Geospatial Data Analyst
Valuation Office Agency
About the job
Job summary
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are the public sector’s property valuation experts and advisers. Our work is vital to the collection of over £60 billion of revenue which goes back into communities, touching every citizen and every business across England and Wales.
We champion the values of professionalism, integrity, respect and innovation. We are committed to providing a collaborative and supportive working environment that encourages every colleague to contribute, grow and excel together. With opportunities to drive your own development and growth, we empower our colleagues to succeed by ensuring support at every step of their career journey.
Job description
Geospatial Data Analyst – Role Overview
We are currently growing the Agency’s Geospatial Data capability to improve geospatial services for property valuers, and to support business transformation. The Geospatial Analyst will play a vital role in the analysis, updating, and refinement of geospatial data, owning the responsibility of ensuring accuracy in this, and undertaking tasks such as correcting errors, adding new data, and sharing the knowledge. This role is part of our Data Foundations team within the Information, Data & Analysis directorate.
Geospatial Data Analyst – Key responsibilities
Key responsibilities of the role include using skills in visualising, analysing and customising geospatial data/geospatial software towards the following activities:
- Downloading geospatial dataset by following the data release schedules.
- Transferring of datasets into storage locations.
- Revising a variety of geospatial datasets ranging from boundary data, VOA property floor plans to third party datasets.
- The conversion of datasets with geographical information (e.g., CSV files with coordinates) into various geospatial formats.
- Editing and transforming legacy datasets e.g., georeferencing, and cleansing of attributes.
- Checking geospatial datasets for quality issues such as completeness, metadata, and topological errors.
- Documenting the processes, workflows, tools, specifications, and training materials undertaken to carry out the data editing, transformation, cleansing and any Quality Assurance/Quality Checking work.
- Providing knowledge transfer to others and engaging with other teams.
Person specification
We are seeking an individual with experience within Geospatial Data with a keen eye for detail to ensure quality data is of high quality and accuracy. The role requires an ability to work at pace, organising workload to meet the expected timeline. The successful candidate will be a clear communicator able to engage with a range of teams and transfer knowledge to others.
Essential Criteria
- Experience of both vector and raster geospatial data vectors as flat files (e.g., ESRI Shapefiles) or Database Tables (e.g., SQL Server/Postgres or File Geodatabase).
- Experience of map editing and digitising new geospatial data layers.
- Experience and fundamentals of programming language, development and running data analysis and transformation scripts in R and Python.
- Experience of transforming and cleaning geospatial data layers.
- Experience of identification of geospatial data quality issues.
- Experience of using and converting tabular address type data to geospatial formats.
- You will be required to travel to a variety of government locations, including other offices across the VOA network (England, Wales, and Scotland) as part of this role.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £34,036, Valuation Office Agency contributes £9,190 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.If you can meet our person requirements above, we are keen to hear from you.
To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:
A CV setting out your Job History, Full Qualifications, Previous skills and experiences.
A Personal Statement (maximum 750 words), please outline your suitability for the role. Please pay particular attention to the ‘Essential Criteria’ and ‘Person Specification’ outlined in the advert when providing your answer.
Sift - 04 June 2024
We will assess you on your CV and Personal Statement.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.
Interviews - 18 June 2024. Please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change. These will be confirmed should you be invited to interview.
Interviews are currently taking place using Microsoft Teams Video. We will provide more detail if you are shortlisted for interview.
We will assess you on the Behaviours listed in the job description and a Technical Presentation.
At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.
Presentation - You will also be required to conduct a 10-minute Technical presentation. Information on the presentation topic will be provided to you if you are shortlisted for interview.
Application Hints and Tips
For more information on Success Profiles, tips on how to write a successful application and find out more about what’s involved in the application process please visit About the application process , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)
Further Information
Due to the way the CS Jobs system is set up, when choosing your preferred locations, you will find that the Canary Wharf location will not appear on the list of options.
Should you wish to choose Canary Wharf as a location then please select Tower Hamlets.
Any move to VOA 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
The VOA is an office-based organisation that supports flexible working. By default, everyone in the VOA is a hybrid worker with options to work in the office, at home or out and about, depending on the work they’re doing that day and where it’s best done.
VOA employees only: If you are currently in receipt of DTA as a result of a VOA office closure/restructure and it is agreed for you to take up this role in your current location, you may continue to receive DTA for the remainder of the period you can claim for. Please check with the Vacancy Holder on preferred locations for this role before you apply.
Pre-employment Checks
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI (delete as appropriate: If location is in England will be DBS, Scotland will be Disclosure Scotland & Northern Ireland will be Access NI) 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.
If you would require a Certificate of Sponsorship from the VOA to undertake this role, please contact resourcingteam@voa.gov.uk before submitting your application.
Reasonable Adjustment
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process because of a disability, condition, or impairment. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a reasonable adjustment or a change to be made so that you can make your application, please click here for more information:
Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk) and contact voarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible.
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.
Terms & Conditions
Voluntary terms apply.
Reserve Lists
If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 3-month reserve list as standard.
During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.
Applying
All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email voarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.
Please note that late applications will not be accepted.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Concerns/Complaints
The Valuation Office Agency’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address: resourcingteam@voa.gov.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to complain to the Civil Service Commissioners.
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
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.