Deputy Director, Strategic Analysis, Joint Data and Analysis Centre (JDAC)
Cabinet Office
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 9th February 2025
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About the job
Job summary
The Joint Data and Analysis Centre (JDAC) in the Cabinet Office is dedicated to ensuring that government decisions are informed by the best available data and strategic analysis, drawn from across government, industry, international expertise, academia and open-source intelligence.
We produce robust analysis and insights to support policy and decision-making, enabled by our direct link to skills and expertise from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and partnerships. This includes:
- Thematic analysis in high-priority cross-cutting areas, including the economy, energy, resilience, national security, trade, inequality, and other societal issues. We also support the Cabinet Office with public sector and Civil Service reform analysis.
- Foresight analysis to enable the government to prepare for and act on foreseeable developments, opportunities and challenges.
- International comparative analysis to evaluate how other countries respond to issues that also affect the UK, and identify lessons.
We curate and analyse data and develop the platforms and tools to maximise accessibility for policymakers working closely with 10DS (Data Science), the ONS Data Science Campus and partners across and beyond government.
We bring together timely data and insights to build situational awareness on crisis and national security issues and help ensure the UK is ready in the event of and during crises.
Our Partners
We work in partnership with the ONS and in collaboration with the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) and the broader analytical community. We convene cross-government analytical leaders to inform strategic decision-making.
Job description
This is an exciting and unique role working at the heart of government, providing advice and analysis directly to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and other ministers. We are seeking a Deputy Director for Analysis to lead a high performing team of analysts. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for an on-going analytical capability to support decision making in response to crises, and the Joint Data and Analysis Centre (JDAC) was set up to meet this need. The team sits within the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat (EDS) in the Cabinet Office.
This is a unique opportunity to join an exciting and fast paced team, working on the most high profile and challenging topics facing the government. This post will oversee experts across a range of fields, working across a range of subject areas, and to provide analytical insight and advice related to national and global events.
You will join a senior leadership team responsible for the strategic direction of an analytical unit that supports the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, the National Security Secretariat as well as a range of other teams in the centre. JDAC is a multi-disciplinancy team of analysts that includes thematic, international comparisons and foresight analytical functions, assigned to support any number of high priority topics facing the government. You will help manage these functions, setting their direction and contributing to their input into the newly established Senior Analytical Leadership Team (SALT) of senior analytical leaders across government. You will help set JDAC’s strategy and support the Director of JDAC including in their role as the Cabinet Office Director of Analysis.
You will be comfortable in translating sometimes ambiguous policy requirements into defined analytical tasks, appropriately prioritising and overseeing their execution into accessible and adaptable products for a variety of audiences. You will take a leading role in landing the analysis your team has with key stakeholders and modelling how to ensure analysis has impact. You will add value by seeing the bigger picture as to how all analysis across the portfolio links together. You will be comfortable working at pace on critical work for senior stakeholders. You will also be comfortable establishing where your team sits within the Cabinet Office and across-government. The role would suit a candidate with the technical expertise to undertake their own work as well as leading experts from inside and outside of government to programme.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead a team of senior analysts to generate high quality products for ministers and policy teams, highlighting opportunities, risks and effective mitigations. You will expect to work with a range of teams, including with No10, the Joint Intelligence Organisation, the National Security Secretariat, and the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat.
- Coordinate analysis across government for urgent, strategic and future ministerial priorities across your functions. You will reduce duplication and increase the efficiency of analysts across the Cabinet Office and government. In doing this you will support the Senior Analytical Leadership Team (SALT) via strategic analysis directed by the group.
- Collate cross-government views, external expertise (from academia and private sector), and data and evidence. You will streamline and improve decision making by bringing together a consensus view of government analysis from across departments. In doing this you will engage with senior cross-Whitehall SCS analysts to draw on expertise, seek challenge and consensus, and ensure this is reflected in advice to the Prime Minister, No.10, Cabinet and Cabinet Office Ministers.
- Support the Director of JDAC in their role as Cabinet Office Director of Analysis and provide coordination across the Cabinet Office Analysis Function. You will champion the engagement with policy officials to explain and demonstrate the value of central analysis in strategic decision making.
- Make a strong and substantial contribution to drive and deliver corporate work strands across the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat.
Person specification
- Leadership in ambiguous environments. This includes providing direction to teams, as well as leading strategic debates across-government to develop analytical projects to support decision making for the biggest and most challenging issues.
- Excellent communication skills to brief Ministers and a variety of audiences on priority thematic issues. This includes outstanding data visualisation skills to quickly explain complex issues to time-poor Ministers.
- Expertise in using a variety of analytical tools, including quantitative and qualitative methods, such as economic analysis, statistics, futures thinking and social research. You will demonstrate significant experience in maintaining and improving the highest levels of analytical standards in your teams.
- A track record of working at pace to identify and address strategic data and analytical gaps for senior customers. This includes experience of working with a range of stakeholders including the private sector, academia, and other external sources.
- Ability to lead, motivate and support a team to deliver high quality work that can inform key policy decisions, at pace.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
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. You’ll benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities, 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.
This includes:
- 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day to mark the King's birthday.
- 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;
- Flexible working patterns including part-time or time-term 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;
- Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle;
- The opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable); and
- Occupational sick pay.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application process
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23:55 PM, Sunday 9th February 2025.
1.A CV (max 2 pages or 1250 words) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2.A Statement of Suitability (max 2 pages or 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Selection process
Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
A panel, including the hiring manager, will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.
The timeline in the attached pack indicates the date by which decision is expected to be made, and all longlisted and shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.
If you are shortlisted, you may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include psychometric tests and/or a staff engagement exercise. 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.
For more information about the assessment process, please follow this link: https://scs-assessments.co.uk/
If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. We will be assessing against the success profiles Experience and Behaviours at interview.
You may also have the opportunity to speak to a senior representative from the department prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and organisation. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.
Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. If you are required to prepare a presentation for the final interview you will be given the subject in advance.
If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies in the Civil Service requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without the need for a new competition.
Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible.
We will send you a copy of any report for any assessment that you may have undergone as part of the recruitment process (if requested).
Expected timeline (subject to change):
Expected sift date – Week commencing 17th February 2025.
Expected assessment date/s – Week commencing 24th February and/or 3rd March 2025.
Expected Interview date/s - Week commencing 10th March 2025.
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 at: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Reserve lists
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.
Further Information
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Any move to Cabinet Office 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. Determine your eligibility here.
Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.
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.
Reserve lists
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : SCS Recruitment Team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
