Junior Analyst: Analytics & Data Science

Junior Analyst: Analytics & Data Science

Fixed Term, 12 months

Full Time, 37 hours per week

Up to £32,000 per annum (see end of document for payment structure)

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: Sunday 7th July 23:59pm

 

Essex County Council’s award-winning Data & Analytics service has been growing and evolving for some time now; and isn’t done yet.

We're seeking a professionally trained junior analyst to play a role in advancing our data science initiatives in Essex. The ability to harness data science skills is paramount for this position. Utilising data science methodologies and statistical techniques, we aim to provide invaluable insights to our organisation, facilitating evidence-based decision-making processes. Our mission is to ensure that every decision undertaken by Essex County Council is underpinned by robust evidence.

Through the application of data science and statistical methodologies, we confront challenges head-on, unlocking the transformative potential of data to enhance our understanding of the county and drive meaningful change throughout our communities. If you're enthusiastic about joining a dynamic network comprising data scientists, analysts, engineers, designers, and more, then this opportunity is tailor-made for you.

You can learn more about the team by reading our insight blog or visiting our open data website.

The Job

The role of junior analyst offers a varied set of responsibilities and accountabilities, that you can read more about in the job profile below.

Junior Analysts in the Data & Analytics team are expected to work across a range of portfolio areas depending on organisational need, but this role will be primarily supporting the adult social care portfolio.

Adult social care is the largest portfolio in Essex County Council by budget and supports vulnerable adults to live independent lives with dignity. Our analysis helps leaders make evidence led decisions, both operationally and supporting our commissioning programme.

Recent analytics projects with adult social care include forecasting service demand, modelling pathways through care system, and identifying potential beneficiaries of assistive technology.

Core Skills

It is important to us that junior analysts possess a range of skills, including the ability to:

• Extract data from various sources in structured ways,
• Determine appropriate analytics methods and products to suit business need,
• Transform data to enable the successful delivery of analytics and data science projects,
• Use statistical and data science methods to derive insight from data,
• Visualise data to make it accessible to stakeholders, and
• Tell insight stories using outputs from data analysis.

Educated to degree level or with equivalent experience

Coding and automation (R, SQL, Python)

Recruitment Process

As part of the application process, please ensure that you provide a supporting statement when prompted, telling us:

1. What skills you possess that make you suitable for the role, and
2. Why you want to work for Essex County Council

Following an initial shortlisting process, candidates will be provided a technical test. The performance within this test, alongside your initial application, will then be used to invite successful candidates to an interview. We expect to schedule interviews towards the end of July/early August

Development

We support the development of our staff in their careers. Over the past five years, 75% of team members have earned promotions into new role. We consistently offer opportunities to develop new skills through project working or training and encourage staff to spent 10% of their time on training and development.

You can read more about development opportunities in the team in our insight blog, specifically these blogs from Bella , Fran , and Caroline & Louis .

Base

This role is considered an ‘anywhere worker’ by Essex County Council and is predominantly a remote position. However, there is an expectation to be in the office in Chelmsford, Essex, at a minimum of once a month, and when required on an ad hoc basis for different business needs.

Salary & Benefits

Our Essex Pay policy means we look at the job market nationally to offer competitive salary rates for all positions. The current rate for the job for this is £32,000 per annum, which is regularly evaluated. Our pay policy means that all people within a role are paid the same rate, except for training and development reasons.

Where development needs are identified throughout the recruitment process, new starters will be offered a minimum of 85% of the rate for the job. Upon starting, you will work with your line manager to create a development plan to increase your salary to the rate for the job within a maximum of 24mths.

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all employees. More information can be found at https://workingforessex.com/working-here/pay-reward?source=workingforessex.com .

To read more about us please visit: Chief Executives Office

Why Essex?

Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the link.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

 

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn . Further details can be found on our careers page .

Downloads

Pay and Reward , Our Ways of Working, About Us, Organisation Behaviours

 

Job Profile: Junior Analyst

Functional Responsibilities:

Understanding Customer Priorities

· Works with customers and team to identify opportunities for analytics to support customer priorities

· Works with customers and team to progress work supporting functional business plans

Supporting Project Delivery

· Deliver analytical and data science projects working in multi-disciplinary teams and business areas

· Supports delivery across data project life cycle

Implementing Analytics in the Public Sector

· Connects your analytical expertise to public sector ways of working

· Helps others understand value data & analytics can bring to the public sector

· Ensures own work is communicated in accurate and clear ways

Advocating Best Practice Analytics

· Produce insight in a clear and compelling way that delivers impact in Essex

· Knowledgeable on range of analytics, statistics, and data science methodologies, can help find suitable applications in public sector

Competencies:

Analysis and problem-solving skills. You can show an awareness of the need for careful analysis of research data to produce clear findings

Communication. You can show an awareness of the need to translate technical concepts into non-technical language. You can understand what communication is required with internal and external stakeholders

Data management. You can show an awareness of organisational data governance, and how it works in relation to other organisational governance structures

Data modelling, cleansing and enrichment. You can show an awareness of different data models and tools, and understand when they could be used. You can show an awareness of industry-recognised data modelling patterns and standards

Data visualisation. You can work under direction to use the most appropriate medium to visualise data to tell a story, relevant to the fully defined goals and able to be acted upon. You can present, communicate and disseminate analysis and recommendations appropriately, under direction

IT and mathematics. You can show an awareness of IT and mathematical skills. You can appreciate how they are applied in the environment

Logical and creative thinking. You can identify problems in databases, data processes, data products and services, with an understanding of the level of a problem (for example, strategic, tactical or operational). You can contribute to the implementation of remedies and preventative measures

Data quality assurance, validation and linkage. You can understand basic data issues and can check that the data and analysis look right. You can understand the concept of data being fit for purpose. You can understand the context of the data. You can show that you know the right questions to ask, and apply a curious and analytical mindset when approaching a problem. You can perform data preparation and cleansing with guidance

Behaviours:

· You display a positive and respectful attitude in the workplace. You raise concerns and challenges in a productive manner, seeking resolution to workplace challenges.

· You treat and speak to all members of the team, and any external colleagues you may interact with, fairly, equitably and courteously

· You work with honesty and integrity, conducting yourself in a professional and productive manner

· You perform you job to a reasonable, acceptable standard, and to the best of your ability

· You adhere to organisational and team policy around absence and attendance

· You call out poor behaviours when you see them, or raise with members of the management team

· You work with humility, taking accountability for any mistakes, and welcoming constructive feedback openly.

· You are dependable, delivering what you commit to, attending meetings you accept invitations for, and letting people know if these things are unachievable