Senior Researcher (Statistics)

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system.

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day to day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community. More information on what it's like to work at the House of Commons can be found here: Be at the heart of the House of Commons - UK Parliament

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days' annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Access to training and development.
• Flexible working.
• Interest free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

Introduction

The Research and Information team is home to the House of Commons Library and the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. We make sure that MPs and their staff have accurate, reliable information at their fingertips. Our mission is to keep trusted information and analysis at the heart of Parliamentary democracy. We also publish our impartial research on our websites, which are viewed around 19 million times a year. We are proud to provide an essential service for the UK Parliament, and an invaluable resource for everyone.

Research and information services aimed primarily at MPs and their staff are provided under the House of Commons Library brand. Research services are provided by eight sections, each responsible for research services in broad subject groupings. This role is based in the Social and General Statistics. We are looking for a full-time Senior Researcher (Statistics) to join our team. You can see some examples of our published research briefings and data products on our website.

The Role

The postholder will work in the Social and General Statistics team, which is made up of 12 researchers, in addition to the section head. It is a busy but supportive team to work in.

The core work of the role will involve providing briefings for MPs and their staff on selected areas of statistics. The team covers statistics on a wide range of policy areas including health, education, crime, demographics, housing, transport, energy, environment, elections, and migration. Researchers in the team usually take responsibility for one or more topics and support and backup colleagues on one or more other topics, as required by business need.

The work is often fast paced as we respond to the changing needs of MPs and the demands placed on them. We provide information and briefing to MPs and their staff to support their parliamentary duties. This includes helping MPs' staff with constituency casework and statistics for the areas that MPs represent.

The postholder will be expected to work more widely with researchers in other Library sections, supporting with statistical work for policy-focused outputs where needed. They will work closely with colleagues in other parts of the Research and Information team, other Parliament teams, as well as relevant external stakeholders.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Research and briefing work on statistics within the Commons Library, including:
• Providing accurate, impartial, clear, fit-for-purpose written and oral briefings about statistical and numerical data on relevant subjects, in response to specific enquiries from Members and their staff.
• Preparing, publishing and updating new research products as required. This will include data products such as dashboards and interactive tools, and research briefings (e.g., on topical issues, and on matters of interest to Parliament). This includes collaborating with colleagues when appropriate and commenting constructively on others' work.
• Supporting the broader work of the Social and General Statistics section, which may include research work on any of the subjects covered by the team, sharing knowledge, collaborating with colleagues to expand the data capabilities of the team, and sharing knowledge with colleagues inside and outside the team.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• You have the ability to rapidly analyse, present and explain numerical data using your experience of working with a range of data sources in practical professional contexts. You are able to work with large and complex datasets using tools like Excel, R, and Power BI. You can understand key statistical concepts and you have a good knowledge of UK official statistics.
• You are able to absorb complex, technical material relevant to a subject quickly, and can analyse, interpret and present it clearly and accurately for a non-specialist. You have experience of using reliable, accurate and relevant information sources and research tools with the ability to assess their value using sound judgement.
• You have the ability to explain complex information clearly and succinctly using your excellent written and oral communication skills. You can communicate demonstrating strict political impartiality and authority, and in line with the needs of the audience.
• You can deal with a changing portfolio of work or cover for colleagues. You plan, prioritise and organise your workload to meet deadlines, and other competing demands. You can maintain high quality standards whilst working under pressure.
• You work effectively as part of a team and build and maintain working relationships with a wide range of people. You share skills, knowledge and learning with colleagues, with the ability to informally coach others and uphold our principles of equality, diversity, inclusion at all times.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• Application Form - If you would like to apply for this role, please submit an application providing evidence against criteria 1-5 in the Job Description.

More information on the application process can be found in the Application Support Pack attached.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Information Sessions

As part of the process, we will be running virtual information sessions on MS Teams for you to find out more about this role and working at Parliament.

These sessions will be on:

• Friday 21 March, 12:30-13:30
• Wednesday 26 March, 16:00-17:00

To register to attend, please book your slot through the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/information-session-senior-researcher-statistics-tickets-1279549158979?aff=oddtdtcreator