Senior Data Journalist

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.

Do you have a talent for making complex information clear and engaging? As a Data Journalist in ONS Digital Publishing, you'll transform statistics into compelling content, helping users access the insights they need while shaping the future of our digital publishing platform.

Digital Publishing is responsible for the ONS statistical dissemination service. We place the breadth of ONS data and analysis in the hands of our users in the most useful ways possible.

Data journalists specialise in making statistical content accessible and engaging for a broad audience. We work in multi-disciplinary teams, and collaboration is a large part of the role. We are currently focused on supporting the transition of our content to a new website platform.

Job description

Data journalists identify narratives in data and aid the understanding of statistical concepts, enabling improved communication to a wide variety of audiences in creative, accessible ways. We create content that makes statistics matter to our audiences.

As a senior data journalist, you’ll be responsible for leading journalism projects and coordinating between multiple teams to meet deadlines and standards. You’ll be asked to advise on the appropriate format for content and the communication of statistics for non-technical audiences. A basic understanding of statistics is necessary for this role, with a readiness to learn about various complex or specialist topics and work with experts.

Responsibilities

• Generating and developing high-quality editorial ideas based on data, and turning them into digital products (for example, articles, explainers, interactives, social media content) with impact.
• Collaborating and negotiating with statisticians, economists and analysts to balance the need for statistical accuracy with users’ need for clear, engaging and impactful content.
• Coordinating and managing your own projects, ensuring that everyone in the multi-disciplinary project team is hitting milestones.
• Supporting the migration and optimisation of citizen-focussed content as part transitioning to a new website platform.
• Managing the release of projects aimed at a wide range of users and working with colleagues across ONS to improve presentation and clarity.
• Offering support, expertise and advice to other parts of the organisation in areas such as editorial development and digital storytelling.
• Acting as a champion of our users’ needs within the organisation, to ensure our work is understood and valued internally.
• Building networks and positive relationships inside the organisation and sharing the management of planning sessions to foster good ideas and collaboration.
• Sharing responsibility for leading team meetings and working with managers and peers to improve the way we work.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Data journalism (Expert) - You can draw on extensive experience to generate journalistic ideas sourced from data and presented in a range of formats designed to serve different user types. You can draw on extensive experience in using data and statistical analysis techniques to find stories in data. You can write clearly and can distill complex and varied data sources into accessible insight. You can demonstrate experience of leading journalistic projects. You can demonstrate a track record of delivering work to a high standard and to specific deadlines.
• Data visualisation (Working knowledge) - You can use the most appropriate data visualisation to tell a focussed story that is relevant to the team's goals. You can work with others in a multidisciplinary team to ensure a visualisation provides the information they need.
• Stakeholder management (Expert) -You canmanage long-term strategic relationships with stakeholders, identifying where new connections need to be made and existing ones nurtured. You can influence important senior stakeholders and arbitrate when blockers are escalated. You can facilitate discussions across high risk and complex areas or projects under constrained timelines.
• User-centred content design (Expert) -You can demonstrate extensive experience in creating, iterating, managing and overseeing content across multiple channels. You can be accountable for the production of high quality, user-focused content. You can encourage teams to review and evaluate the effectiveness of processes and systems, and support them to iterate for improvements.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• Statistical literacy skills test at interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,985, Office for National Statistics contributes £12,163 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, Experience and Technical skills.

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

Please note: We will reach out to you once the advert has closed to confirm eligibility for this role, this will be via an e-mail. Please check you e-mails.

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 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

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.

A personal statement is required at application stage, the maximum word count 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).

In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.

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.

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

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 in 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

• Eligibility checks from 02/10 - 09/10. Please be aware we will be sending all candidates an e-mail to complete a eligibility form.
• Sift will be conducted from 12/10/2026
• Interviews will be from 26/10/2026

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 : Government Digital and Data Recruitment
• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : About.You@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 Opens in new window (pdf, 83kB)Flexibilities.1 Opens in new window (pdf, 47kB)