About the job

Job summary

The BI Analyst role is in The Corporate Data Team (CDT) within the Analysis & Insight Division.

The CDT is responsible for the management of corporate data at a workforce and budget level by using business intelligence (“BI”) software. The team’s purpose is to bring together the systems responsible for workforce and budget management information, assure the data, and deliver high quality and impactful insights to inform decisions at all levels. 

An ability to provide data is a key enabler for the CDT and this allows baselines to be established, to allow progress to be gauged, and to inform the focus of priorities. Ensuring that data is free from error, and building tools to report on the data is reflective of the environment it portrays is essential to providing senior leaders with accurate insights to inform critical decisions. The CDT works with multiple stakeholders across the department, including ministers, to ensure decision making on matters of Cabinet Office headcount and budget is informed by robust and accurate data.

This is an exciting time to be part of the CDT as the team is in the process of a BI infrastructure project which requires a migration to a new BI platform based around the QLIK platform. There is also a Position Management project ongoing, to provide a framework that is to be rolled across a number of different Civil Service departments. These projects will ultimately help the Civil Service in preparing for a new enterprise level corporate data system. As an BI Analyst, you will play a key role in the team’s day to day responsibilities, as well as helping to catalogue and automate legacy products and processes, as well as configuring relevant parts of the updated system to enable the migration to a new BI platform.

Job description

The Analysis and Insight Division acts as the Cabinet Office’s core analytical hub playing an important role in ensuring that policy development and delivery across the Cabinet Office, in support of the department’s objectives, is evidence-based, value for money and evaluated to ensure it is working. It does this by:

• Ensuring analysis produced by the directorate to inform CO decisions is robust, visible, well prioritised and impactful;
• Newly housing the CO Corporate Data Team to optimise data integrity and align workforce tools used to inform the CO workforce position; 
• Producing the department’s only National Statistics, on Freedom of Information requests and Civil Service Statistics;
• Delivering the Civil Service People Survey to over 100 organisations and supporting departments and agencies to understand and act upon their results;
• Undertaking research projects for different areas of Cabinet Office, involving designing, developing and delivering surveys and providing evaluation support;
• Providing economic consultancy to teams across Cabinet Office; supporting the development of impact assessments, reviewing economic modelling within CO business cases;
• Providing specialist analytical support to Civil Service HR with responsibility for the collection, dissemination and analysis of Civil Service Workforce MI and for supporting policy development across the range of workforce and diversity & inclusion priorities; and,
• Providing an assurance function for Cabinet Office analysis.

Specifically, the purpose of the BI Analyst is to:

• Work with end-users to develop existing and create new BI products from workforce and budget data derived from a number of sources and presented through our visualisation platform (currently Qlik);
• Ensure the integrity of the structure and the accuracy of reporting;
• Monitor the system’s availability and to liaise with our service provider to resolve performance issues as they occur;
• Identify and drive system improvements to present data effectively.

Gathering and analysing key data sets, for example collating data from Cabinet Office finance and HR data systems; 

Supporting the reporting of data and visualisation to support decision making for example providing key metrics to the Cabinet Office Executive Committee.;

Supporting the completion of externally generated data requests as required that span from responding to commission, for example Quarterly Location data (QLS) and Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, to providing the latest departmental workforce headcount position;

Informing the production of robust forecasting data - monitoring and reporting to senior leaders;

Responding at pace to ad-hoc data requests to inform, for example parliamentary questions or Freedom of Information requests;

Continuous improvement across the data streams, focusing on championing the use of best practice standards, tools and processes which may involve the need to liaise with other government departments working with corporate data;

Summarise and present data and conclusions in the most appropriate format for users;

Person specification

We are looking for someone who wants to work in the core of the Cabinet Office’s corporate data to drive efficiencies and effectiveness in how we manage information and report it. Accordingly, you will have an agile mindset and want to demonstrate continuous improvement behaviours.

You will be able to communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders being able to distil data and present it for the target audience.

You will need to be able to demonstrate problem solving skills and work flexibly to manage time critical conflicting demands and priorities whilst keeping stakeholders updated. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to demonstrate that you can work to tight deadlines when required and ensure service levels and quality are maintained.

We want people who have experience of utilising data analysis tools and techniques to inform decision making and who can quality assure the data whilst managing the systems the data sits and be proactive in helping with ideas and implementation on improving the systems in place to help with the migration of BI platforms. 

Essential

• Has proven analytical experience and a strong technical ability with excel and/or google sheets and has a strong working knowledge of how to manage the data.
• Is able to manage large amounts of data in an organised and secure manner, and in line with data protection legislation.
• Presents technical data in a clear, professional and easy to understand manner.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good decision making skills.

Desirable

• Stakeholder experience.
• Understanding of visualisation / BI tools such as Qlik or Tableau.
• Experience in a MI / Reporting / BI role.
• Graduate researchers or people with comp sci or data-related education at an academic level.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Please be aware no relocation costs will be available

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,400, Cabinet Office contributes £9,558 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 and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

You will be asked to complete a CV, a 500 word personal statement in which you are required to demonstrate previous experience which supports your suitability for the post and three behavioural statements of 250 words each on the below listed behaviours. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Selection process

During interview you will asked questions relating to the role and your experience, answers will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a quality Service

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 19th February
Expected interview date/s – w/c 26th February
Interview location - TBC

Further information

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 
• Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

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

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.

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.