Joint Intelligence Organisation – Principal Intelligence Analyst (Emerging Risks)

About the JIO

The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) primarily supports the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and the National Security Council, 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 in the information pack attached at the bottom of this advert.

The Role

You will have responsibility for delivering the JIO’s all-source strategic assessments of new emerging risks, transnational issues and political instability. Central to this is the production of the Joint Intelligence Committee’s flagship Countries at Risk of Instability (CRI) and Register of British Interests (RBI) reports; these serve as the analytical foundation for a wide range of HMG policy and funding decisions. You will also take responsibility for the JIO’s work on instability, migration, climate security, food security. The role sits within the JIO’s Economics, Energy and Emerging Risks Team, whose work covers a wide range of high-profile international issues.

This role involves working closely with senior customers (policy officials in the Cabinet Office, FCDO, MOD and other Whitehall departments) and developing a large network of collaborative working relationships across HMG and with international partners. You will be helping to improve HMG’s preparedness for future global crises and shocks by providing early warning about developing global risks and their implications for UK national security. Your work will be read by the Prime Minister, Ministers, No.10, and senior officials, and have a real impact on policy and decision making. The role also provides the opportunity to develop innovative approaches to data-driven strategic assessment and futures analysis.

The successful candidate will need to be prepared to work flexibly during a crisis to support teams in wider JIO as required.

If your application is successful you will:

• Analyse information from a range of sources to produce timely, robust and policy-relevant risk indices and related all-source assessments, in support of UK foreign and security policy;
• Manage the production of the JIO’s Countries at Risk of Instability (CRI) and Register of British Interests (RBI) reports, combining quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques with extensive HMG and external engagement.
• Establish collaborative relationships with Cabinet Office and Whitehall colleagues.
• Ensure the team products are focused on policy customers priorities and are used to inform policy discussions.
• Support you colleagues to deliver the wider team’s priorities.
• Establish a network of contacts from across think-tanks, academia and the private sector to draw in expertise and invite challenges to HMG thinking;
• Identify datasets that improve the JIO’s assessments, and develop innovative approaches to using data in all source assessment products.
• Line manage and coach a SEO Senior Data Analyst.

The successful candidate will very strong communication skills and experience producing evidence-based analysis or assessment for a senior audience. You should already possess solid research and analysis skills (including being comfortable working with big datasets), and be experienced at gathering and analysing information from diverse sources. You will have excellent interpersonal skills and be a team player, developing close working relationships with colleagues across Whitehall and international partners.

Skills and Experience Required

The successful candidate will:

• Possess solid research and analysis skills (including being comfortable working with big datasets);
• Be able to draw conclusions from a large volume of (sometimes conflicting) evidence;
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills, including excellent drafting skills;
• Have excellent interpersonal skills and be a team player, able to develop and manage close working relationships with colleagues across organisational boundaries;
• Be proficient in Microsoft Excel and able to apply a range of data visualisation methods to communicate insights.
• Existing relevant subject matter knowledge.

 Desirable Skills

• Experience or an interest in either intelligence, national security, international development or foreign policy;
• Expertise in coding (e.g. Python, R) and/or data analysis software (e.g. Tableau, Power BI);

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.

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

• Working Together
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Gathering, Organising & Evaluating Intelligence & Information (Highly Proficient)
• Analysis, Tradecraft and Assessment (Highly Proficient)
• Informing Decision Making (Highly Proficient)
• Written and Visual Communication of Intelligence Assessment (Highly Proficient)

Existing civil servants can take up the post on loan from their parent department for the duration advertised (permission from their parent department would need to be secured in order to take up the post). Those joining on level transfer will retain their current salary. Staff joining on promotion terms will receive up to a 10% increase of their current basic salary or the pay band minimum whichever is the greater. Staff joining on promotion will adopt the modernised terms and conditions of employment which came into force in 2013. 

Pension: There is a choice of excellent pension schemes. More information about pension provisions can be found at www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Flexible Working: Flexible working including job-share arrangements may be considered for this role.

Leave allowances: 25 days’ paid leave per annum rising to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, full-time staff receive eight public holidays and the Queen’s Birthday privilege day as well as competitive maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave.

Probation: Staff new to the Civil Service will be required to serve a six month probationary period.

Location: The post will be based in Westminster, London. No relocation costs will be available.

Crisis working: As the JIO and PHIA are at the heart of national security function for the UK, there are occasionally times where we need to respond to incidents of crisis or critical importance. Staff in any role may be asked to work extended or anti-social hours with little or no notice on such occasions.

Equality and Diversity: The Cabinet Office is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all staff. We will not discriminate on grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, those with caring responsibilities, part time workers or any other factor irrelevant to a person’s work. We encourage a diverse workforce and aim to provide a working environment where all staff at all levels are valued and respected, and where discrimination, bullying, promotion of negative stereotyping and harassment are not tolerated.

Civil Service Code: All civil servants are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code which details Civil Service values, standards of behaviour, rights and responsibilities. Go to http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk for more information.

Job contact :

• Name : Vacancy Enquiries
• Email : info.applications@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk