About the job

Job summary

National £38,724 - £44,393

Inner £42,716 - £48,068

Job Overview

We are seeking a People Insights Specialist to join the team. This post is part of the People Analytics & Insights team within the Strategic Workforce Planning & Insights division. This function is focussed on bringing together existing datasets and investigating people issues to inform strategic decision-making but also acts as a centre of expertise within People Group for use and presentation of people datasets.

The key objective for this role is to deliver actionable insights from the organisation’s existing people data sources, using curiosity, creativity and experience to provide observations which are accurate, relevant and clearly communicated.

The role is varied within a dynamic, inclusive team, with plenty of opportunities to develop yourself and shape the role. On a day-to-day basis you may find you are engaging with key stakeholders to understand their requirements, undertaking complex analyses to support decision making, or building products, dashboards and reports to shape, inform or monitor organisational workforce issues.

Location

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow.  This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).  Specialist or regional roles will be based at the appropriate UKHSA site. For certain roles, some additional flexibility may be possible, which will be agreed upon with the hiring manager based on individual requirements and business needs. 

The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Job description

The UKHSA People Group plays a key role in supporting the business through change and transformation as we build our organisation and ensure we recruit and retain the very best people to achieve our vision. 

Our people and culture are integral to our organisation’s identity and the success of our strategy, policy, and operations for protecting the public requires recruiting, developing, and retaining high-calibre people in all areas and ensuring they work well together. This means a customer focused, solution-driven delivery of priorities across the whole HR spectrum - at the same time ensuring we are appropriately sized and skilled to deliver and excel.  

The People Insights Specialist is an exciting role within the People Group (HR) in UKHSA, which is focussed on bringing together existing datasets and investigating people issues to inform decision-making right across UKHSA and acts as a centre of expertise within the People Group on the use and presentation of people-related data.

The post holder will have considerable autonomy to deliver actionable insights from the organisation’s existing people data sources, using curiosity, creativity and experience to provide observations which are accurate, relevant and clearly communicated through this use of Power BI dashboards and other tools.

Crucially, these insights should highlight areas of risk and opportunity as People Group helps the entire organisation to continue to deliver key evolving strategic priorities.

Main duties of the job

• Working with stakeholders from across the organisation (including People Group, Finance, and the wider organisation) to define key workforce issues and questions for investigation, evaluating requests against agreed criteria for impact.
• Bringing together multiple data sources (including a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data) to reveal patterns and correlations.
• Using a range of analytical tools to investigate workforce issues, trends and opportunities, incorporating business wide issues into the analysis and outputs in order to ensure effective, and business led, evidence-based decision making.
• Acting as centre of expertise within People Group on use and presentation of people datasets, providing advice and direction to other teams as needed.
• Other relevant duties as required by the line manager, as appropriate to existing skills and ongoing development.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Keep up to date with new techniques and approaches to manipulation and presentation of people datasets such as the using Power BI and utilising Python/R.
• Explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to provide potential solutions to support ongoing priorities.
• Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with your line manager through appraisal / individual development plan. Attending internal / external training events.
• To participate in all mandatory training as required, including fire safety, information governance and renew when required and communicate this with your Line Manager and relevant stakeholders.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA. These will include:

Internal

• Workforce Planning colleagues and the wider People Strategy team
• People Directorate colleagues, especially within Talent and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Pay and Reward, Resourcing along with HR & Finance Business Partner teams
• Finance, business planning and strategy colleagues – supporting periodical cabinet office returns on workforce data for example

External

• Wider people analytics professional networks across the civil service and health sector to ensure best practice.
• Strategy and people planning colleagues in DHSC and its other executive agencies.
• Key strategical partners to UKHSA, for example working with Orgvue – a key strategical partner for UKHSA’s ongoing Organisation Design work.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of 1,000 words (max) that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the following criteria:

See full list in the attached Job Description

Essential Criteria:

• Familiarity with a range of data handling techniques including confident use of a wide range of excel formulas.
• Knowledge / use of Power BI and/or other data visualisation tools such as Qlik, Tableau etc...
• Significant experience of working with both quantitative and qualitative data to produce clear reports, graphs and insights.
• Experience in stakeholder communications and management.
• Ability to communicate clearly, using written communications alongside accurate and insightful presentation(s) of numerical information and impactful visualisations of numerical data.
• Strong analytical abilities, curiosity and self-motivated drive to discover correlations and investigate.
• Able to engage with and contribute to the wider HR and analysis communities, and to bring together context from both.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and organise overall workloads to meet deadlines.

Desirable Criteria:

• Data Science background through education or professional experience.
• Experience in data modelling
• Experience using R and/or Python.

Benefits

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Working for the UKHSA

For more information on the UKHSA please visit: UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA 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 Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical capabilities.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement / Statement of Suitability in no more than 1000 words to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria. This should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role.

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form and a statement of suitability. Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, against the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section). Your Statement of Suitability must not exceed 1,000 words.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW:

This competition will involve an interview via Teams.  

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed through Success Profiles. The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

There might be a presentation you need to complete as part of your interview, information will be shared with you before your interview.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55pm 27/02/2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews: TBC

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.  People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&Cs are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website. 

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.