Grade 7, Senior Project Data Scientist and/or Engineer

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people’s day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Portfolio Directorate

Portfolio Directorate is at the centre of Defra’s work to deliver £30B+ of major projects that will benefit the environment, rural communities, agricultural producers and the UK public. You will play a critical role in supporting, enabling and delivering these projects by putting our customers, data and successful delivery at the centre of all that we do. And you’ll be part of a diverse, friendly and fun team based across the UK. 

Project Data Division is new, nimble and multi-disciplinary group of data engineers and architects, analysts and service managers, project managers and subject matter experts with a mandate to transform how to Defra does major project delivery. 

While we sit within the Director General-lead Portfolio Delivery Group, we work across all of Defra’s £30B+ portfolio of major projects. From the £5.2B floods defences investment programme to the £500M English Tree Planting Programme, from a new animal and plant science capability for the UK to the implementation of the Windsor Framework in Northern Ireland, we are at the centre of some of the most exciting and impactful work in government.  

Come join us to help put data at the heart of all we do! 

Encouraging diverse applicants

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups.

You will lead improvements in how we get, manage and exploit data across Defra’s major projects. This means more than ‘just’ project management-related data; we will be working with teams to improve the identification and exploitation of their most critical data assets. Your day-to-day work will be diverse. One day you could be scoping a new analytical project to solve a specific problem, another day you could be focused on advising senior leaders how to improve data architecture across the organisation.

You will be part of a small team of specialists, both contributing to and leading diverse matrix teams. You will thrive in a fast-paced, changing and complex environment. You see opportunity in ambiguity, re-prioritise with relish, be agile in all that you do, fail and learn in the open, and ultimately get stuff done. You are a friendly and inspiring team player, an outstanding communicator who is confident operating amidst high degrees of ambiguity and change.

You will do so as part of a team that prides itself on being friendly, ambitious and fun. We are:

• Data-centric, helping embed data in all areas and stages of project activity
• Problem focused, thinking about, defining and collaborating to solve business problems with data
• Capability obsessed, working at all times to learn and expand our own skills & capabilities
• Passionate about democratising data, making data a core part of everyone’s jobs

Does this sound only partially, not wholly like you? Don’t tune out now! You’ll be assessed on the evidence you bring from your previous experience in your written application and (if selected) at interview stage. We’re building a diverse, multi-talented team and we want to hear about the unique thing(s) you would bring to the table.

Additional things you might find yourself doing include:

• Applying both simple and advanced analytical techniques to extract insight from data
• Developing innovative, clear and engaging products to communicate data and analysis, including interactive visualisation tools
• Inspiring the people who make decisions and drive delivery of essential public services to use data
• Establishing working practices and repositories which enable a pipeline process which can be re-used for later versions of the data. This will include advocate and leading on best practice for valuing, storage, and re-use of data.
• Using Python and/or SQL scripting language for structuring and transforming data, deploying various python extensions as well as custom applications
• Understanding how and where relevant data can be collected and collated to enable meaningful analysis
• Maintaining an understanding of, and contributing to the development of the cross government and external data engineering & science communities, partnering where appropriate to improve cross-government linkages and learning

Essential Criteria

Experience:

• Conceiving and delivering useful solutions to business problems with data, such as establishing data flows and pipelines from diverse sources by cultivating relationships and championing modern technological solutions
• Building relationships with and influencing diverse stakeholders
• Playing an active role in a project or project-related environment

You will be able to competently demonstrate:

•  Strong numeracy
•  Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex information into meaningful, easily understood narrative
•  Keenness to develop excellence in communicating analytical findings for impact, including through creative visualisation
•  Strong interest in use of data and evidence to drive better outcomes
•  Attention to detail

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

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

• Assessed Analytical Exercise. Details will be provided to those candidates who pass sift.

A career in the Civil Service is like no other. If you’re looking to join a world class team and develop your career with us, then the Civil Service is the place for you! You might be wondering, “what’s in it for me”? Take a look below at some of the benefits available to you as a civil servant in Defra.

Portfolio Directorate Benefits

Learning and Development

Everyone in Defra is supported to develop their skills and capabilities. When you join the Portfolio Directorate, you will be welcomed into your new team through an induction programme that will provide you with helpful information on the civil service, Defra, our work and our policies. Your line manager will also work with you to establish your priorities for the year, developing a performance, learning and development plan tailored to you and your role, while also working with you to connect you with a civil service mentor to help empower you in your new role with the opportunity to benefit from paid for coaching.

Most importantly, we’re keen to invest in you! As a civil servant, you will also have access to Civil Service Learning where you can participate in professional development programmes across a wide spectrum of subjects and professions.

Department Benefits

Technology

We’re a firm believer in agile and flexible working. When you join Defra, we’ll kit you out with a new Windows 10 Laptop, smartphone and rucksack to make sure that you perform your best wherever you are.

Leave

25 days’ paid leave per annum rising to 30 days after five years’ service, in addition to eight public holidays and the King’s Birthday privilege day. We also offer
– competitive maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave
– study leave for the pursuit of academic studies
– 3 days paid leave for volunteering per annum
– 15 days paid leave per year for reservist training
– generous paid sick leave

Cycle to Work Scheme

Defra loans you a bike for your commute as a tax-free benefit. At the end of the loan period, you have the option to buy the bike, saving 30% of the original cost.

Season Ticket and Bicycle Loan

We offer interest-free season ticket loans, to all Defra employees with more than three months’ service, for purchasing train and bus season tickets, as well as station car parking. For those unable to take advantage of tax-free benefits, we also offer an interest-free bicycle loan to enable the purchase of a bicycle for commuting.

Gym, Social and Sports Activities

Our offices have a range of different onsite facilities, including gym, fitness facilities, games room, showers and cycle storage. There are also a variety of networks and social groups to join. Ask your line manager for more information.

Restaurant and Café Facilities

A range of our offices offer onsite restaurant and café facilities.

Civil Service Benefits

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package, and you will be given the chance to join one of three different pension plans. You can find more information on the Civil Service Pension on the MyCSP Website at www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk

Civil Service Sports Council

The Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) organises a wide choice of activities throughout the UK, from art, gliding, abseiling and orienteering to cabaret weekends and quiz and curry nights. Your CSSC membership will provide you with FREE access to hundreds of national and local sites, in addition to savings at many high street stores, cinemas, restaurants and historic houses.

Blended Working

Defra operates a blended working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs.  There is flexibility to split the working week, spending minimum of 40-60% in the workplace, unless exceptional circumstances apply and/or you are a contractual home worker.

Job contact :

• Name : Strategy Resourcing Team
• Email : sandc.resourcing@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk