Contract type: Permanent
Location: London or Newcastle offices
Salary: Senior Analyst: £45,390 - £57, 582 (London), £39,400 - £51,582 (Newcastle)
Value for money audit principal (Performance auditor): £54,735 - £65,146 (London), £44,367 - £59,088 (Newcastle)
Full time/Part time: We have a number of positions available and strongly encourage individuals wishing to work with us on a part-time basis to apply and take advantage of our flexible working arrangements

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Each year we publish around 60 major Value for Money (VFM) reports looking at various government programmes and projects. VFM reports are multi-method reports often delivered at pace to achieve real impact.

The main role of Senior analysts/Value for money audit principals (performance auditors) in the NAO is to lead our teams in planning, researching and drafting these reports, working alongside sector or topic specialists, analysts and qualified accountants as well as applying strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.

Senior analysts and Value for money audit principals also lead other work including investigations - where concerns have been raised with us - and support Parliamentary select committees.

All Senior analysts and Value for money audit principals are expected to spend part of their time using their expertise to contribute to our specialist networks across the office. This includes providing analytical insight and support to others outside of your team on your areas of expertise such as analytical techniques and methods, commercial and regulatory issues, digital transformation and data use in the public sector, financial risk and management, major project delivery, and people and operational management.

Please do not wait until the closing date to apply as we will review applications throughout the process. We are aiming to hold the following selection stages:
Shortlisting stage- from 15 August
Case study stage- from 22 August
Final interviews- from 5 September

Nationality Requirement:

• UK Nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas. 

The closing date for applications is 25 August.

As a Senior Analyst/ Value for money audit principal you will lead studies examining key aspects of government programmes and projects. You will get involved in other work too, including investigations, correspondence (from the public and MPs) and other work that supports Parliamentary select committees.

Skills Required

It will be essential that you can demonstrate the ability to:

• Balance tasks and priorities to lead a complex, challenging portfolio of work including supporting the work and development of others.
• Use your technical knowledge and expertise to deliver high quality work across our VFM reports and wider work.
• Analyse complex ideas or proposals using a wide evidence base to develop meaningful recommendations.
• Scrutinise a wide range of government and third-party information sources, and consider reliability and usefulness.
• Communicate audit findings in well-structured written outputs which add value for the client and can engage a wide audience.
• Think creatively and innovatively in how you work.
• Engage effectively with colleagues and clients at all levels, including specialist NAO teams and the people we audit to create impact through your work.
• Influence and add value by building your understanding of the challenges faced by the people we audit.
• Make sound judgements and reach clear conclusions that are clearly evidence based.

Educational Requirements 

A strong academic background and experience in leading research/ performance audit projects and producing high quality, accessible written outputs.

For Senior analysts this means either:

• A minimum of a 2:1 degree in a discipline with a substantial quantitative analytical component (e.g., mathematics, statistics, economics, management science/operations research, finance or data analytics, social research methods) and relevant experience; or
• A Masters degree with a substantial quantitative or research component and relevant experience.

For Value for money audit principals (performance auditors) this means:

• An ACA qualification or other professional qualification (e.g., ACCA, CIPFA, CIA, MIIA, CIMA) with relevant experience working in performance and/or internal audit.

Contact Name: National Audit Office
Reference: TJ/8409/45112
Job ID: 3123666