About the job

Job summary

Important - To apply for this role you will need to submit a CV and covering letter. These need to be merged into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter. 

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and motivated insight professional to join the Communications team at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Whether it’s levelling up the country, helping more people get onto the housing ladder, housing families displaced by the conflict in Ukraine or ending rough sleeping for good - we’re on the lookout for talented and confident professionals to help us make a difference and improve people’s lives. 

The role of the Insight team is to use evidence, research and analysis to underpin our communication strategies and behaviour change campaigns. It covers all types of communications research including quantitative and qualitative research, web analytics, desk research, and building communities. We use these to build our audience understanding, develop and test hypotheses, creative and messages, and measure results.

As senior insights officer you will be responsible for managing your own projects, producing intelligence and supporting the team to evaluate and optimise campaigns. You will also work closely with our qualitative and quantitative research agency and Head of Insight to respond to research needs from across the department, while making sure your work complies with the current Government Social Research, Government Communications and Market Research Association standards.  

You will communicate regularly with policy and communications counterparts to understand specific insight gaps and challenges, using your insight expertise to recommend research solutions. Your projects will range from commissioning focus groups to understand public attitudes on anti-social behaviour, to surveys to evaluate the success of campaigns, or using social media analytics to understand the public’s reactions to our announcements.  

This is a rich and rewarding role which provides the opportunity to work with a diverse range of stakeholders across the UK.

There are excellent training and career opportunities in the Government Communication Service, Government Social Research Profession and across the Civil Service. 

We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work. 

Job description

• Commission our standby research agency to conduct a range of quantitative and qualitative projects across a range of policy areas and campaigns and ensuring they meet the quality standards expected by the Government Social Research, Government Communications and Market Research Agency Standards.
• Provide advice and best practice to communications and policy counterparts across the department across our three major communications themes: protecting vulnerable people, building a better future for the UK and restoring pride in communities. This will include upskilling communication teams to enable them to design and deliver smaller, ad hoc projects. 
• Present and advise on research and insight across our policy areas, to inform communications plans, prioritisation and risk management. This includes ensuring that research and analysis is closely linked to the ROAMEF cycle outlined in Government Social Research Guidance and uses the relevant methodological tools. 
• Proactively identify new insight topics that will enhance the communication output of the department. Keep the team abreast of relevant communications and social trends.  
• Upskill members of the wider communication team on insight and evaluation best practice outlined in the Government Communication Service Evaluation Cycle. 
• Represent DLUHC at relevant insight meetings across Whitehall meetings, coordinating when needed. 

Person specification

Essential skills/experience

· Experience in market or social research (quantitative and qualitative) project management. Understands the key elements of a research brief and can commission high quality research against specified objectives

· Experience and understanding in a range of social research techniques and methodologies such as evaluation, qualitative methods and surveys. Experience in customer insight and audience targeting approaches

· Experience of using low cost/no cost approaches for research and evaluation, whilst also maintaining quality

· Identifies underlying issues from complex data and can draw evidence-based conclusions and recommendations

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills

· Proficient at ad-hoc desk research

· Ability to work under pressure, at pace and can prioritise and project manage several tasks at once. Meets deadlines and manages expectations along the way.

Desirable skills/experience

· Experience of managing UK-focussed market research projects, ideally about topics of interest to DLUHC

· A good knowledge of the current traditional media and social media landscape and experience of monitoring social media using various free and paid for social listening tools

· Experience of delivering communications evaluation plans

 

Analysts in DLUHC must be affiliated to a Government analytical profession.  

Candidates who successfully pass the initial filter and eligibility questions will be asked to confirm which of the analytical professions they belong to or are applying to be part of.  This information will be used to progress successful applications to the appropriate professional checks element of the process.  

Existing civil servants who are currently a member of one of these professions will retain their professional membership in this role.  Applicants on promotion will be assessed for promotion within their profession as part of the selection process.  Please make any current affiliation clear in your application.  

External candidates or civil servants without a current profession affiliation may be considered for accreditation to one of the professions as part of the recruitment process.  If you are not currently a member of a government analytical profession you will be put through the membership process for your chosen profession as part of this application.  You must pass the membership process for your application to be successful.  If you do not pass the relevant profession entry test your application will not be taken further.  See the Guide for Analytical Candidates document for more details of the membership process for the relevant profession.  

You will need to address the technical competences for your profession in the application and at interview. 

Please refer to the Guide for Analytical Candidates which provides: 

1 - The technical competences for each analytical profession 

2 - details of the entry requirements to each analytical profession 

3 – details of the entry process for each analytical profession 

 

Entry Qualifications  

The entry qualifications are listed below.  Please list FULL details of your degree in your application form.

Government Social Research (GSR): 

Hold an undergraduate degree, at a minimum of 2:1 or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree, in a social science subject.  A qualifying social science subject is one which contains substantial social research methods training (comprising around one third of modules taken in the course).  It should cover quantitative methods and at least three of the five topics listed below. 

