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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.

Social Surveys Directorate plays a central role in delivering the ONS mission through the design, collection and production of household survey data that underpin some of the UK’s most important economic and social statistics. Our work supports decision-making across government, business, academia and the wider public, and provides the evidence base for policy, operational delivery and public understanding on issues that matter nationally and locally.

The 2026 ONS Business plan prioritises improving the quality and trustworthiness of published statistics, providing timely and relevant data for decision-makers, and building a more efficient, resilient and adaptable organisation. For social surveys, that means stabilising and recovering the quality of our core surveys, completing the transformation of the Labour Force Survey, strengthening the long-term sustainability of our survey system and investing in the development of our people.

With around 2,000 colleagues, Social Surveys Directorate is one of the largest business areas in ONS. It brings together the leadership, operational capability and in-depth social research expertise needed to run and improve the UK’s largest and most complex social surveys.

This role is the Deputy Director for the Social Surveys Strategic Research and Innovation Division. The Division works in partnership with the following five Divisions:

• Social Surveys Field Collection

• Social Surveys Telephone and Ports Collection

• Social Surveys Research and Production

• Social Surveys Transformation

• Social Surveys Central Division

The post holder will play an important leadership role in ensuring these interdependent parts of the system work together effectively to deliver high-quality survey data and support the wider strategic priorities of ONS. The role will report directly to Alex Lambert, Director for Social Surveys, who in turn reports to James Benford, Director General for Surveys and Economic Statistics.

Job description

The purpose of the role is to lead the Social Surveys Strategy, Research and Innovation Division. Operating outside the day-to-day data collection operation, the Division provides the capacity for longer-term strategic development, shaping the future direction of social surveys and delivering a programme of research and innovation to support their recovery and sustainability. The Division’s work is strategically important, as the economic indicators and official statistics produced from these surveys inform decisions across government and wider society.

Only a year old, the Division has already made significant progress in establishing its identity, ways of working and culture, while building capability and momentum. In its first twelve months it established two credible research portfolios to support social survey recovery and the use of alternative data, and developed and launched a new external survey performance dashboard to increase transparency and build trust with users. It has also launched a new social survey sector forum to align activity across the sector around shared challenges and, jointly with communications and media colleagues, delivered products and a developing media campaign to promote participation in our surveys.

Over the coming year, the Division’s priorities, in line with ONS, SES and Directorate business plans, are to:

1. Develop a new Social Survey Strategy to provide a road-map for recovery and a clear direction for the future of social surveys in ONS.
2. Advance research on artificial intelligence and alternative data, identifying opportunities across the end-to-end survey system to improve quality and efficiency.
3. Deliver a portfolio of survey research and innovation to support ONS in improving public engagement with surveys, including work on incentives, media and communications campaigns, and assessing the case for mandatory participation.
4. Continue to build the capability and culture of the new Division as it grows to around 50 FTE, establishes clear routes into delivery and becomes embedded at the heart of Social Surveys.

As Deputy Director for Social Surveys Strategy, Research and Innovation, you will lead the Division’s leadership team and provide clear direction across a broad portfolio of survey strategy, research, innovation and external engagement activity. You will oversee priorities, delivery, resources and capability across the Division, ensuring that strategic and research activity is focused on the issues that matter most for the recovery, sustainability and future direction of social surveys. You will build capability across the Division, invest in your people and support an inclusive, high-performing culture.

As part of the Directorate Senior Leadership Team, you will help ensure strategic alignment across Social Surveys, shape collective priorities, manage strategic trade-offs and support decisions on the prioritisation of resources. You will play an important role in senior stakeholder management, working across ONS, government and the wider survey community to build collaboration, strengthen external relationships and ensure that research and innovation activity is connected to operational priorities and wider organisational strategy.

This is a badged Government Social Research role requiring strong technical and strategic leadership. You will provide expert leadership and judgement across survey strategy, research and innovation, including decisions on priorities, evidence, research direction, methodological development and the application of new approaches to surveys such as artificial intelligence and alternative data. The role requires strong technical judgement, strategic leadership and the ability to translate research and innovation into practical improvements that support high-quality, sustainable surveys.

Role Responsibilities:

• Leadership – a visible and inspiring leader, you will draw on your expertise and work with people to set the direction and priorities for the Division during this time of change. You will lead the broader strategic leadership of the Division, working collaboratively with colleagues in the Directorate Senior Leadership Team so that it acts as one.

