About the job

Summary

This role is being advertised on behalf of The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DfID) merged on 1st September 2020 to form the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO pursues our national interests and projects the UK as a force for good in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK's security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners.

Job description

This is a high-profile role, responsible for building and leading the central analytical services in the FCDO, supporting the organisation’s vision to “put data, evidence and analysis at the heart of all our work”.

You will be responsible for driving transformational changes to the skill base of the FCDO, to its culture around the use of data, evidence, and analysis, and to the way we deploy the UK’s data expertise externally to do good in the world.

You will be part of the senior leadership for the Delivery and Analysis Directorate, shaping and supporting its development. The Directorate aims to drive continuous improvement in FCDO delivery and analysis, through adaptive frameworks, effective governance, and analysis-driven decision-making.

The Directorate brings together a number of analytical teams with a range of skills.

You will be responsible for bringing these together in a new function, provisionally called the Centre for Data and Analysis. You will develop and operate the processes and methods for defining and commissioning work for the Centre, together with structures and approaches for assigning the relevant resources to tasks to produce high-quality and relevant analysis.

This is a new Centre in a transforming organisation. You will need to be comfortable leading through change and ambiguity. You will need to be able to spot and realise the opportunities that are presented.

Running an effective operation: Lead the Centre for Analysis to be an efficient and effective operational unit able to respond quickly and rigorously to the UK’s foreign policy and development priorities. Run the unit as a professional, people-based organisation, delivering value to the FCDO and offering an attractive and rewarding career for generalists and specialists alike.

Analytical quality control: Provide challenge and quality assurance on analysis produced across the department, ensuring submissions to Ministers are of the highest quality

Central analytical services: Establish and lead the Centre for Data and Analysis in FCDO, defining and delivering a vision and target operating model for the Centre. Understand the analytical needs in the department, and ensure the required capabilities are available, working closely with other analytical teams across the department.

Thought and knowledge leadership: Lead and inspire analysts to be thought leaders for the use of data and analysis to support department’s mission and objectives. Push for increased rigour in analysis to support decision making and explore novel ways to acquire, analyse and use data to support development and diplomacy.

Internal and external engagement: Build and strengthen links with other analysis units across government in relevant other sectors. Capitalise on and transform the role the International Comparators Joint Unit (ICJU) to ensure the international context is considered and reflected in relevant designs.

Transformation and culture leadership:

Shaping the FCDO as it transforms and leading the culture we all want to see will be a key part of this role. You will be integral to defining and delivering the strategy, operating model, and engaging your people through this period. You will set and deliver a compelling vision for your portfolio of responsibilities; work collaboratively across FCDO in the UK and overseas, as well as with Ministers, wider Government, and international partners where appropriate. You will use evidence, data, metrics, and oversight of evaluation to drive impact. You will be accountable for FCDO-wide policy relating to this data and analysis portfolio.

How we as leaders make decisions, do the job, and behave will set the tone for our people. We expect our leaders to be accountable for FCDO ambitions on inclusion and diversity, leading their teams with inclusivity and respect, and to role model our cultural vision:

• We draw on the expertise, insight, and diverse perspectives (and diversity of thought) of people across and outside the FCDO in our decision-making. We frame our decisions within a long-term approach. We are transparent about the rationale for decisions.

• We encourage and reward innovation including in use of data and digital. We are agile in our approach, and our use of resources, alert to emerging opportunities / challenges and open to change. We are all clear on what we are expected to deliver and supported in doing so. We all look to reduce duplication and unnecessary process.

• We put respect and kindness first. We are committed to including people and getting to know each other. We will ensure we take care of each other’s wellbeing. We are efficient and systematic in how we collaborate. We work together supportively to solve problems.

(see candidate pack for further information)

Responsibilities

Person Specification

It is important through your CV and Statement of Suitability that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the selection criteria detailed below. Please also outline your vision for the role and how you propose to approach it if appointed.

Essential Criteria

Experience

Consultancy Leadership: You will have recent experience leading a consulting organisation with a data or analysis focus. You will understand how to run a people-based organisation and how to flexibly make best use of the people within your remit to deliver on the broadest range of shifting priorities.

An eye for quality: You will have high quality standards and be comfortable giving feedback to improve products and analyses, ensuring work is of the highest standard. You will set out clearly the standards expected and support your team(s) in achieving them.

Communication: You will be an excellent communicator of analysis, able to distil complex issues into the relevant points. You will be able to work confidently with Ministers and senior officials, policy makers, external stakeholders, and the media, while showing sound judgement on the presentational aspects of the FCDO’s analysis.

Collaboration and influence: You will be an effective relationship builder; with a proven track record of influencing effectively at all levels, including in environments where there are partnerships with competing/conflicting priorities.

Strategic focus: You will have deep experience of setting direction for analytical work programmes which directly support strategic organisational objectives, working across boundaries so that the right people are involved to deliver.

People Leadership: You will be an engaging, open leader and people manager committed to building capability, coaching, and developing diverse staff groups to be high performing teams; with experience of building capability, and leading change.

Problem scoping and definition: demonstrated by a track record of working with difficult or intractable problems, and in environments when the problem parameters are unclear.

Broad analytical experience: demonstrated by a good working knowledge, ability to provide technical advice with credibility and authority, and undertake challenging quality assurance on analysis produced within the department.