Risk and Assurance Consulting Actuary

Job summary

This job is ideal for actuary candidates from all disciplines looking for a consulting role and career with purpose that requires them to think broadly to engage in an enormous variety of interesting areas and topics. The work will make an impact helping clients make progress with important work, and provide a supportive and flexible environment in which to work.

At GAD our mission is to support effective decision-making and robust reporting within the public sector as the first-choice provider of actuarial and specialist analysis, advice and assurance. The department’s work covers quality assurance of analysis, financial modelling, and valuation work and policy support in relation to insurance and contingent liabilities, pension schemes, financial risk, and social security.

To deliver our mission GAD works like a consultancy within the UK Civil Service, charging by the hour to recover our costs and ensure value for money in our advice and analysis. Being a Government Department allows us to still work more closely in partnership with our clients and to offer secondments and other ways of helping departments and public sector bodies.

We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously.

Candidates will join the Risk and Assurance team, currently three people supported by our Analytical Solutions team which provides capacity to deliver large analytical projects and advice. We are also supported by colleagues with relationships across our client and potential client base who help identify and introduce opportunities for new work.

The team is growing fast and is in demand which brings this need to recruit new team members. Candidates will have the opportunity advise our clients on improving and assuring their analytical work, supporting policymaking and implementation. The purpose of these roles is to help our clients in government departments and the wider public sector make more effective and informed decisions. The work is significantly more varied than most actuarial roles, given the civil service context and the focus on analysis across all of the public sector. Our current and recent work includes assuring analysis included in ministerial submissions and departmental business cases, and models used in implementation of key policies supporting the government’s missions. We are advising on policies supporting the circular economy, cover for clinical negligence, managing the costs of nuclear decommissioning, education spending, and more.

Job description

The roles will be based in our Risk and Assurance team where candidates will carry out most of their work. We expect there will be opportunities to support other GAD client-facing teams and undertake a wider variety of work as required (see Key responsibilities 5). When developing and working on client advice candidates will also work with our Analytical Solutions Team who provide most of GAD’s analytical capability and capacity. The range of activities of analysis assurance work and the scope of the roles are set out below.

Originating opportunities

Candidates will be expected to originate and develop opportunities to provide advice directly and use other routes such as colleagues’ networks and established relationships. The job will involve:

• Building on existing knowledge of the client universe to explore and plan where to prioritise efforts, and enact those plans with the support of colleagues.
• Identifying and targeting opportunities to promote GAD’s capabilities with organisation-wide networks, and networks which span groups of organisations (e.g. cross-Government networks).
• Meeting with potential clients to understand their needs and discuss and assess whether and how GAD can help them by provide valuable advice or through other mechanisms.
• Clearly articulating GAD’s offering and relevant information to help clients understand better how to obtain advice from us and what to expect.

Business Development

We need successful candidates to develop business from ideas or an introduction into an agreed engagement for GAD to provide advice. The following steps are required:

• Identifying, validating, and establishing a shared articulation with the client, of the areas where GAD’s skills and capabilities can meet the client’s needs in the form of analysis, and advice.
• Plan the work sufficiently, working with GAD colleagues and the client, to establish a timeline and efficient resource allocation.
• Estimate the time-cost of the work, including allowing for uncertainty and communicating that to the client.
• Overseeing the necessary client take-on processes.
• Managing both the client and GAD colleagues’ expectations through this process.

Leading advice

Candidates will need to lead advice projects with clients, ensuring client expectations are managed, advice meets client needs and GAD’s risks are appropriately managed. This will need you to:

• Use actuarial and analytical skills to critically assess clients’ models, business cases and other analysis, identifying key risks, limitations and opportunities for improvement.
• Formulate clear, evidence‑based recommendations that support effective analysis implementation and risk management across a wide range of public sector issues.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and uncertainties in an accessible way to non‑specialists, including senior decision‑makers, both in writing and verbally.
• Provide constructive challenge where analytical approaches, assumptions or governance could be strengthened, and guide clients towards effective and compliant approaches.
• Take ownership of the advice GAD provides, ensuring it is technically sound, proportionate to the risks, and aligned with clients’ objectives and the wider public sector context.

Managing delivery

You will lead the team to manage the end‑to‑end delivery of risk and assurance engagements, working closely with the Risk and Assurance team, the Analytical Solutions team and other GAD colleagues.

