About the job

Job summary

Job Title – Senior Data Quality Engineer

Profession- Data Quality Engineer

Directorate – Data Analytics & Surveillance

Full Time equivalent - 37.5 hours

No of Roles – 1

Contract Type – Permanent

Location – Hybrid

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

Working Pattern – Full Time /Part Time / Flexible Working/ Hybrid Working/ Job Share

Grade & Salary – Grade SEO. National banding- £38,724  - £44,393 Inner London –£42,716- £48,068 Outer London - £40,721- £46,231

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s 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.

Closing Date – 22/02/2024. 23:55pm. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered

Interview Date – W/C 11/03/2024 Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Job description

Do you want to help transform the way UKHSA understands the quality of its data? We are looking for a senior data engineer who can help build on our data quality work. You will work on establishing comprehensive data quality monitoring, shining a light on data across the UKHSA. You will establish rigorous quality assessments for centralised assets, working closely with data analysts to ensure that those assets are fit for purpose.   

At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards.  We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.

Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences, and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our employees are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work.

Job Overview

You will join the Data Quality Delivery team within Engineering and Enablement as we establish a comprehensive, user-focused approach to data quality assessments in UKHSA.

 

You will create data quality assessments for centralised data assets and other critical datasets, tackling a wide range of data quality needs and issues in the organisation.  You will work closely with data quality analysts in the team to implement and maintain comprehensive, user-focused data quality assessments that provide actionable insight to the organisation.

   

As part of the Data Quality Delivery team, you will deliver assessments that respond to immediate data quality concerns arising in the organisation, while also building towards comprehensive, clear monitoring of strategic centralised data assets.

 

Working with others across the organisation you will embrace innovative approaches to deliver, help to embed good practice in other teams, and mature the organisation’s approaches to data quality.

 

This role offers the opportunity to help improve data quality assessment in UKHSA and engage with people in a wide range of roles across the organisation, including with data owners, data users and data policy teams.

 

Main Duties of the Job

This role involves understanding the quality of UKHSA critical data assets, building assessments to monitor quality and working with other data engineers to help them embed good data quality practice in the organisation. You will work with data quality analysts to create assessments that help data users and data owners understand not only the quality of their data, but the impact that poor quality can have on outcomes. Working mostly in a cloud environment, you will create efficient and comprehensive assessments that link data quality with fitness for purpose. You will investigate instances of poor quality data, assessing the scale and impact of issues and advising stakeholders on potential root causes. You will ensure data quality work is impactful, clear and linked to organisational outcomes.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Implementing effective data quality assessments for centralised and critical data assets in a cloud environment
• Iterating assessments to respond to changing quality expectations
• Implementing core data quality measurements across multiple datasets that reflect the strategic value of data assets to UKHSA
• Working with data quality analysts ensure assessments are user-focused and effective.
• Implementing innovative ways to deliver data quality assessments, working with others to resolve technical and process challenges.
• Creating guidance to support others in applying good data quality practice.
• Working with data quality analysts on a programme of data quality work
• Building strong relationships with other data engineers across UKHSA to spread good practice in data quality

 

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality 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.

 

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• A strong engineering background with a track record of creating high quality pipelines
• Experience in creating pipelines to meet both strategic and user needs
• Experience of assessing and improving the quality of data
• Communicating technical concepts to a wide range of technical and non-technical audiences
• Significant experience of working with stakeholders with differing levels of technical expertise
• Experience of leading improvements in data engineering
• Experience of using Python and SQL

 

Desirable criteria:

• Knowledge and application of Power BI
• Experience of delivery within a multi disciplinary team
• Experience of contributing to digital delivery

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £38,724, UK Health Security Agency contributes £10,445 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

Stage 1: Application & Sift

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

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement / Statement of Suitability in no more than 750 words. We will be assessing essential criteria at sift.

 

This should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the Experience criteria or the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

 

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. This will be used in the sifting process and will be scored.

Stage 2: Panel Interview

All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours / experience / technical / ability through Success Profiles.

When assessing strengths, we want to find out whether you and the job role are a good fit. We will look at what you enjoy doing and what you do well and often. By ensuring that the role is the right fit for you, you are more likely to enjoy it and perform well.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

Seeing the Big Picture

Changing and Improving

Managing a Quality Service

Communicating and Influencing

You will also be assessed on your skills and approach to data analysis

During the interview you will be asked to complete a SQL technical test

Reserve List:

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.

If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

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

 

DBS - People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is SC Clearance and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.

 

This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

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 welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Government baseline personnel security standard

It’s important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:

• life sentences
• arson
• sexual offences
• hate and terror offences

Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role

 

Complaint process:

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.

 

Contact Details – Rebecca.strickland@ukhsa.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

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.