36910 - Data Scientist in the Data & Analytical Services Directorate

£26,401 - £42,107 (salary dependent on location)
5
12 Months
London, Yorkshire and the Humber
Leeds , London
10 SOUTH COLONNADE LONDON, E14 4PU, 5 WELLINGTON PLACE LEEDS, LS1 4AP
HEO
Cb
Permanent
Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working
Economics, Operational Research, Social Research / Market Research, Statistics, Analytical

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Overview

We have two permanent roles in our Data Science Hub within the MoJ Data & Analytical Services Directorate at Band Cb, subject to qualifying conditions being met, (HEO equivalent).

The Successful candidate will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:

  1. 10 South Colonnade, London (flexible working arrangements are available between 102 Petty France, MoJ Hubs and home)
  2. 5 Wellington Place, Leeds.

Interviews are likely to take place mid to late October and will be held on Skype or Microsoft Teams. We will keep a merit list for a year for those who successfully pass the interview board but who are not offered a post.

About Us

The Data Science Hub sits at the heart of MoJ’s push to bring Data Science to bear on some of the Ministry’s thorniest problems. We are a multi-disciplinary team of 30+ people from a range of professional backgrounds and work closely with our AWS based Analytical Platform team and our Data Engineering team.

Our team has delivered a series of high impact products built on the MoJ Analytical Platform across the data science spectrum including automation, advanced visualisation, machine learning and natural language processing. As our digital and data engineering team deliver robust near live data pipelines from the MoJ’s major operational systems, we continue to capitalise on the continued opportunities to create wide-ranging data science products tackling MoJ’s biggest challenges. Examples of recent projects the team has delivered include:

  • Extracting additional value from free text sources to improve understanding of the data
  • Bespoke analysis to feed into ministerial briefings
  • Predictive and risk modelling to support operational decision making
  • Producing automated analysis of trends and performance utilising innovative data visualisation techniques

We are committed to giving our team the tools they need to make full use of their skills, and all data scientists have access to the MoJ Analytical Platform as well as Macbooks onto which they can install their choice of tools.

You can find more examples of our work and ways of working by copying and pasting these links into your browser:

https://mojdigital.blog.gov.uk/2018/04/05/pushing-the-boundaries-of-data-science-with-the-moj-analytical-platform/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2058802X.2020.1726654

https://towardsdatascience.com/fuzzy-matching-and-deduplicating-hundreds-of-millions-of-records-using-apache-spark-93d0f095001f

https://dataingovernment.blog.gov.uk/2019/11/06/fostering-a-data-science-innovation-culture/

https://dataingovernment.blog.gov.uk/2019/10/30/engineering-the-data-of-the-future/

https://github.com/moj-analytical-services

About the Roles

We are looking to recruit senior data scientists in the Criminal Courts, Access to Justice and Corporate area. You will support a range of programmes, from different legal jurisdictions such as the criminal and civil courts, to legal aid and internal corporate functions. Projects will be varied, spanning data-driven policy, decision support tools for operational staff and corporate analytics. Previous projects in this space have utilised voice-to-text, natural language processing and predictive analytics.

Key Responsibilities

We are looking for candidates with a track record of delivering innovative solutions that have a real impact on the organisation, whilst working collaboratively with other analysts and stakeholders to ensure the right solution is delivered in an effective and efficient way.       

You will work as part of the Data Science Hub with the opportunity to work on projects across the MoJ to deliver priority pieces of work and offer development opportunities.

You will lead projects independently and work as part of larger teams consisting of data scientists and data engineers as well as interact with digital roles (user researchers, software developers etc.). The majority of projects will be conducted on the MoJ Analytical Platform using Github for version control and effective collaboration.

Specific responsibilities will be tailored to reflect your strengths and development needs, but you will also contribute to:

  • The vision for data infrastructure, data science, and analytics, recommending ways to improve the quality of our outputs;
  • A strong collaborative working environment within the team, and interacting positively with a variety of stakeholders to build community, capability and credibility;
  • Building best practices such as version control, unit testing, code review, and well documented applications;
  • The team’s awareness of the wider data science landscape and emerging technologies.

Eligibility

The roles are open to:

  1. Existing analysts from all professions (GORS/GSS/GSR/GES) either on level transfer or on promotion.
  2. Applicants who would like to join the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) through the interview process. Note: This is also subject to degree requirements for GORS entry, detailed here: http://www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/gors/

The role is open to all applicants. Applications from individuals working part-time or in jobshares are encouraged. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria

Salary

The salary will be negotiable within the pay range depending on your skills and expertise. Applicants are asked to note that the pay range in the advert is the minimum for Leeds and Maximum for Inner London.

Recruitment process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework and be asked to provide the following information as part of the application process.

