Reducing Reoffending Pilot Analyst – BOLD Programme (Ref: 1633)

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

East Midlands (England), East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands (England), Yorkshire and the Humber

About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally.

Job description

Do you have the passion, values, and ability to help us solve the biggest problems of the justice system?

Reducing Reoffending Pilot Analyst (HEO), Data Directorate, Ministry of Justice

Overview

We have 1 role in the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) Reducing Reoffending pilot team, within the Data Directorate.

Roles are open to: 

1. Existing analysts from all professions (GORS/GSS/GSR/GES) either on level transfer or on promotion.
2. Other candidates that are not members of GSS, GORS, GSR, GES professions but possess and can demonstrate similar experience at the appropriate level. Badging opportunities will be available once in post for those who wish to apply.

Specialist allowance

Due to the role(s) being analytical, those successful in recruitment will be eligible for a specialist allowance following an analytical interview based on the following values: 

• SEO London: £500 
• SEO National: £1500 
• HEO London: £1000 
• HEO National: £1500

Minimum requirements to apply:

Candidates must be able to show the relevant experience and skills and must meet the criteria for entry:

HEO grade – must meet at least one of the following:

1. You possess a numerate degree or a degree that has an analytical, statistical or research element, with a 2:2 or above, or as a higher degree (e.g. MSc, PhD).
2. Alternatively, you have significant experience (usually a minimum of two-years’ work experience) evidencing use of data and/or analytical skills (outside of a part-completed Civil Service degree apprenticeship).

We welcome applications from candidates based across the UK. Candidates will have the option of being based in the Leeds or London HQ offices (with flexible working arrangements available) or your nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. These are based at the following JCCs: Cardiff, Leeds, Nottingham, South Tyneside, Brighton, Ipswich and Liverpool, and the following JSOs: Ashford, Beverley, Haverfordwest, Hull, Merthyr Tydfil, Manchester, Newport, Birmingham, Sheffield, North Shields, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Weston-Super-Mare, Stafford, Truro, Winchester and Leeds.

Alternative locations may be available and will be discussed and agreed on the completion of background checks.

Interviews are likely to take place in January 2024 and will be held via MS Teams. We will keep a merit list for a year for those who successfully pass the interview board but who are not offered a post.

1. About Data Directorate

We are passionate about improving justice outcomes through innovative research, data and analysis. In Data Directorate, we provide high quality data and analysis helping to ensure strategic, policy, finance, corporate and operational decisions are based on robust evidence.

We create a culture in which people are empowered with the data and information to make excellent decisions; using cutting edge tools, techniques and collaboration; putting evidence at the heart of the justice system.

We are a multi-disciplinary team that sits at the heart of the Ministry of Justice providing data support across a diverse and exciting agenda. We work in a dynamic and fast-paced context and our skills are in heavy demand across the Ministry of Justice. Our collaborations beyond government are seen as ground-breaking. The Data community is made up of analysts and specialists including: Social Researchers, Economists, Operational Researchers, Statisticians, Data Engineers, Data Scientists and other data specialists (such as data strategists, data dissemination, generalists and assurance experts).

What we offer

• Flexible working arrangements and a focus on equality of opportunity – including welcoming part-time and/or job-share arrangements, compressed hours, working from home or your nearest Justice Collaboration Centres or Justice Satellite Office.
• Career development – regular development and promotion opportunities across a wide range of roles, career development support, with a generous individual learning and development budget.
• Range of new areas of work and new tools and techniques – we pride ourselves on our excellent deployment of well-established analytical methods, but also our progress to date. Progress such as our ambitious and innovative transformation programme to leverage departmental data and drive evidence-based decision-making using cutting-edge tools and techniques (for example: experimentation, personalisation, artificial intelligence).
• Analysis is at the centre of the Department’s decision making – our transformation programme is focused on maximising our impact on departmental outcomes. The Ministry of Justice’s Senior Team and our Ministerial Team want all decisions to be evidence driven – your analysis will be key in influencing decisions and real-world impact
• Vibrant community – part of a multidisciplinary team that has a supportive culture and is looking to further develop the community with the help of everyone.
• See the frontline and what your work is influencing – regular opportunities to visit our front-line service providers, including courts, prisons, and probation to better understand the areas your analysis is affecting.

Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme

The Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) programme is a cross-government initiative delivered in partnership between the MoJ, the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC), Public Health Wales (PHW)/Welsh Government (WG) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and this role offers the opportunity to deliver impact across a broad range of public services.

Public services collect a large amount of data which is used to improve the quality of services offered to the public, but it is often not shared between organisations, making it difficult to understand whether certain services have been effective.

The BOLD Programme, backed by investment from HM Treasury, will improve the connectedness of government data so that policymakers and those working on the frontline of UK public services have better quality evidence on what works in supporting victims, reducing homelessness and substance misuse and helping offenders turn their backs on crime. Understanding what services best help prison leavers into work could help to prevent thousands of people becoming victims each year and save some of the £18 billion annual cost of repeat crimes.

The post being offered sits within the Reducing Reoffending pilot of the BOLD programme, which uses linked data to help tackle the underlying causes of offending and promote rehabilitation and reform.

