About the job

Job summary

This is an important senior role in our analytical community: you will be our Head of Profession for statistics, leading our statistics and data science staff across the Department and working closely with our Chief Statistician, Lucy Vickers. With your team of 30 staff, you will develop capability, oversee and improve our statistics portfolio, lead data science projects and provide ministers and colleagues with statistical advice and data analysis.

You will also join my directorate senior leadership team, working together to maintain a positive, engaged, agile and influential analytical environment, and working closely to support the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser. 

I would love to hear from leaders who can inspire, motivate and continue to develop a high-performing multi-disciplinary team. You will be confident in building and managing relationships across organisational boundaries, both in the health and care system and throughout government. You will also bring strong statistical leadership and judgement to the role.

Job description

The Head of the Department's Statistics and Data Science team, is a high-profile role, leading the Department’s statisticians and data scientists, ensuring the quality of statistical publications in line with the Statistics Code of Practice, providing advice to ministers and continuing a transformation in the application of data science across the Department. By prioritising the team's work, delivering to a high standard and being influential, you will drive better health and care outcomes for people across the country.

This is a key senior leadership position, recognising the priority placed on statistics and data by the Permanent Secretary. It provides a good opportunity for a strong analytical leader to be visible, set strategy and have an impact at a national level.

Key Responsibilities 

Directly reporting to the Department’s Director of Analysis, Chris Mullin, you will be part of a friendly, supportive directorate and inclusive analytical community and your main responsibilities will include:

• Professional leadership to the Department’s statisticians and data scientists numbering over 150.
• Supporting and advising ministers and senior officials on the use of data and statistics.
• Setting direction and driving improvement in statistics and the use of data across the health and social care sectors.
• Expanding the influence of data science across the Department, enhancing ways of working, innovating through data, and driving analytical insight.
• Leading your own team of c.30 statisticians and data scientists 
• Working closely with, and providing leadership to, arm’s length bodies, devolved administrations, and other government departments.

Person specification

It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:

• Analytical leadership. The successful candidate must meet the standards to be a senior leader in the Government Statistical Service profession (GSS), able to ensure quality, delivery and impact and uphold analytical standards within a multidisciplinary analytical team.
• Ability to set strategic analytical direction, operational planning and complex capabilities to enable National outcomes; delivering continuous improvement in the way that we think and operate, for both our long-term efficiency and effectiveness, in a complex and changing environment.
• Strong skills in statistics and the ability to guide an organisation in the effective and appropriate use of statistics.
• Understanding of data science, and ability to lead innovative work to improve processes and draw new insight from data. Able to communicate effectively to maximise the impact of insight, including with senior decision makers.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills with proven ability to build effective relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders at senior level.
• Empowering, inclusive and inspiring management of high performing analytical teams, with the ability to lead dispersed
• Multi functional teams through change and organisational transformation in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £20,250 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

To apply for this post please submit the following documents no later than 23:55 on Monday 20th May 2024.

• A CV (which is for information purposes only) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Applications will be sifted against personal statements. Please note that your CV is for information purposes only and will not be scored. 

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.  

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer by 2025.

Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for interview. Written feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend interview.

If you are unable to apply online please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Selection Process 

A panel chaired by Chris Mullin, Director of Analysis, DHSC  will assess your application to select those demonstrating the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’ section. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Chris will be supported by a selection panel made up of other senior stakeholders for the role, full details of this panel will be shared with shortlisted candidates. 

Alongside other departments, DHSC is committed to making the Civil Service more inclusive and recognises the value of diverse interview panels. Helping candidates, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview process, to reduce bias and increase the objectiveness of decisions. In line with the Civil Service’s Inclusive Board initiative we aim to ensure that, as well as being gender diverse, DHSC’s interview panels for Senior Civil Service will include at least one panelist who is from an ethnic minority background and/or who has a physical or non-physical disability (which may not be visible).

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgement of your application through the online process.

 The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and A Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays. 

Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will also be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel. 

Assessment

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a series of assessments which will include an alternative leadership assessment with numerical and verbal reasoning and a staff engagement exercise.

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Discussion with the Vacancy Holder  

Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder, Chris Mullin, Director of Analysis, DHSC prior to the final interview.

This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role, and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation at interview on a scenario issued to them 30 minutes ahead of their panel interview. Full details will be provided prior to interview.

You will be asked a series of questions at interview around the following behaviours, technical analytical knowledge and the essential criteria earlier in this pack.

Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Others

Interviews will take place in person at 39 Victoria Street, London, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Feedback

Feedback is only available to shortlisted candidates, please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk at Government Recruitment Service to request feedback on your application or interview.

A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future suitable vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

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. 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.