To support quality assurance in KAI, this role has overall accountability and SCS1 lead for Data Quality, Assurance and Technology in KAI, leading a relatively new team created in 2020.

This role and the new team are part of the response to the findings of a review undertaken by the Office for Statistics Regulation: ‘Strengthening the quality of HMRC’s statistics’.

At the same time there is an urgent need to implement actions to ensure that the analytical data warehouses that KAI uses are GDPR compliant and to develop processes to ensure that they remain compliant for the future.

Working to the Director of KAI, the post-holder will have overall accountability for Data Quality, Assurance and Technology in KAI and is the KAI SCS1 Quality Assurance (QA) lead. They will lead a team of around 35 FTE currently (this will increase to around 45 FTE). The team is based in London, Manchester and Liverpool with most team members working from home currently due to the Covid pandemic.

 

The team’s focus is:

• technology management;
• data and analytical quality assurance (QA);
• business critical models and related model development activities;
• the production of cross-cutting tax statistics for publication; and
• management of the partnership between KAI and Corporate Finance, one of KAI’s key stakeholders.

The post-holder will also work closely alongside the 9 Deputy Directors who lead on policy and operational analysis, as well as having specific portfolios.

As a senior member of KAI the post-holder will help lead the directorate, helping to drive our ambitious business and people agenda.

 

Responsibilities • Being a visionary and inspirational leader within the immediate team and across wider KAI on QA and data requirements. This includes leading the teams that you will directly manage and setting the direction for and supporting other KAI teams;
• Ensuring that KAI’s approach to Quality Assurance is fit for purpose, that robust and proportionate processes are in place and embedded into KAI’s ways of working and culture;
• Providing advice on analytical methods, model development and Business Critical Models;
• SCS ownership of the partnership between KAI and Corporate Finance (CF) on KAI’s input to HMRC’s annual report and accounts and associated NAO audit, and KAI’s use of CF data;
• Overseeing and leading KAI’s data and technology requirements, with a particular focus on ensuring that the data, technology and software used by analysts is fit for purpose, any risks are identified and have appropriate controls and actions in place;
• Future-proofing and horizon scanning for changes to data inflows to KAI in the light of significant risks to KAI’s ongoing access to data from changes to HMRC’s systems, platforms and technology;
• Leading a programme of work to ensure that KAI is GDPR compliant, now and for the future;
• Overseeing and leading the team producing cross-cutting statistical publications. Many of these publications are high profile and can attract media interest;
• Effectively managing senior stakeholders in HMRC (including Corporate Finance, Chief Digital and Information Officer Group (CDIO, which is HMRC’s Data and IT business group), Transformation programme directors, KAI Deputy Directors) and external stakeholders (including HM Treasury, the NAO, Office for Budget Responsibility, Office for Statistics Regulation/ Office for National Statistics).

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

The post-holder will be required to:
• come from one of the analytical professions represented in KAI (economist, statistician, social or operational researcher) and have strong, demonstrable and recent experience of working in related analytical roles; OR
• have strong, demonstrable and recent experience of Data and IT management such as a Data Scientist professional (one of the Government Digital, Data and Technology professions).

You must state which profession you are from on your application.

The post holder will need to have experience of:

Seeing the Big Picture:
• The ability to create a forward looking vision for KAI's approach to QA and data requirements, building on what is already in place and the ability to work through the complex nature of KAI's work to come up with creative and pragmatic solutions that deliver against KAI's and HMRC's objectives.

Leadership:
• The post-holder will have experience of providing visible leadership to deliver team or organisational/wider objectives.

Working together:
• You will have a track record of forming close partnerships with others inside and outside of the organisation. You will work closely with the other Deputy Directors within KAI as well as with colleagues in Corporate Finance teams, CDIO and external stakeholders such as HM Treasury, NAO, Office for Budget Responsibility and Office for National Statistics.
• You will need to be persuasive in your views but also solution focussed to find a way through that best meets everyone's needs.
• Effective QA and ensuring KAI's data requirements are met and future proofed is an important capability within HMRC and you will need to work across KAI to ensure that we have that the right people doing the right roles.
Communicating and Influencing:
• You will be an excellent communicator, actively ensuring a motivated, engaged and high performing team ethos and inclusive working environment across a number of office locations, which supports team members of diverse backgrounds.
• As well as being a visionary leader in QA and Data Assurance you will need to communicate complex and technical matters clearly and concisely to seniors across HMRC.