Mandatory: Quantitative methods, including research design, data collection (i.e. questionnaire design, sampling, weighting), data analysis (e.g. statistical analysis) 

Three of: 

• Systematic/literature reviews 
• Qualitative methods, including research design, data collection (i.e. interviewing, focus groups, ethnography), data analysis (e.g. thematic analysis) 
• Interpretation of data (qual & quan), presentation of results, provision of recommendations/ conclusions 
• Study design, hypothesis formation, testing and evaluation 
• Application of ethics to research 

Relevant degree subjects in the social sciences can be varied.  Potential members need to demonstrate the substantial social research methods training they have taken and not merely the social science degree subjects. 

OR 

Professional Experience route: Hold an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:1, or 2:2 with a postgraduate degree, in any subject, or a degree equivalent (e.g. an advanced Certificate or Diploma from MRS), plus have at least 4 years’ social research practice experience. The degree requirement for Main Stream applicants is an undergraduate degree at a minimum of 2:2 with no need for a postgraduate degree. In any case, social research practice experience consists of experience working in a research agency, market research agency or specialist research team. To enter the GSR through this route you must make explicit the breadth and depth of your research experience and skills, which must include quantitative research methods and three of the following: systematic/literature reviews; qualitative methods; interpretation of data and presentation of results; study design, hypothesis testing and application of ethics to research. 

Social Researcher candidates (entry test) : 

Candidates who ARE NOT members of Government Social Research service (GSR) will be invited to sit the Government Social Research Knowledge test.  This is the first part of the GSR membership process and you must pass this test for your application to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process. 

We will arrange for you to sit the GSR Knowledge Test as soon as possible.  This test must be completed prior to interview and if candidates fail the knowledge test their application is terminated at this point. 

Candidates who are EXISTING members of Government Social Research service (GSR) do not need to complete this test as part of their application. 

Candidates who do not pass the filter and eligibility questions will not move to the second stage. 

 

Competencies 

You will need to address the technical competences for your profession in the application and at interview. 

Professional technical competences are listed below: 

Social research competences 

Social research: technical skills 

Social research: using and promoting social research 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,679, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes £10,457 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

We are for everyone 

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. 

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role. 

As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process. 

We are for everyone 

CV and Cover Letter Declaration 

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment. 

Please remove references to your: 

• name/title
• educational institutions
• age
• gender
• email address
• postal address
• phone number
• nationality/immigration status

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter. 

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors. 

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing: 

Experience 

Technical Ability 

Your merged CV and covering letter should be no more than 2 pages in total. Please can it include:

a. why you are interested in the role;

b. how you meet the essential skills, technical ability and experience required.

You will need to address the technical competences for the GSR profession in the application.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of:

Technical - Technical questions will be based on the Analytical competences as listed in the advert

Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a quality service 

Strength - The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.  

Candidates invited to interview will be expected to complete an oral briefing exercise as part of the interview process.  The oral-briefing exercise is designed to simulate aspects of the job to be performed and provide a second basis for assessing the behaviours and competencies required in the job. 

The oral briefing is usually part of the professional requirements as government analytical professions require an oral briefing as part of the entry or promotion process.  

You will be provided with a question in advance of the interview and asked to prepare a presentation of a specific length addressing this question.  This presentation will be followed by questions from the panel. 

Candidates invited to interview will be given full instructions on the presentation being used. 

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements: 

Experience: Yes 

Technical: Yes 

Strength: Yes

Behaviours: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs: 

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign 

 

Senior Social Researcher

• The salary for this role will be £45,813 (London) or £41,679 (National). 
• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges. 
• In order to receive this specialist pay band, you must be fully qualified and in a qualifying post as agreed by the Finance Head of Profession. 

Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.   

 

Benefits 

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: 

Any move to DLUHC 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 https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. 

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. 

 

Location 

• London 
• Wolverhampton 
• Bristol

At present, a minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in your contractual office location. Requirements to attend other office locations or off-site meetings will be counted towards this. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis, if you are successful for the role. 

Sift and Interview dates 
 
We will be sifting applicants as we go – so please don’t wait until the deadline to submit your application. Interview dates will be confirmed at a later stage, all interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. 

Reserve List 

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list. 

SC (Security Check): 

Important note 

Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. 

Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the Security Check – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Security Check (SC).  

Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database. 

  

Fixed Term Details 

For external candidates– you will be offered a 2 year fixed term appointment with a possibility of permanency.  

For existing civil servants – you will be offered a 2 year loan opportunity. Before applying for the role, you will need to seek approval from your parent department to take up a loan appointment should you be successful. 

For DLUHC employees  - you will retain your existing contract 

 

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules 

 

Candidate Pack Information 

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. 

 

Internal Fraud Database 

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned.The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.  

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register 

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.