Deputy Director, Advanced Analytics

Job summary

You’ll sit at the centre of the Department for Transport, shaping how evidence and emerging technology are used to improve decisions that affect millions of journeys. This is a high-profile leadership role with real influence across the Department, our arm’s length bodies and the wider transport sector balancing pace and innovation with proportionate governance and assurance.

We are seeking an innovative Deputy Director to lead the Advanced Analytics Division within the Department for Transport’s central Analysis Directorate.

The Division sits at the heart of the Department, partnering with teams across DfT and working closely with our arm’s length bodies. The team is currently based in London, Leeds and Hastings.

The Advanced Analytics Division is a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team bringing together Analytical professions, Government Science and Engineering and programme delivery. We combine deep technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement to turn complex questions into practical, decision-ready insight and delivery.

In particular, we:

• Lead the Department’s AI and Digital Twin programmes high-profile, internal and externally facing portfolios that shape how the department and the sector uses these emerging technologies
• Apply advanced analytics to strengthen evidence-based decision making improving quality, speed and value for money across DfT
• Set standards for model governance and quality assurance ensuring analytical and AI products are trusted, robust and used appropriately.

Job description

Our work ranges from rapid, agile delivery (developing and deploying models and AI tools) to building the governance, training and assurance needed to scale new approaches safely. We focus on using the right method for the question and delivering tangible impact.

The team partners with policy and operational areas to define problems clearly, shape strong questions and translate needs into well-scoped analytical or technology requirements.

We provide visible leadership across the Department and the wider sector in our areas of specialism including AI and advanced data science, model development, and work to inform Digital Twin policy and procurement. Most projects combine several of these strands, and you will ensure work is prioritised, delivered to high standards and communicated in a way that supports confident decisions.

Alongside leading through others, you will retain enough technical depth to be an effective sponsor and critical friend providing informed challenge, assuring quality, and, where appropriate, contributing directly to priority work.

You will speak confidently on a range of technical subjects and translate complexity into clear, decision-focused advice for senior leaders and ministers.

You will also work with analytical teams across DfT to continuously improve how we do analysis spotting where new or under-used techniques can increase quality, pace and value for money.

What you’ll get

• A high-profile leadership role with exposure to senior leaders and ministers, shaping key decisions across transport.
• The chance to lead nationally significant programmes (AI and Digital Twins) and influence how these emerging technologies are used across the sector.
• A multi-disciplinary team of experts and the opportunity to build capability, culture and ways of working that deliver real impact.
• Strong professional networks across the analytical professions, Government Science and Engineering and the wider data community alongside the opportunity to build strategic relationships with academia, SMEs and big tech.
• Support for your development through stretching work, coaching and access to learning across the Civil Service.
• Flexible working options and hybrid working (60% office-based), with a choice of locations and regular travel to London

Duties and Responsibilities

You will lead delivery through a mix of virtual, project-based teams and line-managed teams owning a divisional portfolio and ensuring it is prioritised, governed and delivered effectively. You will set clear objectives, put in place strong programme controls (plans, milestones, risks and dependencies), track benefits and build an inclusive, high-performing culture that delivers at pace.