1. What you’ll do

As an analyst (HEO level) within the BOLD Reducing Reoffending pilot, you will work on statistical analysis drawing on linked administrative data, to support the Education and Families projects. The Education project aims to understand how participation in prison education affects employment outcomes, exploring linked cross-government longitudinal datasets. The Families project is about examining the impact of parental imprisonment on children, building up a picture from a variety of local data sources including data held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank.

The successful applicant will work collaboratively with analytical, policy and operational colleagues within the MoJ and across government to produce robust, quality assured analysis which meets stakeholder needs and fills critical evidence gaps. The postholder will be encouraged to develop research and analysis on the strands of the projects that take their interest. Analytical outputs from this project are intended for publication and so the postholder will also assist in managing the dissemination process, working with Private Office and Press Office to ensure considered handling of novel insights.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking to gain experience in the development of high-profile projects in a fast-paced and challenging role.

Responsibilities include:

• Act as analytical support for the BOLD Families and Education projects
• Conduct analysis of linked administrative data including prisons and probation data sources
• Conduct statistical analysis of local level data sources within a Trusted Research Environment to understand impact of parental imprisonment on children.
• Work closely within our cross-disciplinary team of policy, operational and data science colleagues; producing and disseminating statistical evidence to meet stakeholder requirements.
• Build relationships with a range of stakeholders to define research questions and evidence gaps.
• Work collaboratively across MoJ to explore new and alternative data sources and data linking with other data sources.
• Contribute to writing and quality assurance of analytical reports for publication on gov.uk
• Share key findings and effectively communicating complex analysis to technical (including academics) and non-technical stakeholders.
• Work flexibly to support the wider analytical team within BOLD: promote and champion BOLD at conferences and stakeholder events.

1. Who you are

The following experience and skills will be required:

• Strong quantitative skills and confidence manipulating large data sets.
• Ability to independently manage own workload, take initiative, and critically assess use of data.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to engage with a range of stakeholders (technical and non-technical).
• Experience in writing clear and concise code, preferably in R and/or Python.

The following experience and skills are desirable:

• Experience of working with SQL for querying databases
• Knowledge and interest in data science and machine learning techniques.

1. How to apply

You’ll need to submit an anonymised CV and Statement of Suitability as part of your application. You will not be considered if you do not provide both.

Your CV should be no more than 2 pages long and should show us your work history and previous experience. It should be well structured, succinct and written in clear language.

Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Consider giving examples that cover all the requirements in the ‘Who you are’ section and use work you have completed to demonstrate how you meet each one. 

5a. Selection Process

There will be an initial sift of applicants through comparing submitted evidence against the ‘Who you are’ bullets. This usually takes two weeks, depending on the number of applications.

Those who make it through the initial sift will be invited to a Civil Service Success Profile interview. In the Civil Service we use Success Profiles to help us find the right person for the job. We will be using a mixture of methods to assess your abilities, strengths, experience, technical skills and behaviours. We highly recommend learning about Success Profiles and using the Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection (STARR) framework when structuring your answers.

The highest scoring candidates that pass the interview will be offered the roles. The whole process can take up to a month.

Behaviours

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework at interview stage:

• Communicating and Influencing 
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf 

For existing analysts from all professions, as well as the three civil service behaviours stated above, you will be assessed on two sets of professional competencies at interview.

For external (non-Civil Service) candidates (and unbadged candidates within the Civil Service), as well as the three civil service behaviours stated above, you will be assessed on your analytical knowledge, experience and abilities, and the impact of your analytical work. 

Professional Competencies 

• Professional Competency (1) Knowledge & Skills 

o GSS – Data Analysis. 

o GORS – Knowledge and application of OR Skills and Techniques. 

o GES – Analysis of Data. 

o GSR – Knowledge and application of GSR technical skills 

• Professional Competency (2) Influence & Impact 

o GSS – Presenting and disseminating data effectively. 

o GORS – Achieving impact with analysis. 

o GES – Effective communication. 

o GSR – using and promoting social research 

For more information regarding Professional Competency (2) please refer to the analytical profession internet links below. Please note that some aspect of the professional competency may overlap with the MoJ competencies listed above. We therefore recommend that in providing evidence for the professional competency, candidates focus on the technical and methodology aspects of the competencies that are specific to the profession. We will use evidence presented for the MoJ competencies in assessing the wider skills candidates have.

Government Statistician Group (GSG): Further information, including a user guide, can be found within the link below: 

GSG Competency Framework 2021

Government Social Research Service (GSR): Further information can be found within the link below: 

GSR Competency Framework 2022

Government Operational Research Service (GORS): Further information can be found within the link below: 

GORS Competencies 

Government Economic Service (GES): Further information can be found within the link below: 

GES Professional Standards 2022 

1. Applicants invited for Interview 

You will be required to carry out an analytical skills test at interview. Details of this will be sent to those candidates who are invited for interview. 

1. Further Information

If you require any additional information about the role, please contact:

Caroline Tudor ([email protected]) or Kylie Hill ([email protected])

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,140, Ministry of Justice contributes £9,890 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : [email protected]
• Telephone : 0845 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. I you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL ([email protected]) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/1633?entityId=1633

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