Financial Model Quality Assurance Analyst

About us

At the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) our mission is to support effective decision-making and robust reporting within the public sector as the first-choice provider of actuarial and specialist analysis, advice and assurance. The department’s work covers quality assurance of analysis, financial modelling, and valuation work and policy support in relation to insurance and contingent liabilities, pension schemes, financial risk, and social security.

To deliver our mission GAD works like a consultancy within the UK Civil Service, charging by the hour to recover our costs and ensure value for money in our advice and analysis. Being a Government Department allows us to still work more closely in partnership with our clients and to offer secondments and other ways of helping departments and public sector bodies.

About the Role

The roles sits within the Analytical Solutions Team (AST) which comprises around 80 analysts and actuaries and works across a wide and growing range of analytical areas. You will be part of the Models, Development & Assurance team whose mission is to deliver high-quality models and systems that help government make better decisions. Within this team, this role will focus on the assurance of Excel-based and financial models as a distinct category of model types.

Many important decisions across government are supported by spreadsheets, actuarial models, financial projection tools, budgeting models, valuation models, and other Excel-based analytical tools. These models can be business-critical, even where they are smaller or less technically complex than statistical or machine learning models. They therefore require clear design, robust checks, good documentation, appropriate governance, and proportionate assurance.

We are looking for a proactive and detail-focused analyst to help review, test, and improve the quality of Excel-based and financial models used across government. You will help clients identify and manage model risks, improve model transparency, strengthen controls, and build confidence that models are fit for purpose.

This role would suit someone who has experience developing, reviewing or analysing complex spreadsheet models used to support investment, regulatory, commercial, or public policy decisions. The ideal candidate would have relevant experience:

• Financial modelling / corporate finance,
• Actuarial, pensions or investment modelling
• Infrastructure or project finance, or
• Economic appraisal

N.B. GAD may work with recruiters on this campaign provided prior agreement is reached for this specific campaign

What does the role involve?

As a Financial and Excel Model Quality Assurance Analyst, you will help deliver independent and proportionate assurance of models that support important public sector decisions. You will work with analysts, actuaries, policy teams and client organisations to review how models have been designed, built, tested, documented and governed, with a particular focus on spreadsheet-based, actuarial and financial models.

The role will involve examining model logic, formulae, inputs, assumptions, outputs, controls and audit trails to assess whether models are robust, transparent and fit for purpose. You will help identify errors, weaknesses and areas of model risk, and work constructively with model owners to agree practical recommendations that improve confidence in the model and the decisions it supports.

You will support a range of assurance activities across the model lifecycle. This may include helping clients define model requirements, reviewing documentation and governance arrangements, testing calculations and sensitivities, checking changes to existing models, assessing the suitability of assumptions, and preparing clear assurance reports for technical and non-technical audiences.

You will also contribute to the development of GAD’s wider model quality assurance capability. This will include sharing good practice, helping improve assurance templates and guidance, supporting colleagues to apply appropriate standards, and promoting a culture where model risks are understood, documented and managed effectively.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.

A Personal statement of up to 500-words explaining how you meet the essential criteria for the role, with particular reference to the criteria provided in the person specification of the JD.

Your CV and Personal Statement will be used to assess the essential criteria listed in the job description.

During the interview you will be assessed on the experience and behaviours listed in the Person Specification and detailed in this advert. The interview will include a presentation, details of which will be sent to those invited to interview.

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 12 October 2026

Shortlisting: By w/c 12 October 2026

Interviews: w/c 26 October 2026

Interview location: In office (Either London, E14 4PU or Edinburgh, EH8 8FT)

Please apply via our recruitment portal below.

As part of the application form process, please submit your CV and supporting statement. Please do not email your CV outside of this process as it will not be accepted.

Shortlisting criteria is based on the Person Specification as set out in the Assessment Criteria section of the Job Description. Please ensure you provide examples of how you meet the Assessment Criteria; a strong application will also demonstrate that you meet the required criteria that are identified as key for this role. Applications will be shortlisted in line with the essential criteria for the role. The desirable criteria will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates. Behaviours will be assessed at sift and interview stage. Candidates who are successful at shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible and advised of the interview process and assessment (exact times and dates will also be confirmed).

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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