Principal Data Analyst

HM Revenue & Customs

Leeds

3 weeks ago

Applications closed

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Talent Acquisition Partner @ HM Revenue & Customs

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 21st July 2025

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About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

As a Principal Data Analyst in HMRC’s Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS), you will play a leading role in the UK government’s digital transformation journey. Working at the forefront of innovation, you will harness advanced analytical techniques and emerging technologies to help shape HMRC’s strategic approach to risk and compliance, ensuring the right tax is paid and safeguarding public funds.

You’ll be part of the Government Digital and Data community, a collective of over 28,000 professionals transforming lives through technology. Your work will have real-world impact, enabling data-driven decisions that support citizens and contribute to a fairer and more efficient tax system.

We are looking for someone with a passion for analysis, a deep understanding of data’s potential, and the leadership to drive change in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. This is your opportunity to join a forward-thinking, expert community and make a lasting difference.

HMRC's Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) are looking for people with the experience and skills to join us as a Principal Data Analyst. You can look forward to a training programme tailored to your needs, the support of a mentor and excellent potential for career development. Our collaborative and ambitious environment will enable you to make a real difference in transforming lives through technology. You will be part of a team that uses data to deepen our understanding of how to ensure the right tax is paid, working with some of the most complex and comprehensive data in the country.

About the Risk & Intelligence Service (RIS), Preventive Risking and Upstream Risk & Analytics

Risk and Intelligence Service (RIS) plays a vital role in HMRC’s compliance and enforcement strategy. We collect, integrate, and analyse one of the most extensive and diverse data landscapes in the world, enabling HMRC to identify and manage risks related to non-compliance across the UK tax system.

As a Principal Data Analyst in RIS, you’ll be part of a team that leverages complex, large-scale data to generate actionable insights. Your work will directly support our mission to ensure the right tax is paid, using cutting-edge analytical approaches to protect public funds and improve outcomes for society.

RIS Preventive Risking: (PR)identifies, prevents, and disrupts fraudulent registrations and repayment claims, ensuring HMRC responds effectively to attacks. Potential non-compliance by legitimate customers is identified, and high-risk repayments are referred to compliance partners for intervention, improving future compliance.

Upstream Risk & Analytics (URA)have teamed up with Making Tax Digital (MTD) to develop a product called Transactional Risking. This allows HMRC to provide education and identify potential areas of concern to us and the customer early in their journey via targeted feedback called HMRC Assist. HMRC Assist encourages customers to get their tax affairs right the first time whilst simultaneously closing the tax gap. Transactional Risking provides in-session risk-based feedback; influencing customers to self-correct obvious errors, overlooked reliefs and commercial issues that look incorrect. The first funded use case was for Income Tax Self-Assessment within the MTD customer journey, but we are now expanding into VAT and CT to help improve customer journeys in those platforms, expanding the capability of the same tooling we have previously delivered.

Person specification

As a Principal Data Analyst, you will lead innovative, high-impact analytical work that influences strategic decision-making and transforms how HMRC identifies and responds to risk. Your responsibilities will include:

Ensuring RIS’ technical requirements for expanding Transactional Risking to new use cases are communicated, appropriately designed and delivered to the required standards.
Providing leadership and expertise to resolve technical issues raised within Transactional Risking’s areas of responsibility such as data ingestion & analytical platform queries.
Driving innovation by exploring and applying advanced data analysis techniques and new data sources in new ways, working towards HMRC’s strategic objective to enhance upstream risking capability.
Shaping evidence-based recommendations by assessing options, understanding risks, and clearly communicating the impacts of your insights to inform strategic decisions.
Designing and embedding high-quality analytical processes, championing reproducible, auditable, and efficient practices that deliver measurable value and can be tracked over time.
Collaborating with stakeholders across disciplines to build trusted relationships, understand user needs, and deliver timely, relevant insights using agile methodologies.
Leading complex discussions and managing stakeholder expectations, particularly in high-risk or time-sensitive contexts.
Translating complex analysis into action, presenting insights in clear, compelling ways to technical and non-technical audiences at all levels.
Staying ahead of the curve by monitoring developments in data science, analytics, and emerging technologies, and helping the organisation adapt to best practice.
Collaborate across disciplines and departments, contributing to a thriving analytical community and supporting HMRC’s mission with strategic, evidence-based solutions.
Line management of Senior Data Analysts, being accountable for their key business deliverables and managing their personal development.

Your work will contribute directly to protecting public revenue and ensuring fairness in the tax system, making a meaningful impact on people’s lives across the UK.

Data Analysts in the Civil Service are part of the Government Digital and Data (GDAD) profession — a community of experts driving digital transformation across government. The essential and desirable criteria for this role are aligned with the GDAD capability framework, which you can read more about here.

This role offers unparalleled variety and scope, with opportunities to work on meaningful projects, solve complex problems, and apply your expertise to real-world challenges. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across HMRC and other government departments, contributing to a joined-up, data-driven approach to public service delivery.

As part of a supportive and forward-thinking profession, you’ll also benefit from ongoing learning and development, access to professional networks, and opportunities to grow your career in a culture that values innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.

To be considered for this role, your application must demonstrate evidence of all the following essential criteria:

1. Developing code for analysis:Significant experience and technical expertise in designing and implementing code using languages such as SAS, SQL, R or similar. Proven experience in leading others to develop coding standards, processes and outputs to achieve business outcomes.

2. Project Management:Proven experience in leading the delivery of analytics/data requirements as part of large-scale projects, ideally IT change projects, to support data analysis; applying recognised project management methodologies to ensure delivery within agreed timescales.

3. Communicating between the technical and non-technical:Strong communicator with the ability to explain analytical concepts to all audiences, adapting communication methods and building relationships at a senior level. Experience in communicating analytical/technical requirements to inform design of solutions to business problems.

4. Applying statistical and analytical tools and techniques:Proven experience in developing and deploying new analytical/statistical methodologies within a team, focused on manipulating large datasets to achieve business benefits.

5. Understanding product delivery:Ability to work with specialists in multidisciplinary teams to deliver products into the organisation, championing technical requirements and informing design conversations.

6. Data Innovation:Experience in identifying areas of innovation in data tools and techniques, recognising appropriate timing for adoption.

To help you succeed in this role, the following desirable criteria may be considered in the event of a tie between candidates:

Knowledge and practical application of upstream compliance analytics.
Knowledge and practical application of SAS Viya tools.

Seniority level

Seniority levelMid-Senior level

Employment type

Employment typeFull-time

Job function

Job functionAnalyst and Information Technology
IndustriesGovernment Administration and Government Relations Services

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