About the job

Job summary

12 month fixed term contract

Bristol

Salary: £51,846 - £56,662

Plus generous Civil Service defined benefit pension 

About us

The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England.  We aim to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. We want to be driven by evidence, so data and analysis will inform our effective, efficient and intelligent regulation in the student interest. We also care about supporting and developing our staff, working together to achieve more than each of us can do alone.    

We’re proud of our people, our culture and the benefits we offer. At the OfS we want to create a welcoming and engaging working environment which is free from discrimination.

Our Data, Foresight and Analysis directorate (DFA) is currently seeking a senior analyst to join our supportive, enthusiastic, and high performing teams, where you will be part of a community of around 60 analysts.

We’re looking for skilled, committed people who care about students and their experience of higher education. Join us and you’ll be part of an energetic, forward-looking organisation with high ambitions and big opportunities for our people 

Job description

About the role

Senior analysts support analytical operations within the Data, Foresight and Analysis (DFA) directorate, which provides a range of data collection, analysis and research activities that underpin the regulatory functions of the OfS. A significant part of each role will involve analytical programming.

As a senior analyst you will lead projects and activities across their full lifecycle, including managing project planning, implementation, quality assurance, process optimisation. You will also have line and/or activity management responsibility for team members.

To find out more about some of the work that senior analysts in DFA do to support the aims of the OfS, visit our website Data and analysis - Office for Students.   

When appointed, the postholder will be given an initial activity assignment and will work in one or more home teams within the directorate. This is where you will undertake most of your work in the first instance. The OfS is committed to working flexibly and over time we may move people to work on different assignments or in different teams, in order to: develop an individual’s skills and experience, improve communications across teams, and to ensure that as the OfS’s priorities change, resources are allocated appropriately.  Movement to different assignments will take account of an individual’s competencies, knowledge and preferences, as well as the needs of the organisation.

Person specification

About you

We are looking for candidates who have the ability to gain insight from large and complex data, and to develop and present clear and concise conclusions.

The key person attributes to fulfil these roles are: 

• Logical thinking and strong numerical skills, and experience of running complicated analytical processes from beginning to end (including process design, data analysis, reporting, manipulation and collection). 
• Ability to use a variety of technologies and analytical programming languages.  
• Experience of managing the work of others within a team and providing support and guidance to others. 
• Attention to detail, including for the purposes of identifying and mitigating risk, and experience of quality assuring work. 
• Ability to develop an in-depth understanding of the data available and the wider social, technological or regulatory contexts that may influence a project, including the ability to engage with policy issues and propose how data could be used to support them. 
• Ability to communicate complex analysis to internal and external technical and non-technical audiences, including the ability to present and visualise data in a meaningful way. 
• Willingness to work flexibly as the needs of the organisation evolve. 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,846, Office for Students contributes £14,050 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

Application process

The OfS currently uses a set of ‘enablers’ to evaluate candidate strengths. This is your opportunity to expand on what you have achieved in your career by describing what you’ve done and how you’ve done it. It is here you should use detailed examples to explain how you meet all the requirements of the job description.

We are looking for how you made your own contribution to a scenario, why you made that contribution and what was the outcome. Assertions without evidence will, in contrast, make it difficult to evaluate your skills and how you apply them.

The enablers for this role are:

Qualifications

• A degree in a numerate discipline, significant experience in an analytical role or other substantial relevant experience or qualifications – you may draw on evidence from any of these to demonstrate your strengths.

Knowledge and Learning 

• Significant experience of analytical programming, in an analytical setting  – please include in your application the programming language(s) with which you have experience. We currently use a range of programming technologies including SAS, SQL and Tableau. Knowledge of Python, PySpark, R, Databricks, Azure Synapse, Power BI is highly desirable as we will be extending our use of these tools and technologies over the coming year, although we would be interested to hear about any programming experience you have.
• Significant experience of data analysis and presentation, including that which has informed or influenced policy considerations 
• Knowledge of new and existing analytical and/or statistical techniques, approaches and technologies, and a proven desire to apply these to drive improvements. 
• Experience of designing and running analytical processes from beginning to end 
• Able to use data to understand the broader context (organisational, social,  and political) in which it is used, and to make recommendations on this basis  

Planning 

• Understanding the OfS priorities  
• Experience of managing projects and processes operating to tight timescales 
• Experience of project planning, identification and mitigation of risk, quality assurance and process optimisation  
• Able to work flexibly and manage your own time, and that of others, across a range of tasks. 

Communications 

• Able to present data, verbally and through tables and visuals, taking into account the needs of the audience. 
• Able to communicate complex algorithms, methodologies and analytical evidence in a way that is accessible and understood by non-experts  
• Able to articulate reasoning in a clear and persuasive manner to a range of stakeholders. 

Relationships 

• Able to work as part of a flexible team 
• Experience of managing the work of less experienced team members 
• Able to form inclusive, effective and influential relations with others, including those who are not data experts. 

Working for us

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

Working arrangements

Flexibility is important to the OfS, as we recognise that it can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. This would usually mean working from the office for two days in a typical week.

To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part-time working, apply to these roles. 

Closing date for applications: 9 June 2024

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

Security

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.