Data Process & Audit Lead

The Directorate is pivotal to UKHSA's mission, overseeing the comprehensive delivery of commercial, contract management, and business development functions. It manages a vast commercial portfolio, ensuring the agency has the resources to address health security threats. The directorate leads the procurement, storage, and distribution of vaccines and countermeasures for national immunisation and emergency response programmes. It fosters industry partnerships, drives strategic market engagement, and builds supply chain resilience. Additionally, the team is responsible for investment governance, dispute management, and building commercial capabilities. They also develop and execute strategies for income generation, leveraging UKHSA's expertise and facilities to secure funding and commercial opportunities.

• This role leads the integrity and development of Demand and Analytics team processes, ensuring compliance with UKHSA data quality and governance requirements.
• Manage financial and data audits, maintain accurate inventory forecasting models, and oversee the review and registration of critical systems and decisions.
• Support Demand Planning Leads in refining forecasting approaches and ensuring high-quality, controlled models.
• Maintain the team process database, ensuring updates align with organisational standards. Proactively review assumptions and processes to support compliance with UKHSA and DHSC requirements, contributing to operational efficiency and strategic objectives.

Main duties of the job

• Lead on matters relating to the integrity and development of the processes used by the Demand and Analytics team.
• Lead the assessment, assurance, and interface with Finance, leading on any financial and/or data audit activities.
• Support IBP Demand Planning and Analysis Leads with responsibility for inventory forecasting management and ensuring that high quality, highly controlled models are used when managing inventory.
• Review existing forecasting approaches in relation to inventory to ensure current technical stance is appropriate for existing services provided by the organisation.
• Ensure team processes and systems meet UKHSA data quality assurance requirements, lead assessment of data holdings, and ensure best practice, compliance, identification and recording of business-critical systems, models, and decisions.
• Own and maintain the team process database and ensure timely review and update of processes.
• Ensure registration of all models, decisions, and updates on any and all UKHSA and DHSC required registers.
• Always ensuring proactive review of latest assumptions and compliant interactions with UKHSA and DHSC Finance maintaining a live record at all times.

About us We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Job responsibilities

• Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training/development needs with your line manager through appraisal/individual development plan. Attend internal/external training events.
• Participate in all mandatory training as required, i.e. fire safety, information governance and all other mandatory training.

Key working relationships

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. This will include;

Internal

• Finance Business Partner (FBP), Security and Data (S&D), Programme, Quality & Regulatory: Collaborate with middle managers in Finance and Operations teams to ensure compliance with financial and data audit requirements and to refine inventory forecasting models. Communication includes meetings, reports, and data-sharing to align processes with organisational objectives.
• Finance, Commercial Project Management Office (CPMO), Data and Analytics (DAS): Engage with senior managers across UKHSA to present updates on process improvements, compliance reviews, and audit outcomes. This involves strategic discussions, formal presentations, and decision-making support.
• UKHSA: Provide briefings and updates to top management, such as directors or senior civil servants, on the integrity of critical systems, high-level audit findings, and compliance strategies. Communication is typically formal, via reports, strategic updates, or board-level presentations.

External

• Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Cabinet Office (CO), Treasury, NHS: Work with middle managers in other government departments to ensure alignment on shared data governance frameworks, financial compliance, and interdepartmental audit requirements. Communication includes regular updates, data-sharing, and collaborative meetings.
• DHSC, CO, Treasury, NHS: Coordinate with senior managers in partner departments, such as DHSC or Treasury, to address strategic concerns, share best practices, and ensure consistency in policy implementation. Communication involves structured meetings, presentations, and policy discussions.
• DHSC, CO, Treasury, NHS: Brief top management in other departments, such as directors or senior civil servants, on critical cross-departmental processes, high-level audit outcomes, and compliance with overarching government standards. Communication is formal, often through official reports or interdepartmental forums.

Person Specification

• Proven experience in process design, inventory forecasting, and data assurance.
• Demonstrated experience in leading the design, review, and assurance of operational processes, ensuring compliance with financial/data standards and organisational requirements.
• Ability to manage and improve inventory forecasting approaches, lead reviews, and assessments, ensuring accurate registration and documentation of critical processes and decisions.
• Strong ability to manage financial and data audits, ensure the accuracy of forecasting models, and maintain compliance with data quality and governance frameworks.
• Ability to build and sustain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work autonomously to make decisions and lead projects at middle management level.
• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
• Postgraduate level qualification in a relevant field (Data Analytics, Business Management, Finance, Supply Chain) or equivalent level of experience with at least 2 years working in a relevant area.
• Expertise in compliance with government data governance frameworks and financial standards, demonstrating the practical application of skills in these areas.
• Experience of line managing a team.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment. Provides clear direction, empowers team members, and ensures accountability for delivering objectives.

Selection Process Details: This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)
• 1000 word Statement of Suitability. This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The 3 desirable criteria will only be assessed at interview stage in the event of a strong field of candidates and after all essential criteria have been assessed.

Statement of Suitability and the Application form will be scored together.

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria

In order to be shortlisted you must meet all essential and some of the essential criteria.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• Demonstrated experience in leading the design, review, and assurance of operational processes, ensuring compliance with financial/data standards and organisational requirements.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles) You will be invited to a (single) remote interview. Behaviours and Strengths will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and influencing

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
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