunities and barriers. You will use findings to shape the design and targeting of support, and help establish what works, for whom and in which places.

• Public Attitudes and AI Adoption: Developing and analysing evidence on people’s experiences, understanding and expectations of AI, including its use in workplaces. You will examine how attitudes relate to willingness to use AI and responses to its adoption, and what this means for the design of adoption, skills and workforce preparedness policies.

• In addition to these core projects, you will sometimes be required to reprioritise and provide analytical support in emerging priority areas. The role therefore requires flexibility and the ability to work at pace. However, we will ensure you have consistently strong development opportunities and a chance to shape the direction of your work.

Essential criteria:

• Working Together: Ability to build strong and productive relationships with policy colleagues, and build networks outside your immediate team to shape and deliver analytical projects.

• Delivering at Pace: Experience of leading analytical projects and managing competing priorities, with the ability to operate flexibly in a rapidly evolving strategic and policy landscape.

• Communicating and Influencing: Ability to communicate evidence with clarity and impact, making complex findings easy to understand and translating them into advice that influences decisions.

• Analysis: Experience of applying methods from your analytical profession to complex problems, selecting appropriate approaches, assessing evidence critically and translating findings into clear advice for decision-makers.

Desirable criteria:

• Background in AI policy, technology policy, or related analytical fields

You will be assessed at interview against the relevant technical competencies for your specified analytical profession.

The role is reserved for badged Government analytical professions: Government Statistician Group (GSG), Government Economic Service (GES), Government Social Research (GSR), Government Operational Research Service (GORS). Candidates who are not members must be eligible and willing to take the tests to become a member. Those wishing to apply to either the Government Statistician Group or Government Social Research will need to sit online tests as part of the application process.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Working Together: Ability to build strong and productive relationships with policy colleagues, and build networks outside your immediate team to shape and deliver analytical projects.

• Delivering at Pace: Experience of leading analytical projects and managing competing priorities, with the ability to operate flexibly in a rapidly evolving strategic and policy landscape.

• Communicating and Influencing: Ability to communicate evidence with clarity and impact, making complex findings easy to understand and translating them into advice that influences decisions.

• Analysis: Experience of applying methods from your analytical profession to complex problems, selecting appropriate approaches, assessing evidence critically and translating findings into clear advice for decision-makers.

Desirable Criteria

• Background in AI policy, technology policy, or related analytical fields

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Analysis of data (GES), Data Analysis and Acquiring Data and Understanding Customer Needs (GSG), Technical skills (GSR), Knowledge and application of OR (GORS)
• Effective Communication (GES), Presenting and disseminating data effectively (GSG), Using and promoting social research (GSR), Achieving impact with analysis (GORS)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,740, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £13,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 13/11/2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Online tests will not be available between midnight on Saturday 14 November and 6am on Monday 16 November. Your progress will be saved, and you will be able to continue once the tests are available again

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to outline how you meet the skills and experience requirements for the role. You must also state which one of the four government analytical professions you are applying for or are already a member of as part of the statement.

Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV only.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview process will consist of two stages. The first stage will assess candidates against the required behaviours. Candidates who meet the benchmark at this stage will progress to a second interview, which will assess the technical competencies and include a presentation.

The interview will consist of behaviour and technical questions.

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.

Sift and interview dates

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Sylvie Hobden
• Email : sylvie.hobden@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DSITrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DSIT T&Cs v1.2 Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)