About the job

Job summary

We are looking for candidates who have wide-ranging experience in performing, facilitating and quality assuring rigorous, structured analysis. They will be passionate about raising analytical standards across the profession of intelligence analysis and will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively to lead and deliver large cross-agency projects.

The Senior Analytical Tradecraft Officer’s role is to advise, support and challenge intelligence analysts tasked with assessing complex issues of national security. Working as part of the team supporting the Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment (PHIA), based in the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), the successful candidate will have a leading role in developing and leading the application of analytical tradecraft in all-source intelligence assessment.

Job description

The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) primarily supports the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), the National Security Council (NSC), the Prime Minister and other key decision-makers by providing authoritative, robust all-source intelligence assessment on a vast range of national security and foreign policy priorities.

Our work covers, and goes beyond, ‘traditional’ national security topics such as geopolitical issues and threats to British interests. We apply a national security lens to issues such as emerging technology, economic and health security, climate change and horizon scanning (for example, identifying and monitoring countries at risk of instability).

You can read more about working for the JIO and PHIA in the information pack attached at the bottom of this advert.

The Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment (PHIA) leads the Intelligence Analysis Profession across government, providing a central function to drive coherence, collaboration and capability development. PHIA is supported by a team that sits within the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) and has a broad remit covering analytical tradecraft/standards, community collaboration, and analyst career pathways.

The post holder will be a subject matter expert within the JIO for analytical tradecraft. They will provide advice and support to analysts in the JIO and the wider intelligence assessment community on a daily basis, helping them tackle the most complex analytical challenges throughout the lifecycle of intelligence assessments.

Advising analysts on the design of analytical workshops, including the selection of appropriate analytical techniques or approaches, will be a key responsibility of the post holder. They will be expected to regularly facilitate analytical workshops for the JIO, and at times for other government departments. 

The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate flexibility and respond to priorities set by the intelligence assessment community leadership. The role will have a particular responsibility within PHIA to support the development and application of best practice in intelligence assessment. This will include by:

• Leading community projects and work programmes in support of the aims of the PHIA-led analytical tradecraft group, reporting to the Intelligence Analysis Profession Board and the Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment. This will include directing the activities of volunteers from across the intelligence analysis profession.
• Consulting for the JIO, and other assessment bodies and government departments, on analytical practice, methods and approaches.
• Contributing to the challenge and product review processes for the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and other intelligence assessment bodies.
• Managing the development of analytical tradecraft tools and techniques and tradecraft guidance to the intelligence assessment community. This will involve considerable collaboration across HMG, with overseas partners, as well as academia and industry.
• Supporting the development and quality assurance of current and future training for analysts by advising the Intelligence Assessment Academy development team.

You may have the opportunity to teach some tradecraft elements of the Assessment Academy’s courses.

Person specification

The ideal candidate should have:

• Experience working in all-source intelligence analysis or a clear demonstration of how your analytical expertise can be transferred to the intelligence environment.
• Experience selecting and applying a range of analytical tools, techniques and processes to quantitative and qualitative datasets.
• Excellent communication and networking skills, including dealing confidently with senior staff.
• Strong organisational skills in order to effectively manage multiple competing priorities.
• Strong facilitation skills. 

We particularly welcome applications from those with experience across some or all of the following:

• Knowledge of the UK intelligence community, in particular the range of analytical products and how they are constructed.
• Experience developing tools, techniques and methods.
• Experience of facilitating analytical workshops and/or delivering training.
• Experience delivering cross-departmental projects.

We invest in upskilling our team members to enable them to thrive once they start working with us. As such, if you don’t quite match these desirable skills, don’t let it put you off applying as we will equip the successful candidate with them once you are in post. The application process will seek to gauge potential just as much as current performance.

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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,500, Cabinet Office contributes £12,015 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a name blank CV, 250 words Behaviour Statements and 500 words Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your Personal Statement must outline your experience relevant to the role, including where you can demonstrate meeting the criteria listed for this position (500 words).

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Working Together. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates as well as the interview location to be confirmed.

High-Side Evidence

Community colleagues wishing to submit evidence holding a higher classification are permitted to do so, although are requested to get in touch with the Recruitment Team on R28918 where they will be provided with appropriate instructions for doing so. The recruitment team must ensure that any supporting evidence submitted on alternative systems are redacted to remain compliant with name blind recruitment principles. Applications submitted directly to recruiting managers will not be considered.

Selection Process

Candidates successful at the application stage will be invited to a formal interview focused on the behaviours listed on the vacancy advert, this could either be face to face/online video interview. 

The Technical elements of the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework will be assessed at interview stage.

Candidates who are invited to interview will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation to the panel on a topic given to them. Details will be shared with candidates who are invited to interview. Candidates will be assessed on their demonstration of Analysis, Tradecraft and Assessment skills (Level 2: Proficient) as detailed in the Professional Development Framework for all-source intelligence assessment, as well as their verbal communication and presentation technique. The presentation will be scored.

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.

This post is only open to British Citizens. Some dual nationals may be ineligible. The successful candidate must obtain Developed Vetting (DV) clearance if not already held. As they will have access to very sensitive information, there are limitations on travelling to a small number of countries and we will undertake additional security checks as part of the recruitment process.  Applications from candidates with close connections to certain countries may take considerably longer to process, or in some cases result in a withdrawal of an offer of employment.  Further details will be provided at the conditional offer stage.

Further information

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 terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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

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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

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: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Developed Vetting (DV) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for DV is 10 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

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

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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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.

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 developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.