About the job

Job summary

Do you have superb analytical skills?

Are you passionate about producing statistics?

Can you engage with stakeholders at all levels to achieve effective results?

If so, we would love to hear from you!

Job description

The Department has an exciting opportunity to work in local transport statistics. Local transport covers a wide range of modes that are used daily, by millions of people. 

This role sits within the Local Transport Statistics team. We work on a range of statistics including light rail, taxis, disability, and accessibility. As a Higher Statistical Officer, you will use your data and statistical skills to collect, validate, analyse and publish data. You will work collaboratively with colleagues within your own team, analysts and policy teams across the Department, and with external stakeholders including local authorities. This will require you to confidently engage and communicate analysis to both technical and non-technical audiences. 

This is a rewarding and interesting position that offers a fantastic development opportunity and chance to be involved in a wide variety of policy areas.

Responsibilities

Your key duties and responsibilities will include but not limited to:

• Leading on the production of one or more statistical releases, managing all elements from collection of data right through to publication.
• Working proactively with policy colleagues and other analysts to define their statistical needs and how they can be met.
• Embracing the use of coding languages (particularly R) and Github to build on teams existing code and improve the way we carry out our analysis
• Acting as technical lead in projects across data visualisation, process automation, analytical pipelining, and improving code structure and standardisation

Please see role profile for full details.

Person specification

About you

To be successful in this role, you will be an enthusiastic, self-starter who enjoys proactively taking the initiative to find solutions to problems and have a high attention to detail. You are a self-motivated and ambitious individual who is comfortable working independently and keen to develop and build knowledge.

You have excellent communication skills and can tailor your style to suit your audience, and ability to explain complex information to others so it is clear to understand. With excellent collaborative skills, you will confidently engage to build constructive relationships within your own, other analytical teams, a broad range of policy makers and leaders across the Department.

You can work autonomously effectively, being able to manage your time and prioritise your workload to ensure deadlines are met. 

Additional information

You will have the option to be based in our Leeds or Birmingham office attracting the National salary. Occasional travel to our London office will be required for key meetings and team events.

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance. 

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

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.

How to Apply

When considering applying please look at how your experience relates to the role. Please tailor your CV to match the role and its responsibilities and within your Personal Statement (max 750 words)  please provide detailed evidence of your experience of the following:

• Experience of innovating to improve the efficiency and reliability of a process.
• Experience of using coding languages to carry out data analysis, quality assurance and data visualisation.
• Experience of applying statistical understanding to draw conclusions based on robust evidence, telling the story to users.

You are also required to provide one Behaviour Statement (max 250 words) demonstrating evidence for Changing & Improving.

The sift is due to take place from 08 July 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from 18 July 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• an interview

This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face (for personal circumstances or reasonable adjustments) at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.

Document Accessibility

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

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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.

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.