GDS seeks Verify business analysts as it aims to push service out across Whitehall

The Government Digital Service is seeking business analysts to develop the identity assurance programme GOV.UK Verify and lead the 19 local authority pilots of the scheme.

GOV.UK Verify needs new business analysts – Photo credit: GDS

GDS is advertising for three two-year business analyst jobs on its flagship Verify identity assurance programme that allows certified companies to check a person’s identity so citizens get a single sign-on for a range of government services.

Verify, which went live in May, has come under fire for slow progress – despite some saying it was set unrealistic expectations initially – and its director Janet Hughes left unexpectedly in summer after her boss, GDS leader Stephen Foreshew-Cain, was replaced by Kevin Cunnington.


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In his first interview as leader, Cunnington said that one of his main areas of focus would be “sorting out Verify to get it to scale”.

He emphasised the potential of working with the banking and gambling industries, as well as rolling out to other services – the latest update from the Verify team was that the programme was now being used on two Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services.

GDS has also been pushing on with plans to pilot the scheme in local authorities, with 19 councils chosen to trial the scheme on provision of bus passes for older people and resident’s parking permits.

The job adverts – which were posted this week and close for applications on 11 December – are for people to work as part of the Verify team to support the roll-out of the service to others by briefing different audiences and engaging with potential users.

The local authority role, which is a senior position offered with a salary of £48,000, will see involve working with the 19 councils to get them up to speed on the process as well as organising agendas for training days.

The other two roles are for Verify as a broader service – one a senior role at £48,000 and the other at around £34,000.

The senior business analyst will be required to identify new ways to encourage the organisational, cultural and behavioural change needed to embed the service across Whitehall and lead services through the initial stages of using Verify.

Their junior will be responsible for supporting the process, which will involve gathering and analysing data on the costs and benefits of each service’s migration and producing projections of volumes of users and transactions for each service and the pipeline as a whole.

Meanwhile, the Verify are working to increase communications with the certified companies that are responsible for confirming users’ identities and must comply with the standards set by the government on identity assurance.

This includes group workshops for the companies, which user research Polly Gannaway said in a blogpost had helped the Verify team better understand their priorities and for them to share their knowledge with each other.

“Despite being in a competitive environment, the workshops demonstrated that our certified companies are clearly dedicated to innovating and improving users’ access to digital services,” she said.

Gannaway added that there would be more workshops in the coming months.

Rebecca.Hill

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