Experience

You will be asked during the application to submit:

  • An anonymised CV (Please keep the CV to no more than 2 sides of A4, remove all personal information and do not save the file with your name); and
  • A 750-word Statement of Suitability, in which you should explain why you are the right candidate for these roles based on the technical data science skills and behaviours outlined below (note that the technical analytical competency will only be assessed at the interview stage). You may wish to provide 2 or 3 examples that cover off multiple requirements, or to address each in turn. You should include evidence on ‘how’ you demonstrated the requirements as well as ‘what’ you did. All these requirements are important for the job; however, we do not expect candidates to be expert in all of them; just give as much evidence as you can for each

We will be holding drop in sessions to give advice on and answer questions about the application process. We recommend taking advantage of this part of the process, especially for external applicants. If you are interested in attending, please contact Joanna.Li-How-Cheong1@justice.gov.uk for more information.

Applicants Invited for Interview

If you successfully reach the interview stage, we will assess you against the following:

Presentation

  • You will be asked to give a five-minute presentation (details of this will be sent to candidates before interview);

Behaviours

Communicating and influencing

  • Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact
  • Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs
  • Share information as appropriate and check understanding

Changing and Improving

  • Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact.
  • Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs
  • Share information as appropriate and check understanding

Please see the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade (Level 3 - HEO and SEO or equivalent):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Technical Data Science Skills

  • Knowledge of data science techniques (such as machine learning, natural language processing, data visualisation and/or statistical modelling)
  • Experience of analysing large and/or complex data sets
  • Programming experience (such as Python, R and/or SQL)
  • Ability to develop own capability and the capability of others
  • Track record of producing robust and reproducible analysis, including using quality assurance, automated testing and modern version control software.

Technical – Analytical Competency (see details below)

If applying under 1. Existing analysts from all professions (GORS/GSS/GSR/GES) you should give evidence of how you meet the requirements of the relevant professional competency framework. Please refer to the analytical profession frameworks below:

If applying under 2. Non-analysts who would like to join the Government Operational Research Service you will be assessed on the following GORS professional competencies:

  • Achieving impact with analysis
  • Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques

For further information about the GORS professional competencies, please refer to http://www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/competencies/

For Further Information:

If you wish to discuss the role or application process, we are organising drop-in sessions on Monday 14th and Friday 18th September. For any email enquiries or to register for these drop-in sessions, please contact Joanna.Li-How-Cheong1@justice.gov.uk

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.

There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee-run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

1-     To Shared Service Connected Ltd (0845 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com);

2-     To Ministry of Justice Resourcing (resourcing-services@justice.gov.uk);

3-     To the Civil Service Commission (details available here)

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Grading Structure Review

The Ministry of Justice is currently undergoing a review of posts which are currently graded at Band A to realign our grading structure with the majority of the wider Civil Service.

Posts advertised at Band A may be graded at either Grade 6 or Grade 7 once the review has taken place.  

Interviews are expected to take place mid to late October and will be held on Skype or Microsoft Teams

28/09/2020, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com Please quote the job reference - 36910.

For Further Information:

If you wish to discuss the role or application process, we are organising drop-in sessions on Monday 14th and Friday 18th September. For any email enquiries or to register for these drop-in sessions, please contact Joanna.Li-How-Cheong1@justice.gov.uk


To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Experience
CV
Statement of Suitability - 750 word limit
Are you a member of a civil service analytical profession?
Please answer in one word: GORS, GSS, GSR, GES or None. If you are unsure, put None
(Ignore 250 word limit) - 250 word limit

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving
Technical Skills
Technical Data Science Skills
• Knowledge of data science techniques (such as machine learning, natural language processing, data visualisation and/or statistical modelling)
• Experience of analysing large and/or complex data sets
• Programming experience (such as Python, R and/or SQL)
• Ability to develop own capability and the capability of others
• Track record of producing robust and reproducible analysis, including using quality assurance, automated testing and modern version control software.
Technical – Analytical Competency (see details below)

If applying under 1. Existing analysts from all professions (GORS/GSS/GSR/GES) you should give evidence of how you meet the requirements of the relevant professional competency framework. Please refer to the analytical profession frameworks below:
· Government Economic Service (GES): https://tinyurl.com/ybh95rm5
· Government Statistician Group (GSG): https://tinyurl.com/yamnbgew
· Government Social Research Service (GSR): https://tinyurl.com/y9gwny96
· Government Operational Research Service (GORS): https://tinyurl.com/y9q3akcg

If applying under 2. Non-analysts who would like to join the Government Operational Research Service you will be assessed on the following GORS professional competencies:
- Achieving impact with analysis
- Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques

For further information about the GORS professional competencies, please refer to http://www.operational-research.gov.uk/recruitment/competencies/
Additional Assessment(s)
Presentation

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

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) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· 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) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.