Key requirements:

• You will be responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing work so that it is delivered on time, to a high standard and represents value for money.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary project teams, including Analytical Solutions Team colleagues, to ensure analysis, documentation and quality assurance are completed to GAD standards.
• Monitor progress, risks and issues throughout delivery, taking timely action to keep work on track and escalating where necessary.
• Manage expectations of both clients and internal stakeholders, providing regular updates on progress, constraints and options, and adjusting plans as needed.
• Contribute to improving GAD’s internal methods, tools and templates for risk and assurance work, sharing learning across the team and supporting continuous improvement.

Regardless of the area of work, you will be expected to build client relationships, identify areas where GAD can provide additional support and ensure consistency of approach where appropriate.

Person specification

1. Leading client engagement in advising on assuring analysis to the public sector.

2. Developing leads and ideas into new projects with clients in government and the public sector.

3. To develop new client relationships, and to maintain and build on existing client relationships.

4. Manage and oversee project delivery, through collaborating with colleagues to ensure all work is appropriately scoped and delivered in an efficient and timely manner with a focus on providing value for money for our clients. This includes:

• Specifying work, monitoring output and providing feedback
• Effective project management;
• Working with more junior staff and liaising with colleagues across the organisation;
• Partnering with clients including business development and client engagement activities

5. Providing a consistently high level of service and ensuring work is undertaken within professional requirements. This includes:

• Providing/supporting appropriate quality advice (oral or written) to agreed time-scales and within budget;
• Complying with checking and peer review procedures;
• Adapting to changing client needs and balancing conflicting priorities;
• Complying with all professional actuarial and GAD guidance.
• Developing both your own skills, and those of junior colleagues to meet the evolving nature of GAD’s work

6. To ensure effective and agile co-operation with other teams within GAD, including flexible working across teams as required to meet client demand.

7. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of role-relevant actuarial and other matters (including meeting all CPD requirements).

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, IFoA, or equivalent actuarial professional body (Essential)
• Detailed knowledge of UK actuarial concepts and techniques (Essential)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,851, Government Actuary's Department contributes £22,263 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

As well as competitive salaries, we offer a substantial package of benefits:

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day-to-day work.
• 25 days annual leave per year, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service. In addition, we offer 9 days public and privilege days leave per year (pro rata for part time staff)
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 5 days of paid volunteering leave
• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year.
• Occupational sick pay
• Family-friendly policies such as help with caring responsibilities, special leave, generous paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Access to employee assistance programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice.
• The opportunity to join a trade union.
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
• Salary advances for travel costs, including annual season tickets and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice.
• Complimentary BUPA health check for permanent staff.

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 and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.
• A Personal statement of up to 500-words explaining how you meet the essential criteria for the role, with particular reference to the criteria provided in the person specification of the JD.

The Civil Service application process has a standardised method for assessing candidates, we strongly recommend that you read the descriptions of the civil service behaviours. Strong applications will present these in the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) method.

We will use your CV and Personal Statement to assess the Experience and Technical skills listed in the JD.

Stage 2: Panel interview

During the interview you will be assessed on the experience and behaviours listed in the Person Specification and detailed in this advert.

Timelines

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 09 February 2026
Shortlisting: w/c 09 February 2026
Interviews: w/c 16 Feb 2026 or w/c 23 Feb 2026
Interview location: In office (London, E14 4PU)

Please apply via our recruitment portal below.

As part of the application form process, please submit your CV and supporting statement. Please do not email your CV outside of this process as it will not be accepted.

Shortlisting criteria is based on the Person Specification as set out in the Assessment Criteria section of the Job Description. Please ensure you provide examples of how you meet the Assessment Criteria; a strong application will also demonstrate that you meet the required criteria that are identified as key for this role. Applications will be shortlisted in line with the essential criteria for the role. The desirable criteria will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates. Behaviours will be assessed at sift and interview stage. Candidates who are successful at shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible and advised of the interview process and assessment (exact times and dates will also be confirmed).

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

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.

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 : Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Further information

The Government Actuary’s Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm… If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting recruitment@gad.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioners.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-actuarys-department

Attachments

Risk and assurance Actuary B2-3 Job Description Opens in new window (pdf, 606kB)