ODP Analyst

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.

Within Social Surveys Directorate (SSD), Social Survey Research & Production (SSRP) are responsible for producing a series of high-profile research and statistical outputs for policy and research purposes.

We are looking to recruit 3 Analysts to provide statistical and operational support to the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) survey.

The LCF survey collects information on spending patterns and the cost of living that reflects household budgets across the country. The primary uses of the survey are to provide information about spending patterns for the Consumer Price Indices, and about food consumption and nutrition. As well as being used to compile national estimates of household final consumption which feed into the National Accounts. It is an important source of economic and social data for government and other research agencies. The survey is conducted throughout the year across the whole of the UK and is the most significant consumer survey undertaken in the UK. The results are essential for understanding society and planning to meet its needs.

Job description

As an EO Analyst, you will support the production of high-quality statistical and analytical outputs that inform decision-making and improve understanding of key business and operational issues. Working with a range of internal and external stakeholders, you will provide technical and analytical expertise, ensuring data is managed, analysed and communicated effectively. You will contribute to the continuous development of statistical processes, methodologies and systems, whilst promoting a culture of curiosity, innovation and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with a range of internal and external stakeholders to research, develop and, where appropriate, implement improvements, providing technical and analytical expertise.
• Provide subject matter expertise within your area of work, including contributing to the interpretation and application of statistical guidance, international manuals, methodologies and best practice.
• Participate in and promote a culture of continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, systems and analytical outputs.
• Analyse and interpret data to understand movements, identify trends, develop evidence-based narratives, and address issues in data processes, systems and methods where they arise.
• Promote a culture of curiosity and analytical thinking to identify trends, stories, risks and errors within statistical outputs.
• Manage, clean, abstract and aggregate data to support a range of analytical and statistical studies.
• Identify, collect and migrate data across a range of systems, ensuring accuracy, consistency and quality.
• Manipulate, integrate and link data from multiple sources to produce robust analytical outputs.
• Use a range of analytical, data visualisation and reporting tools and techniques to generate business intelligence products and statistical outputs.
• Summarise, communicate and present the results of analysis clearly and effectively to a range of stakeholders, including both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Apply coding, programming and other analytical techniques where required to support data processing, analysis and automation.
• There may be opportunities to undertake line management responsibilities for an Administrative Officer (AO) as the team develops and grows.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Contributes towards the data production process, with responsibility over specific aspects of statistical output and an understanding of the impact beyond their immediate area.
• Ensures thorough quality assurance of data, dealing with respondent queries, liaising with stakeholders to address issues, and resolving and escalating issues as appropriate.
• Has demonstrable ability to manage and prioritise workload effectively, particularly in situations where work needs to be delivered in a timely manner.
• Is able to carry out pieces of analytical work, such as identifying key trends and movements in data, as well as potential anomalies that require further investigating.
• Has demonstrable experience of engagement with stakeholders, including answering customer queries in a professional manner, and developing and maintaining strong relationships.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

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

Visa Sponsorship

ONS is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK when employment commences. If you are currently in the UK on a time-limited visa, it must have at least 18 months remaining at the point of application.

Right to Work and Nationality Requirements

To work at ONS, applicants must meet the Civil Service nationality requirements, satisfy UK right to work requirements and, where applicable, meet the relevant security clearance 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.

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

Application Process

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, CV, 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 1000, 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 via Microsoft Teams.

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

The Sift will be conducted from 21st September 2026
Interviews will be conducted from 5th October 2026

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

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 : ONS Analytical Resourcing
• Email : ons.analytical.resourcing@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : ons.analytical.resourcing@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 (7) Opens in new window (pdf, 83kB)Role1_Standard_Requirements (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 76kB)