Principal Private Office Analyst


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£67,928 to £79,415 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	SW1H 9NA
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	3 Nov 2026
Closing date:	15 Nov 2026

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Summary

The Department for Work and Pensions is recruiting for the role of the Principal Private Office Analyst (PPOA) to the Secretary of State (SoS) for Work and Pensions. The PPOA is responsible for advising the SoS on some of the most critical policy areas of this Government’s priorities.

DWP is the UK’s biggest public service department, and administers the state pension, a range of working age, disability, and ill health benefits to around 22 million claimants and customers. What we do matters to millions of people every day.

This is an analyst job and so candidates must meet the eligibility requirements set out in the ‘Essential Qualifications’ sections of the candidate pack; which is either to be a member of one of the following professional bodies Government Economic Service (GES), Government Operational Research Service (GORS), Government Social Research (GSR) or Government Statistician Group (GSG) or have the required qualifications to become a member of one of these professions. Knowledge will be tested at interview.

If you are not already a badged member of GES, GORS, GSR or GSG, you must apply through one of these professions and meet its eligibility and professional assessment requirements. Successful candidates will be badged into their chosen profession as a condition of appointment.

Please check you are eligible and follow the instructions on the Essential Qualifications section of the candidate pack when completing your application form. When completing the additional questions at the end of the application form, ensure that you only state one of the professions that you wish to align with. If multiple professions are stated or it is not clear which profession you are applying under then your application will be withdrawn.

If you meet the eligibility requirements you should then provide evidence against the Essential Experience Criteria listed in the Person Specification section of this job advert.

The analyst community in DWP operates a Managed Moves system. Given the nature of this role, the successful candidate will not be able to opt in to the Managed Moves until a) they have been in this post at least two years and b) there are surplus Managed Moves roles available.

This is a unique role where the post holder will directly support the SoS to progress their priorities and regularly interact with Ministers, Special Advisers and senior officials. This is a fast-moving, dynamic and, at times, challenging environment in which to navigate complex issues at the highest level. The post-holder will be an excellent leader; demonstrate a high degree of political acumen, curiosity to identify and produce helpful work; and an outstanding communicator.

The post-holder will also be a key part of the Private Office senior management team, and will manage one junior analyst.

In this role, the Principal Private Office Analyst is responsible for:

Being the main analytical point of contact in Private Office for all analysts within DWP. This requires regular engagement with senior analysts and subject experts across the Department.
Leading analytical support to the Secretary of State and Ministers on a range of analytical questions to support their decision making and parliamentary activity. This includes co-ordinating cross-cutting analytical commissions which span across DWP.
Leading analytical support to prepare analytical and statistical briefings for the Secretary of State, Ministers and senior officials for appearances in Parliament (DWP Orals, debates, speeches) and Select Committees.
Oversight and quality assurance of all analytical work, including briefing for Ministers, and any ad-hoc analysis the team produces.
Supporting briefing to Ministers and press office on Official Statistics.
Leading, managing and developing a team within the Private Office structure to ensure the Ministerial team receive the highest level of service

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