Head of Analytics

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments.

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

Job description

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority seeks an ambitious head of Advanced Analytics & Intelligence, to lead how we use current and emerging techniques so we might make swift payments to victims of infected blood.

IBCA is responsible for administering a compensation scheme that will process millions of pages of evidence across medical records, minutes of meetings, and other data, as well as flows of information to and from government departments, health agencies and other bodies.

The data landscape is complex and delivering an efficient service will rely on making data work hard on our behalf. The postholder will lead the development of data solutions to support managing fraud, evidence processing to help speed up decisions as well as developing tools that allow us to better understand and engage with those who should engage with the scheme. The opportunity for the postholder to have an impact on those who deserve compensation is huge, and suits a candidate looking to bring their leadership and experience to bear and make a real impact to real people.

As the Head of Analytics, you will lead the development of data solutions to support managing fraud, evidence processing to help speed up decisions as well as developing tools that allow us to better understand and engage with those who should engage with the scheme. You will lead the development of current and emerging techniques in a complex data landscape; you will be responsible for making sense of millions of pages of evidence, including medical records and historical archives.

This is a greenfield opportunity to shape high-functioning data advanced analytics and insight teams. You’ll pitch project ideas, explore novel collaborations with partners, and foster a team culture of creativity and innovation. You will champion the benefits of Data Science, AI (including Generative AI), and Machine Learning to tackle challenges in operational efficiency, forecasting, and fraud detection. Your work will have a direct, tangible impact on the lives of those who deserve compensation.

Responsibilities

Strategic Technical Leadership:

• Provide visible leadership to the Analytics team, supporting the Deputy Director to shape the data management function and vision.
• Collaborate with other areas of the data Directorate and wider business areas, including understanding data analytics needs across the department and ensuring IBCA is making data informed decisions.

Performance Analysis:

• Oversee the creation of Performance Frameworks to enable decision making by leadership at all levels and set up of Google Analytics across the organisation to support future service assessments.

Business Intelligence/reporting:

• Establish and maintain the standards for a self-service reporting environment.
• Own key intelligence products (primarily built in Tableau and Google Looker) that are shared with the Executive Committee/the Board, and other stakeholders, including HM Treasury, and the Cabinet Office.

Develop Demand Insight:

• Develop better understanding of our claimant cohorts and develop forecasting capability, ensuring effective communication and interaction with those involved in the compensation scheme.

Champion Data Science, AI, and Machine Learning:

• Advocate for and demonstrate the benefits of data science, AI (including generative AI), and machine learning to tackle organisational challenges such as operational efficiency, forecasting, fraud mitigation, and cohort analysis.

Innovation in Evidence Processing:

• Lead the development of advanced tools, including image processing / beyond OCR of materials, including emerging methods combining image-text and voice-text transformers, to automate and accelerate the processing of complex evidence.

Fraud & Intelligence Roadmap:

• Own the technical roadmap for fraud detection. Provide data expertise to fraud management roles to safeguard the scheme’s integrity.

Trauma-Informed Practice:

• Ensure all data strategies and decisions are made with sensitivity to the lived experiences of the community we serve.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Technical Expertise: A strong background in Data Science and AI, with the ability to lead the development and procurement of sophisticated technical products;
• Strategic Thinking: Experience in translating strategic priorities into clear, outcome-focused objectives for multi-functional teams;
• Communication: The ability to convey the benefits and risks of complex technical methods to non-technical audiences and senior stakeholders;
• Collaborative Leadership: A proven ability to build and maintain networks across government and external partners to achieve shared goals;
• Resilience & Decisiveness: The ability to make bold, trauma-informed decisions in a fast-paced, evolving environment;
• Culture & Inclusion: A commitment to embedding a culture of inclusion and wellbeing, valuing the diversity of experiences within your team.

Desirable Criteria

• Insight into the infected blood community, health services, or the wider public sector context.
• Experience in creating joined-up strategies that support the Government’s vision for the future of data and AI

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Technical skills

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

• Predictive Analysis & Machine Learning
• Business Intelligence & visualisation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,717, Infected Blood Compensation Authority contributes £21,066 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Premium allowance paid monthly after probation
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
• 32.5 days of paid annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Family friendly policies to support you and your everyday responsibilities
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave, up to 12 months shared parental leave

Recent changes in skilled worker visa eligibility mean that a Skilled Worker must have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor. From 22 July 2025, the job must normally be skilled to level 6 (graduate level) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland, or be included on either the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Please be aware that if the role is not eligible for a skilled worker visa that we will be unable to provide sponsorship.

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.

As part of your application you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history and qualifications highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.

You will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (1250 words max.)

Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.

Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the 'Person Specification' section of the job advert.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using your CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview where you will be assessed on technical skills and strengths.

As part of the interview, you will also be expected to deliver a presentation describing the benefits and practical challenges of using AI techniques on scanned digitised media such as paper medical files.

Further details will be shared with those who are successful at sift.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 16th Feb
Expected interview date/s – w/c 2nd March2026
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to IBCA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website)

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.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

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

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 IBCA if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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

PLEASE NOTE: IBCA employees are public servants, therefore the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNR) do not apply. Candidates who do not meet the CSNR are welcome to apply and applications will not be rejected: successful candidates however will be subject to a Right to Work check to work within the UK.

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

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 : Kate Bayley
• Email : ibcadatadirector@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

Our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing Team at IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1851kB)