Rachel Smith
Glasgow
Summary
Business Analyst with experience supporting national security, public sector, and cross-government transformation programmes. Proven ability to build trusted client relationships, shape strategy, develop business cases, identify risk and opportunity and deliver evidence-based recommendations in complex and sensitive environments. Strong foundation in policy, risk, digital work and aligned to BAE Systems’ National Security consulting objectives.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Analyst
Cabinet Office
10.2024 - Current
- Applied business analysis techniques to interpret complex datasets and improve organisational understanding of evolving security risks.
- Applied business analysis and structured problem-solving to facilitate organisational change and improve transformation planning outcomes.
- Identified risks and inefficiencies in vetting and customer management processes, proposed innovative, evidence-based solutions to enhance operational effectiveness.
- Developed high-quality business and policy briefings for Ministers and senior leadership, translating complex insights into clear strategic recommendations.
- Advised stakeholders on policy implications, regulatory constraints, and risk trade-offs in high-sensitivity national security contexts.
- Built trusted working relationships with public sector customers, including the Home Office, the MoD, and the Police, ensuring alignment on strategy, delivery, and risk.
- Supported strategic national security projects, enabling senior stakeholders to define objectives and justify investment and change.
- Collaborated on digital development projects -this involved gathering, analysing and documenting cyber security and technical requirements to ensure solutions meet security standards
Vetting Clearance Officer
Cabinet Office
08.2023 - 10.2024
- Conducted structured stakeholder interviews comparable to client discovery and advisory consulting, extracting insights to inform recommendations.
- Supported high-stakes decision-making by assessing risk and strategic impact across security sensitive cases.
- Provided policy-aligned advice on insider threat, geopolitical risk and organisational exposure.
Pre-Assessor
Cabinet Office
08.2022 - 08.2023
- Conducted risk and compliance assessments to enable accurate, timely and defensible decision-making in a fast-paced environment.
Education
BCS Practitioner Certificate - Business Analysis Practice
AssistKD
2025
BCS Practitioner Certificate - Modelling Business Processes
AssistKD
2025
HND - Business Management and Economics
Open University
2022
Skills
- Strategy Development & Business Justification
- Client & Stakeholder Engagement
- Business Case Development
- Process Mapping & Business Change
- Risk, Opportunity & Impact Assessment
- Policy & Regulatory Advice
Timeline
Business Analyst
Cabinet Office
10.2024 - Current
Vetting Clearance Officer
Cabinet Office
08.2023 - 10.2024
Pre-Assessor
Cabinet Office
08.2022 - 08.2023
BCS Practitioner Certificate - Business Analysis Practice
AssistKD
BCS Practitioner Certificate - Modelling Business Processes
AssistKD
HND - Business Management and Economics
Open University