Deputy Director People Analysis

The Deputy Director of People Analysis will lead analysis for the People Function and Expenditure Statistics. You will be responsible for a multidisciplinary team of over 100 people across London, Bristol, Andover, High Wycombe and Portsmouth. Together, these teams forecast and model the future shape of Defence's military and civilian workforce, deliver management information on organisational health, undertake research and evaluation of major people policies, and provide a centre of excellence for Defence survey activity. They also produce more than 20 National and Official Statistics publications and oversee compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics.​

The People Analysis teams are currently undergoing significant transformation as part of Defence Reform. You will play a pivotal role in shaping and leading this change, working closely with your Grade 6 leadership team and senior leaders across the People Function to create a more efficient, effective and responsive analytical service.​

The role also currently includes leadership of a team delivering critical expenditure analysis that strengthens both internal and public understanding of Defence's economic contribution across the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. In addition, you will oversee a high-performing business support function that provides essential enabling services to analysts across the Directorate and Function. ​

The responsibilities of the role include:​

• Lead multidisciplinary analytical teams covering People and Expenditure Statistics, ensuring all statistical and analytical outputs meet the highest professional standards, support decision-making and comply with legal and regulatory requirements.​
• Lead the transformation of People Analysis as part of Defence Reform, delivering a more efficient, effective and responsive analytical service while supporting colleagues through significant change. This will also include working very closely with the digital leadership in the People Function to support the provision of good quality and well-curated People data at a time of significant change. ​
• Provide leadership to four Grade 6s and a geographically dispersed team of over 100 analysts across multiple professions and specialisms.​
• Play a full role as a member of the Directorate of Analysis and Performance leadership team, supporting the Director in delivering high-quality evidence and insight for critical Defence decisions and fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture.​
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders across Defence, including Directors, Directors General (DGs) and senior military officers, to ensure analytical evidence is at the heart of strategic decision-making.​
• Represent the Analysis Function on senior boards and governance forums, acting as a trusted adviser on people policy.​
• Champion the integrity, quality and independence of analysis while supporting ministerial priorities and delivery of the Strategic Defence Review. Drive a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and inclusion, harnessing new analytical techniques and technologies to improve impact and efficiency.​
• Depending on wider organisational arrangements, the role may also include responsibilities as Chief Statistician, acting as the professional head of statistics in Defence and representing the Department with the Office for Statistics Regulation and UK Statistics Authority where required.​

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the Civil Service Jobs portal. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on 18th October 2026 and will involve providing the two documents which are weighted equally:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) providing tangible examples that clearly evidence how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk.

Gianfranco Mansi will be offering a Q&A session on the 7th October at 11am to provide an overview of the role and welcome any questions you may have. Candidates can access the meeting by clicking here. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process. If you have any issues accessing the session, please contact: Adrian.Craven103@mod.gov.uk.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.