About the job

Summary

The Local Growth Analysis team is a multi-disciplinary team of economists, statisticians, operational and social researchers and works across both BEIS and DLUHC, playing an instrumental role in the delivery of the government’s agenda on Levelling Up local economic growth and living standards across the UK. The team provides high quality, innovative analysis supporting a wide range of DLUHC policies focused on local economic growth, including the Levelling Up Fund and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Monitoring and Evaluation is a major programme of analysis that the team is building capacity on to ensure that there is greater understanding of how local growth policies are achieving their objectives.

The team offers a fast-moving, friendly and intellectually stimulating environment, where you can make a real contribution to maintaining this high-quality evidence base used for formulating government policy. We take the development of our people very seriously, equipping and enabling them to make an impact by ensuring high quality evidence and analysis is at the heart of the policy-making process. We are committed to good management and professional development of our staff. We actively promote learning and development, and also have an exceptional bursary training opportunity to support postgraduate study.

Job description

The government’s central mission is Levelling Up across the whole of the United Kingdom to ensure that no community is left behind, particularly as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Regional disparities in UK productivity contribute to large differences in living standards and inequal distribution of opportunities.

To support this agenda, the UK government is launching investment programmes, including the Levelling Up Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund, to support communities right across the country. There is significant interest in understanding whether these funds are achieving their objectives, and what lessons can be learnt from them to support levelling up going forward. To meet this demand, a new G6 team has been established and we are looking for an SEO analyst to support the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) programmes.

The post holder will be able to apply and develop a wide range of analytical tools to different areas, will be comfortable working flexibly across projects and will be able to work collaboratively across teams and professions to deliver high quality analysis. The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to navigate Whitehall, influence stakeholders, communicate technical information clearly and compellingly to senior officials, often to short deadlines.

Membership of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) is an essential prerequisite of this role.

Responsibilities

This is a relatively new team and as such it is an opportunity for the post holder to develop a range of M&E skills and shape the direction of how a number of high profile and interesting government policies are evaluated. The embedded nature of the analysts in the team means that the post holder will be required to work closely with policy officials to ensure decisions are informed by robust evidence at every stage.

As a SEO analyst in the team, you will lead on components of the end-to-end development and delivery of M&E strategies, from developing the theory of change to analysing data to understand how well local growth policies are achieving their objectives.

Key responsibilities for the role will include:

• Collaborate with customers and OGD stakeholders to develop M&E strategies for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

• Oversee the ongoing M&E of the Towns Fund, advising commissioned external experts to ensure high quality project delivery

• Oversee the commissioning and management of cross-cutting M&E projects delivered externally.

• Liaising and working with external evaluation experts e.g., What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, to maintain an up-to-date evidence base on Levelling Up.

• Carry out qualitative and quantitative analysis of monitoring data and evidence collated through the M&E strategy and disseminate findings to senior customers

• Develop and implement quality assurance processes to ensure robust, high quality outputs for senior stakeholders

Key skills/ criteria

• Have knowledge (or some experience) in designing process and impact evaluations

• Have strong research and project management skills covering aspects of design, delivery and reporting.

• Have strong analytical skills, with an ability to understand, interpret and scrutinise a mixture of qualitative and quantitative information.

• Have good collaboration skills and the ability to build partnerships across a range of stakeholders (e.g. relevant subject matter experts, other Government Departments, data providers).

• Have strong oral and written communication skills and an ability to explain complex analysis in a clear, jargon-free manner

Qualifications

You must be eligible to become a member of the Government Statistical Service (GSS). To qualify for membership of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) you must have 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. a MSc or PhD, in a subject containing formal statistical training (e.g. Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Sciences, Business Studies, Psychology, Geography or similar)

• have worked in a statistical or data science field and are able to demonstrate Continuous Professional Development (via a log book) in statistics or data science at the same level as a foundation degree or Higher National Diploma (level five)

• have achieved or are on track to achieve a level four apprenticeship including at least two years in a statistical or data analysis field in government and are able to demonstrate Continuous Professional Development in statistics or data analysis (via a log book signed off by a manager or mentor who are members of the statistical profession).