• Management – you will manage a growing division, with immediate direct line management of five Grade 6s and broader responsibility for building the Division’s capability, culture and ways of working. As the Division develops, you will help shape its structure, leadership model and priorities so that it is a strong and inclusive community and a great place to work.
  
  
• Technical – you will provide authoritative technical leadership across an emerging survey strategy, a new portfolio of social survey research and innovation and during strategic stakeholder engagement internally to ONS, nationally and internationally. You will have responsibility for providing insight, direction and decisions on research priorities, survey improvements and the use of emerging approaches such as artificial intelligence and alternative data. You will use your Government Social Research expertise to coach, challenge and develop others while ensuring that research and innovation activity is technically sound and supports high-quality, sustainable surveys.
  
• Stakeholder Management – you will be responsible for building close working relationships with colleagues across the Directorate and wider ONS, and with external stakeholders across government and the wider survey community, to strengthen collaboration, shape priorities and support the strategic development and innovation within surveys.

• Influencing – you will influence key stakeholders with competing demands and build mutually beneficial ways of working across organisational boundaries, helping secure alignment around strategic priorities and the role of research and innovation in improving survey quality and sustainability.
  
• Core member of the Social Surveys Directorate Senior Leadership Team – you will help ensure strategic alignment across Social Surveys, shape collective priorities, manage strategic trade-offs and support decisions on the prioritisation of resources.

Further information on the role can be found in the attached candidate pack.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• An inclusive leader, with strong people management skills and a proven track record of developing capability and building large, diverse, high performing teams.
• An extensive track record of delivery and continuous improvement across the full end-to-end scope of social surveys, from user engagement and requirement capture through to research, survey development, operational collection and processing.
• Strong Government Social Research expertise, with the professional credibility and judgement to set strategic direction, provide expert challenge and assure research and innovation across social surveys.
• Excellent communication skills, with an ability to engage effectively with staff at all levels and communicate credibly with analytical and non-analytical audiences.
• Experience of building constructive and collaborative relationships across organisational boundaries and managing complex stakeholder/user relationships.
• Experience of developing and delivering strategy and/or strategic initiatives, working with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders at all levels from problem definition to delivery.

Technical skills

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

• Technical skills will be tested via a presentation at interview stage. This will give be given to candidates one week in advance of their interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Office for National Statistics contributes £23,465 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.

ONS are committed to flexible ways of working that support a healthy work-life balance. ONS has already considered how this job could be right sized for applicants working flexibly and we are happy to explore options with you about working part time, in a job share or flexibly, in line with our hybrid working policies.

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 Experience and Technical skills.

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.

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.

If you are unsure that you meet the eligibility above, please read the information available on Gov.uk on this link, or 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

Selection Process

Applications should consist of your CV and Personal Statement combined as one document and uploaded as a single attachment through Civil Service Jobs.​

A Curriculum Vitae of no more than 2 pages of A4 consisting of:​

• Details of your education and/or professional qualifications.​

• Full employment history, giving details (where applicable) of budgets and numbers of people managed, relevant key achievements in recent posts.​

• Details of your latest remuneration.​

A personal statement detailing in no more than 2 pages of A4 how you meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification. We recommend that you give clear examples for each describing your own contribution and the impact and value of your actions.

Applications will be acknowledged shortly after receipt. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within one week of applying for the post, please contact our SCS Recruitment Team at: SCS.Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

To give your application the best chance of success, please ensure all required sections are completed and submitted by the closing date. Applications that do not contain the information requested may not be able to progress through the assessment process.​

Further information on the assessment and interview for this role can be found in the attached candidate pack.

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills.

Expected Recruitment Timetable

Closing date - 6th September 2026

Shortlisting meeting - 14th - 15th September 2026

Employee Engagement Exercise - 23rd September 2026

Interviews - from 9th October and w/c 12th October 2026 - To be conducted online via Microsoft Teams

Dates are subject to change.

Informal conversations to discuss suitability with the recruiting manager are welcomed in advance of the application closing date and can be arranged via email.

If you meet the required standard but the recruiting department is unable to offer you the job, you may be given the option of being added to a reserve list. Reserve lists may be shared with other Civil Service departments and professions who are recruiting for similar roles.

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

Full terms and conditions are attached at the bottom of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 : Alex Lambert
• Email : Alex.Lambert@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_SCS_Only Opens in new window (pdf, 77kB)DD_Strategy_Research_and_Innovation_SCS_Candidate_Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1020kB)