Field Operations Manager

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Office for National Statistics as an Field Operations Manager, leading a team at the heart of data collection across the UK.

The Social Survey Field Collection Division is a large and operationally complex area responsible for enabling the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to collect high‑quality survey data from households across the UK.

It is organised into three business areas Face‑to‑Face Field Operations, Audit & Quality, and Strategy & Programmes—which collectively oversee the interviewing community and deliver the enabling functions needed to support a wide‑scale, largely remote workforce.

Together, these business areas provide leadership, frontline delivery, governance, and innovation, ensuring that ONS survey data collection remains robust, efficient, and responsive to changing demands.

This work is guided by the division’s mission statement: “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

As a Field Operations Manager, you will play a key leadership role in ensuring our field interviewer and management resources are deployed effectively to deliver an ambitious programme of work. Working as part of a supportive management team, you will help drive operational performance, balance priorities, and ensure resources are aligned to deliver high-quality outcomes for our customers and stakeholders.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead teams through a period of significant transformation. You will provide visible and inspiring leadership, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, empowered to contribute, and confident to challenge constructively. You will also help shape and implement new ways of working, supporting the delivery of strategic improvements, driving performance, and embedding best practice across Field Operations.

Your teams will be based across the Newcastle or London and Reading Region, and regular travel will be a key part of the role.

Working Arrangements

This is a Higher Executive Officer (HEO) Field Operations Manager role.

Successful candidates will be employed on a home-working contract and will be regionally based within their chosen location (North or South). Whilst this is a home-based role, regular travel is a key part of the position.

You will be expected to travel across your chosen region to support operational delivery, attend meetings, and engage with colleagues and stakeholders. As a minimum, you should expect to:

• Meet with your manager and team members at least twice per month.
• Attend meetings and events at ONS sites and other agreed locations when required.
• Travel throughout your selected region as part of your day-to-day responsibilities.
• This role requires attendance across five working days (Monday to Friday), with flexibility in working hours provided in accordance with business needs and operational requirements.

Training

We offer a blend of in person and virtual training. As part of the successful candidates training, there will be a requirement to attend in person training at our Titchfield office. Travel and subsistence costs will be covered for this in person training.

Car and Driving License:

A car and driving license is preferred, as travel will be required to the areas where interviewers within the team are working. To qualify for the standard mileage rate, the car must carry comprehensive insurance which includes a clause for business use. If you do not have a car, you will have to be reliant on public transport, Please ensure you are able to access a public transport link.

Before applying, please ensure you are able to meet the travel requirements associated with your chosen location.

If you would like to discuss the location, travel expectations, or working arrangements in more detail, you are encouraged to contact theHiring Manager using the details provided in the advert. They will be happy to provide further clarification and answer any questions you may have.

Reserve List

ONS regularly recruits for Field Operations Manager positions. Candidates who meet the required standard but are not immediately appointed may be placed on a reserve list and considered for future vacancies during the life of the list.

When matching candidates to future opportunities, we will consider the region selected during your application. This means you may be considered for vacancies in alternative locations within your chosen North or South region, subject to business need and suitability.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure there is sufficient interviewer resource available capable of delivering the work programme.
• Focus on improving performance via effective pro-active management and learning.
• Pro-actively report on risks and issues related to business continuity.
• Handle and resolve a wide range of operational and people matters. Provide advice to managers and senior staff.
• Allocate field work making effective and efficient use of available interviewer hours, taking account of business priorities.
• Ensure that Health and Safety policy and procedures are effectively implemented.
• Recruitment of staff whilst adhering to policy and procedure.
• Directly line manage a team of home-based Interviewer Managers and be countersigning manager for approx. 90 interviewers.
• Effectively communicate and collaborate with staff and colleagues.
• Act as a positive force for constructive contacts between field and HQ.
• Work with others to ensure best training of managers and interviewers.
• Work with others to deliver business plan changes and improvements.
• Ensure under performance and attendance matters are pursued and dealt with in line with ONS policy and procedures. Deal directly with difficult cases.
• Accumulate the local and regional knowledge to support business requirements.
• Ensure effective and efficient use of own and team's time and travel; ensure adherence to central guidance and most economic use of travel and subsistence.
• Line Management of approximately 8 interviewer managers, who will each have teams of approximately 15 interviewers.
• You will lead and support on recruitment activities within your region.
• You will be provided with a laptop and smartphone for business use and to access your work emails.

Please refer to the Candidate Pack for further details about the role and associated travel requirements.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of managing remote teams along with managing Survey Operations.
• Leadership skills and communication skills including visibility and creating an inclusive environment.
• Previous recruitment experience.
• Evidence of promoting a change either technological or cultural.
• Evidence of communicating messages with positivity and enthusiasm using a variety of different channels.

Licences

A car, driving license (full UK or EU full member state equivalent) and internet connection at your residential address are essential requirements for this post. To qualify for the standard mileage rate, the car must carry comprehensive insurance which includes a clause for business use.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,587, Office for National Statistics contributes £10,019 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Visa Sponsorship

ONS are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants are expected to hold a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are applying on a time-limited visa, this will need to be valid for at least 18 months at point of application.

To work at the ONS, candidates must meet both UK right to work and security requirements.

If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.

Application Support

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, skills, experience, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

A personal statement is required at application stage, the maximum wordcount allowed is 1250, which should not be exceeded. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

When a high volume of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted. Candidates will be invited to interview based on their merit order, with those achieving the highest scores being prioritised. Applicants who score below the adjusted pass mark but still pass will be placed on hold and may be invited to interview at a later date.

Stage 2 – Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.

Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

Important Dates:

The Sift will be conducted from 13/10/XX

Interviews will be conducted from 09/11/26

Dates are subject to change.

If there are more successful candidates than vacant positions, a reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates should note that this is a multi-location campaign and, therefore, the reserve list will be held by location and managed in merit order.

Candidates offered a post in any of their preferred locations and who then decline will not be offered any further roles as part of this campaign.

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : Howard Avons
• Email : recruitmentoperations@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentoperations@ons.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact recruitment.complaints@ons.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission

Attachments

02_2025_Field_Operations_Manager_ Candidate_Information_Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 965kB)2721 Advert 4B Fixed Term Between One and Two Years - ONS National v1-00 (3) Opens in new window (pdf, 134kB)