AI & Systems Modeller

The AI & Systems modeller is the owner of the algorithms that form the foundation of finance insights. In this role, you will ensure business users have seamless access to actionable intelligence with limited human intervention. You will champion an 'Expert-in-the-loop' (HITL) methodology, ensuring that AI generated insights are validated by financial subject matter experts to combine statistical precision with institutional knowledge. You will create, maintain, monitor, and adjust AI and machine learning (ML) -based systems and establish automated frameworks that underpin analytic tools, deploying sophisticated analytics at scale and enabling data-driven decision making.You will collaborate with product managers and cross-functional teams to assist in building user-centric AI capabilities integrated into core finance processes.

Your role will help the organisation shift from routine analysis to continuous model enhancement and decision enablement. You will define, track, and communicate the business value generated by deployed models, including improvements in forecast accuracy, cost savings, and decision cycle reduction.

To be successful in this role, you must bring a strong blend of data science expertise, technological proficiency, and financial acumen. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of analysis and performance in a tech-first, analytics-driven finance function.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all., * Operationalise and Design AI/ML Models to Enhance Decision Support

• Validate and Monitor Model Performance
• Integrate Data and Knowledge Sources

Operationalise and Design AI/ML Models to Enhance Decision Support:

• Design and develop models that directly address key business challenges, delivering clear, actionable insights that support financial decisions and improved operations. Occasionally, conduct ad hoc analyses to address urgent business needs.
• Ensure seamless integration and embedding of AI/ML solutions with core finance planning and analytics platforms and next-generation data architectures to enable scalable, real-time decision support, replacing manual processes and static reporting within core workflows.
• Deliver model outputs through intuitive, user-facing tools (to empower real-time, self-service analytics across finance and business functions, enabling decision making at scale.
• Leverage modern MLOps practices such as versioning, performance monitoring, and automated retraining pipelines to ensure models remain scalable, relevant, and operationally excellent.
• Apply advanced techniques such as supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning (RL), generative modeling, and feature engineering to build scalable models.
• Design automated variance analysis loops that systematically compare generated forecasts against financial quarter/annual closed actuals. Use these variance outputs to identify error patterns and trigger back-feeds for model retraining.

Validate and Monitor Model Performance:

• Conduct rigorous testing and validation of models using metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and cross-validation against business KPIs, A/B testing, and Explainable AI to ensure reliability and transparency.
• Validate the integrity of fully automated data pipelines. Promptly identify and report any data quality issues or anomalies to maintain compliance with governance standards.
• Proactively monitor and improve model performance against defined business KPIs, identifying improvement areas to optimise performance and reliability. Additionally, track and report adoption KPIs for model outputs to lead targeted enablement and drive iterative enhancements, maximizing business value realisation and user satisfaction.
• Leverage modern MLOps practices to detect Data Drift and Concept Drift early. Establish automated triggers that initiate retraining pipelines when model variance against actual financial data exceeds defined thresholds.
• Ensure models adhere to AI governance policies, regulatory standards, and ethical guidelines, including bias mitigation and explainability.
• Implement model risk controls, maintain audit trails, and ensure documentation supports auditability and compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.

Integrate Data and Knowledge Sources:

• Integrate diverse data sources into model pipelines, including structured, unstructured, and tacit knowledge.
• Identify potentially valuable new data sources and evaluate their impact on model performance through exploratory testing and validation, ensuring any additions enhance predictive accuracy and align with governance standards.
• Partner with data architects to design conceptual and physical data models, ensure end-to-end data lineage, and uphold robust data governance across all model inputs and outputs.
• Support training and enablement efforts to help users effectively engage with model-driven tools., You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1,000 word Supporting Statement

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1, 500 but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,000 words. We will not consider any words over 1,000 words.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV. Please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ and ‘Meets some essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting., If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Please note: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) group, where this role sits, is undergoing organisational change over the next 12–18 months. While the process is still in the planning stage, some roles may be affected by future restructuring. We are committed to keeping candidates informed and will share updates as they become available.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is:

• Baseline Personnel Security Standard
• Security Clearance

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 as the role requires Security Check (SC). UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * 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)
• 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

• Data engineering skills and expertise and experience of low code/coding (e.g. SQL)
• Experience designing feedback systems where actuals (ground truth) are automatically fed back to update model weights. Understanding of Model Drift (detecting when financial patterns shift) and strategies to mitigate it.
• Demonstrable experience with large-scale datasets and machine learning.
• Proven ability to adapt models to evolving business needs and regulatory requirements and be able to demonstrate proactive approach to maintaining up-to-date understanding and translation of complex information and practical guidance.

Desirable role criteria:

• Demonstrated success in developing and maintaining models for forecasting, risk assessment, scenario planning, or decision support.
• Knowledge of Reinforcement Learning agents and their application in optimization problems.
• Experience with Active Learning workflows, where human expert feedback is captured to retrain models.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams, including finance, IT, and compliance, to co-create solutions that address finance challenges.
• Familiarity with Oracle Cloud platform, In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of :
• Data engineering skills and expertise and experience of low code/coding (e.g. SQL).
• Experience building and deploying AI/ML models, preferably in a finance or enterprise analytics conte, * Changing and Improving (Lead)
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communication and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

There will be a Presentation aimed to assess your technical skills. The topic will be : Provide an example of where you have developed a business solution using Machine Learning? What was the situation, what solution did you implement and why? What was the result?

Pulled from the full job description

• Pay rise
• Company pension
• Transport links, £56,185 - £70,566 per annum pro rata

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location:

Grade 7 £56,185- £66,581 (National) £58,340- £68,574 (Outer London) £60,494- £70,566 (Inner London)

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary.

Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.