Senior Data Scientist
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 6th October 2024
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Architecture and Data
Digital
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About the job
Job summary
This role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see ‘Security Clearance Requirement’.
Are you looking for a leadership role where you can use data science to influence, innovate and inspire improvements? Would you love the opportunity to use our wealth of data to inform the customer journey for millions of users?
DWP is the UK's largest government department. We help people into work and make payments worth over £195bn a year to support some of society’s most vulnerable people.
In Retirement Services, we are responsible for running and transforming digital services. We ensure people over state pension age can plan for and secure all the support they need to live a life without unnecessary hardship. Every year we pay over £120 billion to 18 million DWP customers, including 1 million overseas customers residing in 229 countries.
We are a key part of DWP's modernisation story with commitments to deliver end-to-end service transformation across the support we provide to citizens and DWP staff.
If you have strong stakeholder management skills and think that data science can transform how government services work, we’d love to hear from you.
Job description
As a Senior Data Scientist, you will be part of the Analytics team working with Digital Performance Analysts, Business Analysts and other Data Scientists to deliver insights from data to a diverse range of stakeholders according to their unique needs.
You will lead data discovery work, exploring back- and front-end data from our digital services to find opportunities for performance optimisation. By working closely with digital product teams, you will build up expertise which will allow you to provide ad-hoc analysis at pace and shape the services we deliver to citizens.
You will support the safe migration of State Pension and Pension Credit claimants to a new, modern IT estate. By scrutinising a variety of data sources and working with subject matter experts to understand how complex policies and calculations can be implemented and optimised, you will support a seamless transition of pension benefits to a transformed digital service.
You will also have the opportunity to develop new analytics capabilities for Retirement Services, such as A/B testing or building Natural Language Processing models to maximise the value of user feedback. You will steer the development of a modernised, data-driven approach to controlling quality and accuracy in Later Life services while aligning to DWP standards and strategies.
Whether working independently, as part of, or leading a team, you will take responsibility for delivering quality outcomes as well as the behaviours displayed by you and your team. You will strive to ensure Retirement Services is a great place to work, where everyone feels safe and supported to work together to achieve shared goals.
Working in DWP Digital you will benefit from a great learning and development offer and a collaborative environment that encourages continuous professional development. You will join a Data Science community and a Data Practice, where you will have the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with colleagues. You will participate in events and activities that strengthen the community, such as hackathons, show and tells etc.
We care about our employees and can offer you an environment that is family-friendly, supportive and inclusive in an organisation with real social purpose.
Person specification
Essential criteria
- Strong stakeholder management skills and experience of working with a range of people and teams to deliver results and influencing decision-making. Experience of proactively building relationships across different teams, advocating for the use of data and educating stakeholders on the art of the possible with data science.
- Experience in tackling loosely defined problems, working with stakeholders and colleagues to narrow down scope, delivering value iteratively and at the earliest opportunity in alignment with business goals.
- Experience in exploring and analysing large, disparate datasets, understanding their limitations and working with subject matter experts to deliver insights relevant in business context at pace.
- Experience of a wide range of analytical, data science and data visualisation techniques and associated limitations, with expertise in a number of techniques including theoretical basis and application.
- Excellent written and oral communication, with ability to present complex analysis clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences, explain the implications of analytical evidence and limitations of data sources and provide recommendations.
- Experience of SQL and Python to an advanced level.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of using version control software, such as git.
- Experience working with event-based data or web analytics data.
- Experience working in notebook environments such as Jupyter or DataBricks.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Caicy.sanford1@dwp.gov.uk.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Describe a time when you had to learn a skill, build new relationships with stakeholders or become an expert in a topic to deliver insight from data relevant to business context.
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £52,412 to £63,517.
The maximum salary for the grade is £63,517, however a Digital Allowance of up to £9,829 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of three parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training in line with the essential below:
- Strong stakeholder management skills and experience of working with a range of people and teams to deliver results and influencing decision-making. Experience of proactively building relationships across different teams, advocating for the use of data and educating stakeholders on the art of the possible with data science.
- Experience in exploring and analysing large, disparate datasets, understanding their limitations and working with subject matter experts to deliver insights relevant in business context at pace.
- Experience of a wide range of analytical, data science and data visualisation techniques and associated limitations, with expertise in a number of techniques including theoretical basis and application.
- Experience of SQL and Python to an advanced level.
3. Technical statement (up to 250 words):
- Describe a time when you had to learn a skill, build new relationships with stakeholders or become an expert in a topic to deliver insight from data relevant to business context.
Please use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) approach to answer this question.
An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift. The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and qualifications to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria points mentioned above.
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history, qualifications or technical statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the experiences listed in the essential criteria within the personal specification section.
You will be asked to do a (5 minutes) presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from late October 2024.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Security Clearance Requirement
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How we recruit page.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Caicy Sandford
- Email : Caicy.sandford1@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.
