Statistician

Location

Edinburgh | United Kingdom

Job description

Are you looking for a varied role that will help make a difference to the lives of the people of Scotland?

We are looking for a talented, motivated statistician to join our Analytical team to provide advice and analysis that underpins the delivery of Food Standards Scotland’s priorities for food safety and dietary health policy.

About us

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is the public sector food body for Scotland. FSS has a broad remit covering all aspects of the food chain which can impact on public health. Our mission is to be Scotland’s leading authority on food safety, standards, and healthy eating; using data and evidence to provide assurance and advice that inspires consumer confidence and improves public health. 

FSS’s Science Division is responsible for providing scientific advice and commissioning research and surveillance to support the development of policies aimed at protecting consumers in Scotland. The Analytical team sits within FSS’s Science Division, as a support function which provides statistical, data science, economic, and social research expertise to support all areas of the business.

Reporting to the Head of Analytical Unit (Statistics and Data Science), you will have the opportunity to work across the whole of the project lifecycle. In addition to traditional statistical analysis, you will help to shape the future development of new and existing databases and will apply a range of data science techniques to identify patterns and trends in data. You will have the opportunity to develop bespoke apps to explain these findings in an interactive way which is suitable for a both lay and expert audiences.

To deliver effectively, you will be expected to be able to apply established standards for data analysis. You will also have excellent written and communication skills with the ability to present FSS science and evidence to audiences ranging from consumers to scientists, board members and Ministers.

You will work collaboratively with teams across all areas of FSS business to identify evidence gaps, provide advice and develop innovative data and analytical solutions.

• Work proactively with stakeholders to ensure the datasets and reports generated by FSS are statistically robust; leading the development of statistical models to support the design of dietary health monitoring and food surveillance programmes.
• Undertake statistical analyses on national datasets generated through activities such as food law enforcement, food surveillance and dietary monitoring to identify trends and emerging risks. The outputs will be used to develop targeted guidance and interventions for improving the safety and standards of food and protecting public health.
• Lead on the development of interactive RShiny dashboards to present analytical outputs and support the interpretation of analysis in a way which will maximise understanding for business leads.
• Work with FSS digital teams to support the design of data collection and data management systems, ensuring that data is structured, described and formatted in a manner that supports analytical requirements across the business
• Support the Head of the Analytical Unit in providing strategic direction to the development and implementation of FSS’s data and digital strategy; working with teams across the organisation to identify and schedule data analysis projects needed to underpin the delivery of FSS priorities.
• Provide oversight for all FSS data projects; apply project management tools and ensure the work of contractors is monitored effectively according to agreed timescales and budget. Quality assure and critically appraise the work of colleagues and external suppliers to ensure a high standard of statistical rigour is applied to the outputs of all research, surveillance and data analysis projects commissioned across the organisation.
• Lead on the communication of scientific advice and research outputs relevant to the role, ensuring statistical and technical matters are translated clearly and in a manner which is appropriate to the target audience.
• Promote the uptake of statistics and data science learning and skills to support the wider development of analytical capability across FSS.

Competencies

Analysis and Use of Evidence

Communication and Engagement

Improving Performance

People Management

Minimum of BSc Honours degree in a scientific or numerate subject, containing at least 25% taught statistical content (e.g., Statistics, Mathematics, Sciences or similar) with post graduate experience, in a numerate position in academia, government or professional services.

Essential Criteria 

1. Proven experience of leading on data collection activities. Demonstrate strong data management practices for working with large complex datasets.

2. Proven analytical skills, able to select appropriate statistical techniques and use advanced software packages (e.g. R) to support decision making.

3. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience in technical writing, and presenting statistical concepts and data interpretation to a range of audiences to provide statistical advice and support decisions.

4. Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders whilst balancing conflicting demands.

Provisional Interview Dates 

To be confirmed. 

Location

This post will be based in one of our Scottish Government Offices, Edinburgh/Glasgow/Aberdeen. In line with our current way of working, our team follows a hybrid working approach, where colleagues use a mix of office based and remote working (working from home) depending on the requirements of the role and personal circumstances.

There will be with occasional travel to our Aberdeen head office to meet with managers and attend meetings, courses and team building events.

Additional Information 

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to apply to join the Government Statistician Group (GSG) at the next Scottish Government statistical profession badging boards. This will involve you undertaking a online test and technical assessment to demonstrate that you have the required technical knowledge and experience to meet the  GSG competency framework at the B3 level. Food Standards Scotland does not require you to be a member of the GSG.

How To Apply

For further information on this vacancy please download and review the “Person Specification” which you will find below.

To apply, you must fully complete and submit an online application via this website before the closing date using evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.

To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Rebecca Callaby at [email protected] .

The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via [email protected]  

As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.

Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.

Job tags

Salary