Operational Data and Insight Manager

Job summary

Make a Difference with Data That Matters

Join the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK's largest producer of official statistics, and play a key role in delivering the high-quality data that informs public health policy, research and decision-making. From tracking population change and migration to understanding health outcomes and inequalities, ONS provides the evidence that helps shape the future of the UK.

Work with a team whose work helps shape public health insights and supports key government decisions. As an Operational Data and Insight Manager, you'll lead the delivery and continuous improvement of systems and data that underpin nationally important statistics.

The Life Events Processing team sits within the Data Quality and DesignDivision and is responsible for processing data from the Registration Online system used by Registrars across England and Wales. This information supports a wide range of official statistics, including mortality analysis and public health insights that inform policy and decision-making across government.

In this role, you will ensure the quality and integrity of complex datasets, and work with stakeholders to deliver valuable insight and service improvements. You will also help provide data and services to key partners across government, public health organisations, local authorities and academia.

This is an excellent opportunity to lead meaningful work, influence decision-making, and contribute to statistics that have a real impact on public services and the lives of people across the UK.

Job description

As an Operational Data and Insight Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring operational services, processes, and systems are effective, efficient, and fit for purpose. Using data and insight to inform decision-making, you will help drive continuous improvement, identify opportunities for change, and support the delivery of high-quality services.

You will lead the development and use of management information, reporting frameworks, dashboards, and analytical tools to provide meaningful insight into operational performance. By analysing complex datasets, you will identify trends, risks, and opportunities, helping stakeholders make informed decisions and improve service outcomes.

Working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders, you will build strong relationships, share insights, and identify opportunities to improve performance and efficiency. You will also support the design and implementation of reporting solutions that enable effective monitoring of customer, service, and operational performance.

The role requires strong analytical and leadership skills, with responsibility for leading projects, influencing stakeholders, and embedding evidence-based decision-making into day-to-day operations. You will ensure that data, insight, and performance information are translated into practical actions that support organisational priorities and improve outcomes for customers and stakeholders.

Information

Please be aware that this role involves working with sensitive and potentially distressing information, including data relating to deaths, mortality statistics, and coronial or inquest records.

As part of your day-to-day responsibilities, you may be required to review, analyse, and manage information that some individuals may find emotionally challenging. While support and wellbeing resources are available, it is important that candidates carefully consider whether they would feel comfortable working with this type of material on a regular basis.

We are committed to creating a supportive working environment and recognise that people respond differently to sensitive content. However, given the nature of the work, resilience and the ability to work professionally with distressing information are important aspects of the role.

We encourage candidates to take this into consideration before applying to ensure the role is the right fit for them.

Responsibilities

• You will Interpret data to support service delivery and improvements, including dashboards and data sets.
• Collation of relevant and multiple data sources, seeking opportunities to innovate and improve Production of management information to report customer and service performance including creating dashboards.
• Ensuring timely and telling management information enabling informed decision-making using data.
• Takes responsibility for the way data drives decision making and asks the right questions around data sets to focus attention.
• Establish close working relationships with stakeholders internal and external including attending regular meetings to keep informed of emerging data/reporting needs.
• Review and produce high-quality case studies, including authoring, reviewing and editing content for publication and supporting evaluation work.
• Summarising and presenting work to internal and external stakeholders on small scale or at larger scale events.
• Ensuring adherence to policies and data protection legislation.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Connections and Communications (Working): Builds strong, collaborative relationships across teams, communicating openly, sharing information constructively and encouraging feedback to support excellent service, quality and performance.

Operational Leadership & Management (Working): Leads and motivates teams inclusively, providing clear direction and effectively planning workloads to deliver high-quality outcomes, meet performance targets and maintain excellent service in challenging circumstances

Adaptability to change (Working): Drives continuous improvement by identifying and solving problems, acting on feedback and creating learning opportunities that improve service delivery and prepare the team for change.

Delivery and Delivery Decision making at pace (Working): Makes timely, evidence-based decisions and recommendations, assessing risks and delivery timescales, escalating appropriately and clearly explaining the rationale for decisions.

Data and Insight (Practitioner): Uses data, trends and insights to drive sound decision-making, commissioning meaningful management information and challenging competing evidence to ensure consistent, timely and well-informed operational decisions.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• 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.

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.

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.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this linkor contact the recruitment email on the advert before applying to discuss, as failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected and any offer of employment being withdrawn.

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

Application Process

Number of Stages: 3 stage process

Stage 1: Civil Service Skills test

Stage 2 : Application

Stage 3: Interview

Stage 1 – Civil Service Situational Judgement Skills test

Civil Service Online Tests

Upon submission of Part 1 your application form you will be sent an invitation to complete Situational Judgement Skills online tests.

There will be full instructions on how to complete each test including an opportunity to practice before undertaking the actual test.

This test it not timed.

For further information about the assessment, including guidance on how to prepare and what to expect, please visit:

Preparing for the Civil Service Judgement Test - GOV.UK

We recommend reviewing this guidance before completing the test to help you familiarise yourself with the format and requirements.

If you pass a test, you then be invited to completed your application form. If you fail a test your application will not proceed to the next stage.

Stage 2 – Application

If you successfully pass the online situational judgement test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of your application. At this stage, you will be asked to provide additional information, including your employment history and a personal statement.

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

As part of your personal statement, you will need to answer the 5 questions below. You may use up to 250 words for each response.

Your answers will be assessed as part of the selection process, so we encourage you to provide clear and relevant examples that demonstrate your skills and experience. Where possible, explain the actions you took and the impact or outcome of those actions.

1. Question 1 :

Tell us about a time when you built effective working relationships across different teams or stakeholders to improve a service, quality or performance. What approach did you take, how did you encourage communication and feedback, and what was the outcome?

2. Question 2 :

Tell us about a time when you led a team to deliver high-quality outcomes in challenging circumstances. How did you set direction, plan and prioritise workloads, support and motivate others, and ensure delivery remained on track?

3. Question 3 :

Tell us about a time when you had to make a timely decision or recommendation to maintain delivery. How did you assess the available evidence, risks and timescales, and how did you communicate or escalate your decision? What was the outcome?

4. Question 4 :

Tell us about a time when you used data, management information or insight to identify an issue, trend or opportunity and inform an operational decision. How did you assess and challenge the evidence available, what action or recommendation followed, and what was the impact?

5. Question 5 :

Tell us about a time when you identified an opportunity to improve a process or service. How did you identify the need for change, involve others, implement the improvement and assess whether it had been successful?

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.

This assessment will consist of a scenario-based presentation exercise assessingagainst the behaviour Delivering at Pace. Candidates will be provided with a scenario and supporting information if they are successful at the sifting stages.

Candidates will then deliver a 5-minute presentation outlining their response to the scenario.

Following the presentation, the panel will move on to the formal interview, where candidates will be asked the remaining interview questions.

Interviews will be conducted via Ms Teams

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

Important Dates:

The closing date for the role is 29/10/2026 at 23:55. Please note, both the situational judgement Skills test and written application (work history, skills, experience and personal statement) will need to be completed by this deadline.

The Sift will be conducted from 30/10/2026

Interviews will be conducted from 16/11/2026

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 : Donna Bond
• Email : Donna.Bond@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitmentoperation@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

ONS_Vacancy_Terms(Permanent) Opens in new window (pdf, 83kB)Role1_Standard_Requirements (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 76kB)