Job description Senior Audit Technology Analyst
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London
Salary: London c£62,155 plus civil service employer pension contribution of 28%. A higher base salary may be available for exceptional applicants.
About the role
The Senior Audit Technology Analyst supports the effective delivery and continuous improvement of the audit technology services used across the Financial Audit practice. The role provides senior oversight, expert guidance, monitoring, reporting and escalation support to help ensure ATS applications operate reliably, securely and in line with user needs.
The postholder acts as the senior service lead for Apex and the wider ATS application suite, with a clear understanding of how the systems support audit processes and how they fit within the NAO’s wider IT environment. This insight informs service management activity, supports supplier engagement and enables effective handling of complex issues.
Working closely with the ATS Manager, Analysts, suppliers and stakeholders across the NAO, the Senior Analyst helps identify opportunities for improvement, strengthens service standards and contributes to a consistent, user focused and insight driven approach to audit technology delivery. The role may evolve over time as services develop.
Out of Hours and Peak Period Working
During the peak financial audit period (May, June and July), the postholder will be required to participate in an extended hours support rota. Shifts may fall between 8:00am and 7:00pm Monday to Friday, and between 10:00am and 4:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays, allocated fairly across the team via a planned rota. In addition, the postholder may occasionally be required to work out of hours to support system upgrades, planned maintenance or priority issues where service continuity is essential. Where you are required to work extended or out of hours shifts, you will receive time off in lieu (TOIL) or overtime payments in line with NAO policy.
HOW TO APPLY
Please apply with an up-to-date cv and a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role against essential criteria below:
- Demonstrates senior-level experience in application support and ITIL aligned service management within complex, user focused environments, with strong analytical/problem solving skills and advanced Excel capability for data analysis and reporting.
- Able to communicate effectively and confidently with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders, and capable of collaborating with third party suppliers to support high quality service delivery.
- Shows intellectual curiosity and commitment to service optimisation, technology improvement, and maintaining up to date knowledge of relevant tools, technologies and service management practices.
- A proactive and resilient team player who contributes positively to team culture, supports others, demonstrates initiative, and maintains determination to overcome challenges and deliver strong outcomes.
Selection Process
- Application – Candidates are required to submit their CV and covering letter on the essential criteria above by Monday 23rd February 2026.
- Shortlisting – An initial screening will be conducted to check the eligibility of candidates & based on the role. Only candidates who meet these criteria will proceed to the next stage.
- Interview – Candidates who pass the shortlisting will be invited for the 1st stage interview. The interview will assess various competencies and skills relevant to the role. The interview will be face to face and look to be held week commencing 9th March 2026. Only successful candidates will be contacted for the 2nd round of final interviews taking place week commencing 16th March 2026.
- Decision – The final decision-making process will take place around 20th March 2026.
Equal opportunities and diversity
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments – Applicants with a disability who wish their application to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should confirm this when submitting their application. Under this scheme we guarantee an interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for the role. You should also let our HR team know if you wish us to consider any Reasonable Adjustments at any stage of the process (HR Service Desk (HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk ). Applicants will not be discriminated against on the grounds of any protected characteristic or any other extraneous factor.
Nationality Requirement
- UK Nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas or accept temporary visas as we are looking to hire on a permanent basis. Please contact the HR Service desk (hrservicedesk@nao.org.uk ) should you have any questions on your nationality eligibility.
Responsibilities
- Service quality, performance and assurance
- Provide senior oversight of audit technology service delivery, ensuring services operate within agreed standards.
- Define and promote ITIL aligned good practice across incident, request, problem and change processes within ATS.
- Monitor service trends and risks; recommend targeted improvements and support the ATS Manager in prioritisation and decision making.
- Act as the senior escalation point for complex, sensitive or cross service issues, ensuring timely, well communicated resolution.
- Change readiness and operational assurance
- Provide operational assurance for changes to audit technology (including releases and updates), confirming that support models, documentation and user guidance are in place.
- Where new or materially changed services are introduced, support and assure service transition activity to ensure operational readiness for business as usual.
- Safeguard service continuity by leading proportionate testing, risk assessment and stakeholder communications.
- Governance, risk and compliance
- Identify and manage operational risks relating to audit technology; maintain clear records of mitigations and residual risk.
- Supplier and financial oversight
- Lead service level engagement with third party suppliers, monitoring performance against SLAs/KPIs, escalating issues and driving continuous improvement.
- Represent ATS at supplier governance and service review meetings.
- Support contract and budget oversight and invoicing assurance related to audit technology services, providing evidence and commentary as required.
- Stakeholder engagement and communication
- Build effective relationships with senior stakeholders across Financial Audit, Digital Services and central teams.
- Translate business needs into clear priorities, risks and planned improvements.
- Prepare concise reports and insights to inform decisions.
- User Engagement
- Lead user engagement activities to support effective use of ATS applications.
- Develop and deliver clear, targeted training and communications for new features, updates or changes.
- Gather and interpret user feedback to inform service improvements and identify common issues or needs.
- Ensure user guidance and support materials are accurate, accessible and up to date.
- Leadership, analyst support and capability uplift
- Provide senior support to Audit Technology Analysts to ensure consistent, high quality, user focused service.
- Set expectations and standards for service behaviours and outcomes; provide coaching, mentoring and constructive feedback.
- Coordinate knowledge sharing and learning to strengthen resilience and consistency across the team.
Skills required
- Senior experience in application support or service management within a complex or user focused environment.
- Good understanding of ITIL aligned service management processes and operations.
- Strong analytical and problems solving skills, with a structured approach to identifying root causes and resolving issues.
- Strong Excel skills for data analysis, reporting and insights.
- Effective communicator able to engage confidently with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders.
- Experience working with third party suppliers to support service delivery and improvements.
- Demonstrates intellectual curiosity, particularly around technology, service improvement and business process optimisation.
- Collaborative team player with the ability to lead, support and contribute to a positive, high performing team culture.
- High level of initiative, resilience and determination to overcome challenges and deliver outcomes.
- Committed to personal development, keeping knowledge of technologies and service management practices up to date.