International Support Officer

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution, and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime, and migration.

The International Division sits within the National Statistician’s Office (NSO). You will also be part of the Civil Service Policy Profession. This is UK-wide and is made up of around 33,000 civil servants whose aim is to develop and deliver public policy for ministers and citizens. More detail can be found on the Policy Profession Website:

(https://www.policyprofession.civilservice.gov.uk).

Job description

Are you interested in working internationally, engaging with stakeholders across UK

Government and across the Global Statistical System? Are you an effective communicator and would you like to work in a varied role in a fast-paced environment? If so, this could be the role for you, to support delivery of the International Strategy for the Government Statistical Service and achievement of the UK Government’s International Policy Goals.

In this role you will need to be confident in engaging with stakeholders both domestically and internationally, and building the relationships required to deliver successful outcomes for the UK Statistics Authority. You will have an ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders with competing priorities and earn their trust; to support the delivery of a coherent and coordinated international strategy; and to contribute to a team of high performing individuals.

You will have, or quickly develop, a good understanding of the UK Statistical System and the role that international engagement plays in supporting the UK Statistics Authority’s five-year strategy. You will be able to identify connections both within and outside of the ONS, being a reliable contact point for Government Statistical Service (GSS) technical experts and our international partners.

The post holder will need to have the ability to adapt their communication style for diverse audiences, bringing stakeholders together to foster collaboration and interpret technical information from numerous statistical areas and provide high-level support to a diverse set of users. You will be able to pick up existing communication tools and develop them to deliver relevant and quality information. You will also have confidence to put forward new ideas that can improve ways of working.

Key Responsibilities:

• Providing logistical and administrative support to the International Relations team and senior UK Statistics Authority staff.
• Dealing with a diverse range of ad-hoc international queries and processes via the management of the team’s shared inbox.
• Providing administrative support on key international projects and initiatives, supporting business areas in the delivery of the GSS International Strategy.
• Contributing towards the commissioning and drafting of briefings for senior UK Statistics Authority staff attending international meetings.
• Monitoring UK Statistics Authority staff travelling internationally and ensuring the return of meeting summaries and outputs.
• Supporting the International Relations team’s monitoring and evaluation function, ensuring that ONS understands the impacts of its international engagement activities.
• Keeping abreast of developments in the Global Statistical System, and of key international and geopolitical events across the international system more broadly, to understand the potential implications for the ONS and achievement of organisational priorities.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Work with senior staff in the ONS and the UK Statistics Authority to quickly build trust, while balancing competing priorities and agendas.
• Identify and develop key relationships and networks to increase the profile of the UK Statistical System both domestically and internationally.
• Work at pace to respond to changing external demands and internal priorities as part of a team.
• Commission, draft and interpret briefs across a wide range of subjects to the highest standards.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of wider organisational objectives and work, and how your work supports those priorities.
• Have excellent organisational and administration skills, and be proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint and multiple conferencing platforms.

Behaviours

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

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £28,138, Office for National Statistics contributes £8,151 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.

Security Clearance:

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency
• Security Services records

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 clearance requirements (where applicable).

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 Process

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 – Application (2 steps)

Application Step 1: Online Civil Service Judgement Test.

Upon submission of Part 1 of your application form you will be sent an invitation to complete an online Civil Service Judgement test. There will be full instructions on how to complete the test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test. The test is not time limited. If you fail the test your application will not proceed to the next stage.

Application Step 2 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, CV (of no more than 2 pages), 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 words, 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.

Interviews will be held in person at our Newport & Titchfield offices. You will be asked to confirm your preferred interview location preference in one of the questions when completing your application.

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

Sift -will be conducted from 8th September

Interviews - will be conducted w/c 28th September

Our Newport office location is Government Buildings, Cardiff Rd, Duffryn, Newport NP10 8XG.

Our Titchfield office office location is Segensworth Rd, Titchfield, Fareham PO15 5RR.

Dates are subject to change.

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.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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 : Ross Perry
• Email : SCS.Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : SCS.Recruitment@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

2721 Advert 1B Permanent - ONS National v1-00 Opens in new window (pdf, 83kB)Role1_Standard_Requirements (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 76kB)