Analyst Manager

Job summary

Assessments and Plans lead the Agency’s long‑range planning and assessment functions, inclusive of independent intelligence assessment products in line with Professional Head of Intelligence Assessment (PHIA) best practice. Assessments & Plans portfolio also includes responsibility for delivering annual products of importance (National Strategic Assessment, Annual Plan, Annual Report and Accounts) as well as management and coordination of all Command corporate activity such as strategic workforce management, budget management and information governance.

The National Assessments Centre acts as the NCA's centre for assessed intelligence reporting. The team's mission is to articulate the single picture of the serious and organised crime threat. The National Assessments Centre (NAC) is responsible for producing the authoritative assessment of the UK’s understanding of the threat from serious and organised crime, a key factor in driving the NCA’s activity and protecting the public.

You will be joining a team at the heart of directing and driving resource to tackle SOC and its impact on the UK, as part of a professional analytical team that seeks to raise the analytical profile in the NCA by delivery of quality intelligence and analytical products that shape law enforcement and HM Government response to serious and organised crime. Delivering high quality intelligence research and analysis, the NAC operate an 'all-source' model, drawing on NCA and partner intelligence, open source, academia, and private sector data and insight. This gives a breadth of insight and opportunities for working with other UK and International Intelligence, law enforcement and policy partners.

Job description

This is a broad role and requires outstanding knowledge of analytical practice and techniques to develop, guide and drive standards, combined with management and leadership skills in order to negotiate with numerous stakeholders to collaborate effectively, ensuring the quality of products remains high and adds value.

You will be leading a team of analysts to deliver a range of analysis and assessment of the SOC threat, providing insight to a range of customers both internal to the NCA and across the law enforcement and HM Government landscape. You will play a leading role in shaping your team's forward-workplan, through dialogue with customers; building rapport and strong relationships to ensure that NAC assessment products are aligned with and delivering to, the NCA's core objectives.

You will be responsible for your own and your team's professional development, driving innovative new approaches to analysis and assessment, making use of best practice across the analytical community. This will include ensuring that professional standards are maintained through rigourous quality assurance of NAC products and robust analytical challenge through, for example, stakeholder workshops.

Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation and influencing skills are essential. Successful candidates will need to engage with stakeholders and customers at all levels, developing strong working relationships to understand customer needs, analytical requirements, tools and techniques; and be able to communicate their findings appropriately across a range of partner agencies.

Leading a team of analysts

Provide clear and effective leadership for a thematic NAC team of analysts and senior analysts, directing and shaping the team's forward workplan of assessments, and through developing a one-NCA team ethos to deliver against NAC priorities; embodying the NCA's values and being a role model for the team.

Analytical excellence

Responsible for overseeing the work of the team, ensuring analytical standards are maintained, ensuring the NAC remains a centre of excellence. Testing the rigour of the analytical foundation of NAC assessments, developing the team's use of analytical tools and tradecraft; ensuring that the team has the requisite training and continuous professional development; maintaining your own knowledge and expertise of analytical tradecraft. Chairing of or participation in multi-agency 'Current Intelligence Groups' to review products and ensure elimination of bias and maintenance of NAC independence and standards.

Stakeholder and partner management

Develop strong relationships with relevant teams across the NCA, law enforcement, and HM Government; communicating the work of the team and ensuring that NAC products are suitably tailored to the needs of customers whilst maintaining NAC standards. Actively seeking constructive feedback on products, and submitting products for external evaluation (e.g. through professional boards). Seeking out new opportunities for the team to add value, and working with stakeholders to shape new commission requests for assessment products.

Performance management

Set performance objectives for the team, including expectations around the delivery, quality and timeliness of assessments. Address any performance issues within the team. Using reward and recognition to encourage the development of staff and to strengthen performance.

Project management

Ensuring the team's work is adequately resourced and planned, setting timelines and milestones for delivery of products and ensuring robust management of progress and risks. Seeing products through the whole end to end process, from commissioning stage through to publication.

Influencing customers

Briefing the team's work to various stakeholders, conveying the findings of NAC assessments at various governance groups and boards within the NCA and across law enforcement/HM Government; helping to shape/frame discussions around the SOC threat: suggesting areas where the NAC could add insight, for example through filling strategic intelligence gaps.

Contribution to national products

Ensuring the team contribute to the standing NAC national products (such as the annual National Strategic Assessment and the Quarterly Strategic assessment); putting in place a roadmap for collection at the start of the year to ensure these obligations can be fulfilled.

Person specification

Experience of managing analytical teams or functions

Experience of managing a team of analysts, particularly in relation to intelligence analysis and assessment, delivering high quality analysis.

Understanding of intelligence processes

Experience of working with intelligence in a law enforcement or equivalent setting, either in an operational or strategic context.

Project management

Ability to actively manage projects within your portfolio (eg assessment products) and to own accountability for their delivery.

Understanding of law enforcement environment

Knowledge of law enforcement (or equivalent body) structures and capabilities.

Intelligence analysis and assessment skills

Experience of conducting intelligence analysis and assessment, including strategic intelligence assessment; understanding and experience of using structured analytical techniques.

Influencing and stakeholder management skills

Ability to influence and negotiate with a wide range of stakeholders, both internally and externally.

Working at pace

Ability to work to tight timescales, and to balance and prioritise workloads.

Communication skills

Experience of briefing analytical work to senior audiences and/or a wide range of stakeholders, both written and verbal. Ability to present complex information clearly and concisely.

Benefits