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economic/regulatory analyst (HSE) vs. GES

Hi all,
Came across this https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1816557 , which looks like a field that I am interested in (health and env econ). I'm just wondering how these posts directly recruited by the department differ from assistant economists in Government Economic Service?
Both are at HEO level so pay ranges are similar. The way I see it is, I can choose the work area that I prefer in the former, rather than being allocated to something that I might not be very interested in (GES). But at the same time, I am not sure how training/development/progression differs in these two routes.
My question is: How do these HEO-equivalent economists posts differ (individual dept vs. GES), in terms of development opportunity and progression, etc.?
Any thoughts are welcome.