About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Analytics Engineer Apprentices

Hello!

Do you have a passion for data and a desire to learn and develop in a collaborative and supportive team which utilises leading data technology to change the way data is used in the public sector?

Are you excited by the opportunity to obtain an industry-recognised qualification and apply your learning as part of a sector-leading community of analytics engineers?

If so, this unique opportunity to join the Ministry of Justice as part of a cohort of Analytics Engineer Apprentices will be for you!

Your teaching and learning will be curated for our team by QA and as part of a cohort of other apprentices you will learn alongside your colleagues in a close learning community. The teaching will be structured in a front-loaded manner, allowing you to spend a dedicated period of 10 weeks up-skilling before joining the workforce fully equipped to hit the ground running.

Job Description

Welcome to the Data & Analysis directorate at the Ministry of Justice and thank you for taking an interest in this role. We are looking to recruit a cohort of Analytics Engineer Apprentices to join our growing community within the Data Modelling and Engineering Team.

This team works across several areas of the Ministry of Justice to define, design, and deliver Data Engineering and Data Modelling as a service. In practice as an Apprentice Analytics Engineer this would involve working closely with Data Engineers to deliver data pipelines to transform data into an optimal format for downstream Data Science, analytics and statistics teams. A brief summary of the type of work the teams are involved in can be found in this GitHub repository.

Analytics Engineers play a critical role in our mission to put data at the heart of decision-making.  We're looking for people with the drive to develop a deep understanding of data collections and data requirements across our various work streams including courts, prisons, probation and legal aid.

As part of this team, your work would involve:

• Gathering requirements from people in other parts of the organisation and translating these into tasks for the Data Modelling team.
• Supporting the development and testing of data models.
• Designing and carrying out quality assurance processes on data and providing users with feedback on the data they are using.
• Producing documentation and other information to enable analysts to use data intelligently.
• Act as a key point of contact for our analytical user community.

You can find out more about the future of data at the Ministry of Justice by watching this video. We are also hosting a webinar on Monday 4 March, 6-7pm to allow you to find out more about us and the role, please sign up here if you’d like to attend.

About the Apprenticeship

Joining the MoJ as an Analytics Engineer apprentice, on the Data Analyst Level 4 Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity to earn whilst you learn, and work towards a fully funded nationally recognised qualification.

The start date of the scheme will depend on the speed at which the cohort of candidates move through the recruitment process but is likely to be late Summer 2024 and will continue for 18 months.

Over the course of this your learning will be focussed around seven modules, including Programming for Data Analysts, Databases and SQL, Data Warehouses and Data Analysis. Your apprenticeship will conclude with a 3-month period to complete an end-point assessment during which you will have the opportunity to showcase the knowledge and skills you have acquired over the course. Full details of the apprenticeship can be found here on QA’s site and here for the Institute of Apprentices.

The apprenticeship will be delivered in a front-loaded manner, meaning that the scheme will start with a dedicated full-time period of 10 weeks of learning before you join up with your team in the MoJ, equipped with knowledge to apply on the job. The front-loaded section of the apprenticeship is continuous meaning you would be expected to be available continuously for the full 10 weeks.

Training will be delivered using a blended approach, with a mix of remote trainer-led teaching and on-line courses and projects, including access to the learning platform Cloud Academy which can also be used for supplementary learning throughout the apprenticeship.

Following the front-loaded section of the apprenticeship you will continue to learn throughout the whole scheme and will have dedicated time away from the job for this.

Your learning and progress will be supported by a line manager and work manager in MoJ, an apprentice buddy from the cohort, and a Digital Learning Consultant (DLC) in QA. You will have regular development conversations with your DLC and MoJ managers to help you to make sure your learning is on track to successfully complete your apprenticeship.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from anyone with the potential to make a good Analytics Engineer. Through our apprentice programme we intend to enable you to build your knowledge and skills in areas below.

• SQL
• Python and R
• Dimensional modelling, including designing and populating star schemas
• Business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Qlikview, Tableau
• Improving data quality
• Document-oriented data storage formats such as JSON, XML
• Version control tools, such as Git
• Working in a team
• Forming effective relationships with data users
• Translating the needs of users into technical requirements.

You may have experience in some of these areas, and please tell us about these if you do but ultimately, we can help you achieve and develop these skills: Two of the key attributes needed are curiosity and willingness to learn and we value and prioritise learning and development within our community.

There are some tips toward the end of this advert about how to apply - we strongly recommend you read these, especially if you're new to applying for roles in the Civil Service.

We make our workplace as inclusive as we can. Find out more about how we support equality and diversity. 

Apprenticeship Eligibility Requirements

Alongside the role requirements, to be eligible for the apprenticeship programme you will need to meet the following criteria:

• Be at least 16-years old
• Have the right to work in the UK
• Have been a resident in the UK/ EA/ EEA continuously for 3 years before starting the apprenticeship
• Have left full-time education when the apprenticeship starts
• Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (including another apprenticeship)

The qualification requirements for the apprenticeship are that you:

• Hold at least 5 GCSEs at Grade 4 (C) or above (or equivalent), including English and Maths.
• Hold 3 A levels (or equivalent such as a level 3 apprenticeship or BTEC), or have equivalent work experience (typically two years in a relevant role)

Also, the apprenticeship must provide substantial new skills, therefore please do not apply if you hold or are working towards a similar qualification of the same level or higher. However, if you possess an unrelated qualification of the same level or higher you will be able to apply (e.g., if you hold a degree in Modern Languages, you will be eligible as this is an unrelated field).

Please note that candidate eligibility will be checked by the training provider at the enrolment stage.

Location

You can be based at any of our offices. These are in Brighton, Cardiff, Ipswich, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Westminster or Canary Wharf), Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, South Tyneside, Stafford, and Wolverhampton.

We're open to flexible and hybrid working arrangements that include regular home working, but you'll also need to go to one of these offices regularly.

Recruitment Process

You'll need to apply online by sending us:

• an anonymised CV, including qualifications, career history, responsibilities, and achievements
• answer the following three questions, which should each be no longer than the specified word count explaining:
• Why are you interested in the role, and why should you be considered? (250 words)
• Why is an apprenticeship the chosen career path for you? (250 words)
• What skills and experience relevant do you possess which are relevant to the person specification, or what experiences demonstrate your potential to develop these skills? (250 words)

We’ll assess your application and get back to you in around two weeks to let you know if we’d like to invite you to an interview. Depending on the volume of applications received, the skills and experience question only may be used to sift.

There will be one interview, which will include a technical exercise. The exercise will last one hour and will involve problem solving activities - you will not need to prepare for the technical exercise.

The interview will be online, using Microsoft Teams, and will include questions about:

• choices you made in the technical exercise
• your experience of forming effective relationships within teams, especially those with a range of diverse interests and opinions (Working Together)
• your experience of delivering high quality and complex pieces of work individually or as part of a team and the approach you take to maintain a high level of performance in these instances (Delivering at Pace).

These questions are based on the Civil Service Success Profiles. You should aim to meet the level 2 behaviours under the headings Working Together and Delivering at Pace.

We recommend that you use the STAR approach – situation, task, action, and result – when structuring your answers. Further information can be found on the National Careers Service website.

Interviews are likely to take place in April 2024. The highest scoring candidates who pass the interview will be offered a role. If you do well at the interview but we don't offer you a role right now, we'll keep your details for a year and let you know if other opportunities come up. Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be offered a post at the grade below the one advertised. The whole process can take up to a month.

Further Information

If you have any questions, please contact dmet-dataplatform-recruitment@digital.justice.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,223, Ministry of Justice contributes £7,377 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.