Learning Partner - National

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

Social Surveys Directorate (SSD) is the largest Directorate in ONS, comprising 2000 colleagues, including the field forces, split across four divisions: Social Surveys Collection (SSC), Social Surveys Research and Production (SSRP), Social Surveys Transformation (SST), Social Surveys Central Division (SSCD.

This post sits with Social Surveys Collection (SSFC) which delivers many of Great Britain’s largest social surveys. Our purpose is to provide high quality data to underpin core National Statistics and the wider statistical system. While much of ONS relies on them for outputs and statistical bulletins, the statistics we generate also support research, policy development and decision-making across the public and private sectors. The Social Survey Collection Division is one of the largest divisions within ONS, with approximately 1,400 colleagues.

Underpinning all this work is our mission statement, which reads: "We are a flexible and diverse community of data collection experts, and our mission is to collect and deliver high quality, trusted social survey data from the public, utilising robust, sustainable and innovative processes to paint a picture of rapidly changing life in the United Kingdom."

Job description

Role Overview

This is a nationally based role with a homeworking contract. While home-based, the successful candidate will be required to travel to office locations across the UK as needed to support team workshops, training events and team days.

The role is split across two key areas:

30% Field Data Collection – conducting social survey interviews with randomly selected households in your local area. This will provide first-hand experience of face-to-face (FTF) data collection and survey delivery, helping you to develop and maintain a strong understanding of the interviewer role and the practical challenges of working in the field.

70% Training and Development Activity – working with colleagues across Social Surveys to develop and deliver training sessions, workshops and best practice guidance, both virtually via Teams and in person.

You will use your experience of learning, training, coaching or supporting others, alongside the practical knowledge you develop through field data collection, to support colleagues and share effective approaches. You will play an important role in helping colleagues build their skills and confidence and contribute to the continuous improvement of data collection across Social Surveys.

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel within 40 miles or one hour's daily travel from your home address for fieldwork activities.
• Willingness to travel nationally on occasion to support team events and workshops.

The Role

As an Learning Partner within one of our Interviewer Communities, you will work closely with line managers and colleagues across Social Surveys, using your knowledge and experience of face-to-face (FTF) interviewing to provide expertise, promote best practice, and support high-quality data collection.

This role is being introduced as part of the Field Redesign Programme and has been designed as a modular role, meaning it is made up of different areas of work that together form the complete role.

The modular approach provides flexibility to respond to changing organisational and respondent needs, while offering colleagues the opportunity to develop a varied and rewarding career. As requirements evolve, modules of work may be added to or removed from the role. Any new modules introduced will be subject to appropriate assurance processes to ensure they are correctly graded.

Full training and support will be provided. The overall workload will remain reasonable and aligned with contracted working hours.

As part of the role, you will undertake face-to-face survey data collection to maintain your expertise and effectiveness as a subject matter expert. You will also be encouraged to undertake ongoing personal development activities, helping to support continuous improvement while keeping your skills and survey knowledge up to date.

Responsibilities

Learning partner:

• Work closely with Interviewer manager (IMs) peers to identify capability gaps, liaising with Survey Operations Learning and Development team (SOLD) to develop/deliver solutions.
• Collaborate as a delivery partner with SOLD, to develop and deliver individual and group-based training.
• Liaise with owners of FTF guidance and training documentation to ensure all guidance is maintained and kept up to date.
• Understand new and revised FTF survey requirements, translating these into best practice for sharing with Field Teams.
• Embed a continuous improvement ethos, driving excellence in all aspects of data collection service delivery.
• Work collaboratively with IMs to transfer/embed learning operationally.
• Coordinate learning validation exercises and ensure completion of all pre and post training requirements, liaising with the IM.
• Travel within a defined geographical area when required/necessary in support of FTF training.

Subject Matter Expert:

• Develop and maintain expert knowledge across the FTF community portfolio, standard methods, and best practice in achieving cooperation and response.
• Provide trusted and critical advice and cooperation to embed strategic development and wider transformation.
• Act as a point of contact for specific advice for (but not limited to) interviewer colleagues, operations managers, HQ staff and community champions.
• Act as a first point of contact for feedback and liaison with research teams on survey content and design to support improved data quality.
• Promote, encourage, and support positive use of the reward and recognition scheme.
• Maintain an awareness of the ONS brand in the media nationally and local area to support own and colleagues survey engagement and completion.

In Person Data Collection:

• Work in a variety of geographic locations including (but not limited to) respondents’ homes, communal establishments, schools, local authorities, engaging with members of the public to maximise survey completion.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of FTF interview community specific complex survey content, using supplementary knowledge and skills to support own and interview colleagues’ accurate data collection.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Evidence of using strong communication skills to deliver complex information in an engaging and inclusive way to groups of colleagues, both face to face and virtually.
• A proven ability to deliver complex messages in a straightforward and engaging way to support colleague development.
• A proven track record of building strong and effective working relationships at pace.
• Highly organised with previous evidence of working flexibly to manage competing priorities.
• Operational excellence – evidence of delivering high-quality work within an operational or service environment, following agreed s