Data Analytics Specialist,

Job summary

The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) is driven by its unparalleled access across government to build ‘better insights, better outcomes’ for our clients.

This role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider civil service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government.

The Agency’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally.

Job description

GIAA is a leader in the use of data analytics in internal audit and counter fraud and investigation. We have built award-winning tools that are used both within the agency and more widely across government (see GIAA blogs on GOV.UK for more information). These tools use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced analytical methods.

This role is to be a specialist in the application of data analytics in our Data Analytics team. You will develop scripts and applications using R and Python to prepare data, run advanced data analytics and report findings to auditors and investigators using impactful visualisations. You will use LLMs and AI models in your analysis and develop tools to enable colleagues and external customers to safely and effectively use AI.

You will provide training and support to increase data analytics capabilities across the organisation. You will also engage with data teams across government and in the private sector, and support research and development activities to learn the latest innovative techniques in data analytics. As you apply these to GIAA activities, you will improve the efficiency of our organisation.

Person specification

Role responsibilities

• Develop scripts and applications using R and Python to carry out advanced data analytics to support internal audit and counter fraud and investigation (CF&I) activities across many government organisations.
• Produce and present reports detailing analysis outputs and visualisations for GIAA colleagues and customers.
• Document, maintain and collaborate on code using tools such as DevOps and git.
• Suggest and implement improvements to our current scripts, packages, data pipelines, applications and quality assurance processes, to incorporate coding best practices and quality standards.
• Lead activities to upskill members of the GIAA data analytics network, and promote the benefits and use of data analytics across the agency.
• Engage with data teams across government and the private sector to investigate new data analytics approaches suitable for internal audit and CF&I activities

Person Specification:

1. Experience in interpreting customer needs and conducting advanced data analytics using R or Python to deliver services to meet their expectations.
2. Communicate clearly and effectively the results of complex analysis to colleagues and customers who are not experts in data analytics.
3. Demonstrate an aptitude for connecting business problems to analytical solutions, proactively working with others to implement them and researching and horizon scanning to identify new methods and opportunities.
4. Strong organisational skills, experience leading and managing multiple ongoing projects at pace and building strong relationships with stakeholders and customers.
5. Experience of one or more of the following areas: software development in Shiny or Django; building agentic AI systems, maintaining Azure environments, model review.

To apply for this role, you will need to submit your employment history, personal details and provide a statement of suitability of no more than 750 words, referring to the person specification.

Please note only your statement of suitability will be assessed at the sift stage.

Candidates invited to interview will be required to give a short presentation to the interview panel followed by questions. At interview you will be assessed on experience, strengths and the following technical skills: Delivering advanced analytics

Qualifications

A degree in a discipline that has an analytical or statistical element with demonstrated experience in the use of data analytics, or equivalent extensive work experience, evidencing use of data and analytical skills.

Technical skills

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

• Delivering advanced analytics

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,429, Government Internal Audit Agency contributes £16,926 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and in-year rewards
• Flexible working
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Discount on big brands
• Volunteering days
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Free eyesight tests
• Family-friendly HR policies
• 25 days’ annual leave increasing by one day per year of service to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Geographically based Agency

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 Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 20 April 2026 before 23:55
• Shortlisting: w/c 20 April 2026
• Interviews: 04 May and 11 May 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs profile.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Eligibility Statement

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information.

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC)

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you. Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Katie Woodhouse
• Email : giaarecruitment@giaa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : giaarecruitment@giaa.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Procedure: The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact: GIAARecruitment@giaa.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Grade 7-Data Analytics Specialist-Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1022kB)Success Profiles - Candidate Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 616kB)