Senior Statistical Officer, Local Transport Funding Data

Job summary

Are you excited about making a difference through data?

Are you interested in building evidence on local-level transport schemes, from potholes to buses, to create impact in this new era of English devolution?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

The Department for Transport has an exciting opportunity available working on data delivery and analysis for the Local Transport Funding Data team.

This is an exciting time for transport at local level.

The DfT has recently introduced the biggest change to Local Authority transport funding in 25 years, consolidating disparate funding streams into multi-year settlements and simplifying the accountability framework for local transport. DfT funds are distributed through Local Authorities and go to a wide range of local transport programmes, ranging from highways maintenance, such as potholes, to larger schemes such as light rail and transport hubs.

In a new era focusing on English Devolution, this team is fast developing the evidence base for key decision-making.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

You will report to the Head of Branch, providing opportunities to lead priority areas within the team. You will be expected to contribute to your division’s wider agenda and work programme. This will include developing data visualisations, developing and improving reproducible analytical pipelines and assisting with quality assurance across the team and teams in division.

Key responsibilities are expected to include:

• Using your data and coding skills to populate, maintain and improve databases containing project delivery information for funds across Local Transport.
• Deploying a code-led approach to create new outputs and visualisations of data for your customers and improve processes, ensuring departmental and analytical best practices are In particular, utilising RStudio, GitHub, BigQuery and Power BI.
• Developing strong relationships with policy and project management customers to establish their data needs in terms of monitoring and evaluating project delivery, providing service outputs accordingly. Where required, you’ll work collaboratively with analysts of other professions, located in separate divisions within DfT.
• Effectively communicating analytical findings to non-technical audiences, utilising existing team products and suggesting new tools, including geography products.
• Managing a range of requests for analysis of statistical, expenditure and funding data, some at extremely short notice, from ministers, government departments, and other senior stakeholders – whether on the local transport portfolio, or any other areas covered by the team.
• Where funding calculations are completed, ensuring the team and its customers follows best practice for modelling and analytical assurance.
• Interpreting and summarising analysis accurately, communicating the methodology, limitations and nuances of the data clearly, adapting this to suit both technical and non-technical audiences.

Once in post, we will provide training to equip you to fulfil these responsibilities. Our team is part of the Department’s Civil Service Award winning wider Transport Statistics community, which strongly encourages the learning and development of our members.

An example of this is our coffee and coding sessions, which are ran regularly to share good practice and encourage upskilling amongst our membership.

Posts in the Transport Statistics team offer the opportunity to:

• Join our growing community of trainee coders, learning skills like R, SQL, Python, and using tools such as power BI, GitHub and Google Cloud Platform.
• Work one-to-one with policy officials to produce and present statistical evidence that informs some of the highest profile policies in Government.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

We welcome applications from candidates who have the following skills and attributes:

• Experience working with data in spreadsheets & databases, including use of SQL or BigQuery.
• Fluency in coding, for example in R.
• Experience of data visualisation of large datasets, for example using dashboarding tools such .as Power BI.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to build constructive relationships with a range of stakeholders, whether analysts or non-analysts.
• Ability to translate technical information to non-technical colleagues, and adapt communication style to suit the audience.

Additional Information

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work 22 hours per week. We can accommodate part time through job share.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, and therefore a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements. Hybrid working is a non-contractual arrangement where employees have the flexibility to work remotely combined with a minimum of 60% of their working time a month at either their principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, visiting stakeholders and colleagues, or carrying out detached duty in another DfT workplace. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

Qualifications

Candidates must either be a member of the Government Statistical Service or meet the requirements for membership of the Government Statistical Service (see ‘Qualifications’ below). Members of other government analytical professions are also welcome to apply.

If you are not a current member of the Government Statistical Service and are successful in this recruitment campaign, you will be provided with an opportunity to become a member once in post and therefore need to be eligible to join.

Eligibility can be demonstrated through one of the following:
•A first or second-class honours degree in a numerate subject containing at least 25% taught statistical content (e.g. Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Business Studies, Psychology, Geography, or similar)
•A higher degree, e.g. an MSc or PhD, in a subject containi