• Lead and inspire the Advanced Analytics Division, setting clear direction and translating strategy into a coherent portfolio of programmes and projects. You will oversee prioritisation and resourcing, manage key risks, issues, and dependencies, and empower experienced leaders across the team to deliver through others.
• Lead the Department’s AI programme, working with the Director for Data and Advanced Analytics and senior stakeholders (including the Chief Scientific Adviser, CDIO and Executive Leadership Team) to accelerate adoption. At this stage of AI maturity, this is as much about redesigning workflows and changing how people work as it is about the technology so you will drive programme delivery, change management and capability-building alongside proportionate governance and risk management.
• Influence senior stakeholders to use advanced analytics and AI by identifying priority opportunities, making the case for change and supporting teams to adopt innovative approaches where they add value.
• Support the adoption of Digital Twins in transport to realise economic and operational benefits. A Grade 6 will lead day-to-day delivery; you will sponsor the programme—setting direction, agreeing milestones and benefits, and ensuring effective governance of delivery (including a multi-million-pound offer supporting local authorities this parliament) to increase take-up across the sector.
• Champion the use of advanced analytics and data scienceacross DfTby providing expert challenge, driving innovation, and influencing senior stakeholders on when and how to use these approaches to improve decisions and delivery.
• Grow our data science networks and profile, building on the success of the Data Science in Transport platform so we share learning, attract talent across our sector, and position DfT as a leader in advanced analytics.
• Build Advanced Analytics capability by developing people, strengthening ways of working and using matrix management effectively. You will plan and distribute resources to meet short-term delivery pressures while anticipating longer-term needs and help shape the Department’s wider capability agenda.
• Provide technical leadership and assurance, using your expertise to shape high-quality analysis and AI across the Department, including acting as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for model governance.

Person specification

We are looking for a leader with strong technical breadth and depth, and the leadership skills to deliver through others in a matrixed environment. You will build capability across the Division and the wider Department and help embed new ways of working that increase impact, pace, and quality.

Professional expertise -

Applicants should have:

• A strong analytical background demonstrated through either relevant professional membership/accreditation (e.g., data science, operational research or a related field) or equivalent senior experience leading analytical and AI work in practice.
• Experience of governance and quality assurance for analytical models and AI systems.

Skills and Experience:

• Experience of leading an AI programme, including technical development and deployment, alongside comms, governance, and training.
• Strong programme and change management skills, with experience driving workflow and process change to embed AI (or similar technology-enabled change) at scale.
• Ability to see the bigger picture and direct your expertise to achieve impact.
• Inspiring, confident, and empowering leadership of multifunctional teams, and of leading culture change.
• Excellent track record of managing and developing staff, inspiring them and building their technical and wider capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels and to build effective relationships and networks across organisational boundaries.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Department for Transport contributes £28,970 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service.

It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.

We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details. >

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance is pro rata for part-time employees). This is in addition to 8 public holidays.

This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.

Staff Wellbeing

Flexible working including part-time or term-time working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here. Any move to the DfT from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.

Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).

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

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form.

https://gdsearch.sandersonplc.com/deputy-director-advanced-analytics

This should be completed no later than 23:55 on Sunday 24th May 2026.

The application will include:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’.

All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.

Should you encounter any issues with your application please contact:

IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com​

For a confidential discussion to help inform your application, please contact our recruitment advisors at Sanderson Government and Defence:​

Josh.irving@sandersonplc.com​

IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com

Longlist

The panel will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the essential criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application. ​

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter. Candidates selected for longlisting will be invited for a preliminary discussion with Sanderson Government and Defence to further explore their skills and experience.​

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident, Redeployment or Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview. Please complete the relevant parts in the application system if applying under these schemes.

Shortlist

The panel will review reports on those longlisted and will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Personal Specification

Assessment

If you are shortlisted you will be asked to take part in the following assessments :

• Individual Leadership Assessment – a combination of psychometric assessments
• Staff Engagement Exercise - a presentation and Q&A with a representative staff group from across the DfT.

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Informal Discussions

Shortlisted candidates will have the opportunity to speak to Sam Rose prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview where you will be asked to give a presentation and then have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Interviews are expected to take place face to face in our London office

Outcome and Feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at longlist stage.

Timeline

The timeline further down this page indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Expected Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date: Sunday 24th May 2026

Longlist: Thursday 28th May 2026

Shortlist: c10th June 2026

Assessments: w/c 14th June 2026

Panel Interviews: w/c 21st June 2026

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments in order to support disabled job applicants and ensure that you are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and assessment process.

If you feel that you may need a reasonable adjustment to be made, or you would like to discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact:

IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.comin the first instance.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.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 : India Scarlett Horton
• Email : IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com

Recruitment team

• Email : IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com

Further information

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 eleanor.reed@dft.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

DD Advanced Analytics Final CIP Opens in new window (pdf, 977kB)