FA D&A - Data Analysts for AIMS related data projects

The use of data and analytics (D&A) is now a core part of the way the National Audit Office (NAO) do their financial audits.

Specifically, the use of the journals data analytic tools is now mandated in how financial audit teams ("FA Teams") should do the audit of journals. The mandated approach to testing journals now involve FA Teams loading (general ledger) data onto the NAO's data platform (called AIMS - Audit Information Management System) and then using the in house journal analytics to identify high risk journal that then need to be individually tested. There are some technical challenges in using this D&A approach to journals testing and FA Team need support and training in adopting this mandated approach.

For the 2020/2021 audit season a temporary team was created of D&A Specialists to support financial audit teams with the use of AIMS and the journals analytics tools. This team was disbanded in mid-2021. As such, at the current time, we do not have a dedicated team of D&A specialists to support financial audit teams through the 2021/2022 audit season.

A request for a permanent team has been made as part of the 2022/2023 Operational Planning process, but even if this request is approved the team will not be in place until mid-2022 at the earliest. Until this permanent team of D&A specialists is in place we need to find an alternative resourcing plan for the 2021/2022 audit season.

The requirement is for a small team of D&A Specialists who can provide support to the FA Teams with obtaining general ledger data, uploading that data to the AIMS platform, processing that data through the journal analytics tool, and then interpreting the output.