Head of NFI New Business Development and Piloting

at  Cabinet Office

JOB DESCRIPTION

NFI uses advanced data matching techniques and a secure, sophisticated web based application to deliver a configurable range of fraud prevention and detection tools to public and private sector organisations across the UK. These bodies include police authorities, fire and rescue authorities as well as local councils and a number of private sector bodies. Operating every two years across the UK, the NFI collects 8000 datasets from 1100 organisations. Since joining the Cabinet Office in 2015, the NFI has prevented and detected fraud/error worth £1.2 billion (1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022) bringing cumulative savings to £2.4 billion. This work is supported by real time point of application checks.
Underpinned by a Code of Data Matching Practice that is laid before parliament, the Code helps ensure that the Cabinet Office and its staff, auditors and all persons and bodies involved in data matching exercises comply with the law, especially the provisions of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and to promote good practice in data matching.
As one of the G6 leads for the NFI, you will oversee the delivery and operation of NFI business development utilising continuous improvement and innovation to drive outcomes.
Structurally the NFI team is made up of an Operational Delivery (OD) Team and Business Development (BD) Team.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Presentation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,700, Cabinet Office contributes £18,743 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

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)

THE ROLE

This is a demanding and varied role working on a high profile data matching project operated on a commercial basis. The post holder will lead all aspects of NFI business development - reporting to SCS and the PSFA EXCO (G6 & SCS leadership team).

The role has many aspects to it, some of which are set out below:

• Jointly lead the strategic direction of the NFI – deliver the NFI strategy which continues to drive innovation for the NFI (the public sector’s largest fraud prevention and detection tool – with £2.4bn of savings, 1100 participating organisations, 8000 datasets, 300 million customer records and 8000 system users). The strategy aims to secure growth opportunities in new and existing markets across public (including local government, NHS and Central Govt) and private sectors(including financial, insurance, utilities and hire car).
• Lead the NFI Business Development Team - There are 17 posts in a virtual NFI team spread across England and Wales. Four posts in addition to this G6 that are dedicated to business development with other Operational Delivery team members providing support when required. Provide support, guidance, coaching and ensure the business development team are clear on strategic directions – so as to ensure decision making aligned with the strategy. Motivate, engage and empower the virtual team to ensure we deliver the plan and work with the NFI It supplier to deliver objectives.
• Financial Management – The NFI operates on a commercial basis at nearly nil cost to the Cabinet Office/PSFA. Ensure effective financial modelling of the NFI so as to ensure the operational costs (circa £2m) are adequately covered through revenue streams. Represent the NFI in Business Planning and Spend Review Cycles – liaising/influencing and negotiating to ensure budgets are approved. Develop budgets that allow the ambitions of the NFI strategy to be resourced for delivery. Ensure procedures are in place to secure customer vendor information and, in collaboration with Finance and SSCL, ensure accurate invoicing and income collection from all NFI customers.
• Commercial modelling - oversee the setting of fee scales for all NFI customers that are attractive/competitive to customers while also ensuring costs are covered. These fees cover a wide breadth of products and customer sectors. In addition, negotiate and agree specific fees for bespoke work.
• Oversee engagement/collaboration with a complex range of stakeholders:
• Internal – including Data Protection Officer, Legal, Finance, Senior Management, Private Office, Ministers, Security/Information Assurance
• External – including the NFI IT supplier, a wide range of government departments, public sector bodies (LA, NHS, Police, Fire) and their representatives (eg LGA,CIPFA); Audit Scotland, Wales Audit Office, Northern Ireland Office, Information Commissioner’s Office, Crown Commercial Services, Private sector – banks, insurance, credit reference agencies
• Governance – oversee a governance framework for data matching to ensure expert input to shape strategic thinking and appropriate internal/external challenge to ensure good governance and compliance with statutory framework. Oversee the terms of reference and sign-off agenda’s/papers.
• Data Matching Pilots and data acquisition – oversee effective data matching pilots, applying continuous improvement and innovation, so as to minimise false positive rates and ensure that resources invested in the follow up of the NFI matches by participants so that they provide evidence of the benefits realised to feed into pilot evaluations leading to roll out of pilot to business as usual.Seek out additional data sources that can be utilised within the NFI to help identify and stop more fraud.
• Project Management– Oversee the development of the business development programme and feed into reporting for SCS and PSFA EXCO and Ops Committee.
• Member of PSFA Ops Committee. Provide wider support for leadership of PSFA Agenda.