Senior data analyst

The ONS operates a flexible hybrid working model across the UK, with colleagues linked to one of our contractual locations working between office and remote throughout the week. The location for these roles is London.

All colleagues are required to work from their contractually allocated site for at least 40% of their working time.

The induction process for the role will be conducted in person.

Job Summary

Here at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), we have unrivalled access to a vast breadth and depth of data. Every day, we use this to produce trusted statistics, insightful analysis, and meaningful research that informs both the public and policymakers on the issues that matter most.

Our work spans the production of regular core statistics and the analysis that brings them to life. Increasingly, we’re tackling cross-cutting analytical challenges in collaboration with Central Government Departments, Devolved Administrations, Local Authorities, and with support from academics, charities, and expert advisers. We're also expanding our use of administrative data from across and beyond Government, while transforming our surveys to ensure they capture the most relevant and timely information.

Over the past year, ONS has delivered unique insights into key areas such as health, population, migration, inflation, the economy, and household finances—raising our profile across Government and within society. We take a creative and inclusive approach to our work, focusing on delivering brilliant, sustainable outcomes. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do, and we invest in building strong, positive working relationships across the organisation.

Following the recent independent review of ONS by Sir Robert Devereux, we’ve launched our Economic Statistics Plan (ESP)—a bold response to restore quality and confidence in our economic statistics. The plan outlines how we assess the quality of our core outputs, the steps we’re taking to address risks and challenges, and the foundations we’re laying for the future. These changes will help us build a more resilient statistical system that supports confident decision-making and a clearer understanding of UK society.

Delivering the ESP successfully requires a collective effort. As part of that, ONS is recruiting a number of Senior Data Analysts to help us understand, manipulate, and accurately analyse data—providing insight that informs both internal and external audiences.

Job Description

Senior Data Analysts at ONS play a vital role in unlocking the power of data to inform decision-making across Government and society. Working across a broad range of topics, they collect, organise, and analyse data to deliver high-quality insights that support operational and strategic goals.

Whether it’s helping the public understand complex issues or guiding internal teams with evidence-based recommendations, Senior Data Analysts make data accessible, meaningful, and impactful—even for non-specialist audiences.

Key Responsibilities Of Senior Data Analysts Include:

• Provide subject matter expertise in your area of work, including interpreting international statistical guidance and standards.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement across teams and processes.
• Analyse and interpret data to understand trends and movements, drawing on multiple sources to build compelling narratives.
• Identify and resolve issues in data processes, systems, and methods.
• Foster curiosity and critical thinking to uncover stories, trends, and anomalies in statistics.
• Manage, clean, abstract, and aggregate data for a range of analytical studies.
• Identify, collect, and migrate data across systems, linking datasets where needed.
• Use analytical tools and techniques for data analysis, visualisation, and business reporting.
• Summarise and present analytical findings to a variety of stakeholders.
• Apply coding and programming skills to deliver robust analysis.
• Manage resources across your branch and related areas to ensure timely and high-quality outputs.
  
  

Please note we will not be badging to an analytical profession as part of this campaign.

Senior Data Analysts at ONS play a vital role in unlocking the power of data to inform decision-making across Government and society. Working across a broad range of topics, they collect, organise, and analyse data to deliver high-quality insights that support operational and strategic goals.

Whether it’s helping the public understand complex issues or guiding internal teams with evidence-based recommendations, Senior Data Analysts make data accessible, meaningful, and impactful—even for non-specialist audiences.

Key Responsibilities Of Senior Data Analysts Include:

• Provide subject matter expertise in your area of work, including interpreting international statistical guidance and standards.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement across teams and processes.
• Analyse and interpret data to understand trends and movements, drawing on multiple sources to build compelling narratives.
• Identify and resolve issues in data processes, systems, and methods.
• Foster curiosity and critical thinking to uncover stories, trends, and anomalies in statistics.
• Manage, clean, abstract, and aggregate data for a range of analytical studies.
• Identify, collect, and migrate data across systems, linking datasets where needed.
• Use analytical tools and techniques for data analysis, visualisation, and business reporting.
• Summarise and present analytical findings to a variety of stakeholders.
• Apply coding and programming skills to deliver robust analysis.
• Manage resources across your branch and related areas to ensure timely and high-quality outputs.
  
  

Please note we will not be badging to an analytical profession as part of this campaign.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: Effectively engages diverse stakeholders and communicates complex statistics clearly through written, visual, and verbal formats, tailored to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leaders.
• Management of resources: Experience in managing workstreams of different sizes and complexity. Using appropriate approaches to plan, monitor and deliver work to a high-quality standard in a timely manner; identifying risks, blockers and issues as appropriate. to ensure outputs are delivered.
• Analysis of Data: Able to apply appropriate analytical tools and methods to produce high-quality analysis, generating insights from data to inform statistical quality.
• Application of Knowledge - Experience in applying, and supporting others in applying, specialist knowledge to complex situations and arriving at evidenced conclusions, options and/or recommendations.
• Leadership - Leads by example and role-models commitment and satisfaction with the role. Someone who takes into account different individual needs, recognises the achievement of others and is able to effectively manage conflict, misconduct and non-inclusive behaviour
  
  

Qualifications

We welcome applications from individuals who satisfy the essential criteria and eligibility for the professions as listed in the attachment below.

Candidates need to hold at least;

• A 2.1 degree in economics OR
• A 2.1 in a social science related subject with sufficient research OR
• A 2:2 in a numerate subject containing taught statistical content.
  
  

All candidates are expected to ensure they meet the entry requirements. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

Technical skills

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

• Data Quality - Understands and can explain statistical / research methods and the differences between sources, such as concepts or different data sets. Is able to design and choose best methods for data collection.
• Analysis Approach - Utilises analytical tools to analyse data for trends and gaps, applying approved techniques to create coherent series’ and data modelling
• Presentation / Dissemination - Communicates in a straightforward and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £44,645, Office for National Statistics contributes £12,933 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our 5400 valued colleagues across the business.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that the benefits pack attached (bottom of page) will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

 

 

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link , or contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records
  
  

Artificial intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini are powerful tools that can create and review text in ways that mimic what people can do. These tools can help you enhance your application and prepare for the process, but it is essential you use them appropriately. They must also not be used to provide misleading or false information at any stage of the application journey.

It is also important to understand that while AI can help you prepare for an interview, you must not use it to produce responses during an interview.

For full guidance in relation to the use of AI through the recruitment process, please click here.

Application Process

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

• Stage 1: Application
• Stage 2: Interview
  
  

Stage 1 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, CV, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

A 1250 word personal statement is required at application stage, which should not be exceeded. Where it is a requirement to make a personal statement, you should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.

Stage 2 – Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.

A presentation may be required at interview.

Interviews may be in person or via Microsoft Teams.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

The Sift will be conducted from 1st October

Interviews will be conducted from 20th October

Location Information

This campaign is linked with advert - 423620 Senior Data Analyst National, therefore the selection and interview process will be combined. These Senior Data Analyst roles are the same but with different location, therefore you do not need to apply to both roles.

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Anthony Jones
• Email : [email protected]
• Telephone : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact [email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission